Post-Game: Things to do in Denver when you’re dreadful

The Calgary Flames were out-played by the Colorado Avalanche in Games 1 and 2 of their first round series, but they were fairly decent. The Flames were downright dreadful in Denver in a 6-2 loss to the Avalanche.

The Flames got themselves into a bit of trouble early in the third period, as on the same play they took a hooking penalty and a too-many-men minor. On the ensuing five-on-three, Nathan MacKinnon used both Gabriel Landeskog and a defending Mark Giordano as a screen and beat Mike Smith to make it 1-0 Avalanche.

The Avalanche hustled their way into another Flames penalty and took advantage on their next power play. Travis Hamonic lost his stick and Elias Lindholm lent him his, then hustled to the bench. As Lindholm went to grab another stick, Mikko Rantanen’s cross-zone pass found MacKinnon for a one-timer that went into the net just as Smith was moving laterally to make it a 2-0 lead for the Avalanche.

And before the end of the period, the Avalanche added another one with the Flames standing around in their own end. MacKinnon set up a pinching Cale Makar for a wrister that beat Smith to extend the home team’s lead to 3-0.

Shots were 21-8 Avalanche and scoring chances 11-5 Avalanche in the opening period.

The Flames got an opportunity to claw back into this one early in the second period, as Sven Andrighetto took a lazy penalty on an icing. But the Flames’ power play looked completely discombobulated and the Avalanche got a couple of breakaway rushes. On the second one, Ian Cole’s initial shot was stopped but Matt Nieto beat the Flames defender to the rebound and beat Smith to make it 4-0.

But just 43 seconds after Colorado scored, the Flames cashed in on their power play. Rasmus Andersson put a low slap-pass towards the front of the net and it deflected in off Sam Bennett’s skate (on a set play) and past Philipp Grubauer to make it a 4-1 game.

The visitors kept getting some traction, but a fairly casual rush into the Avalanche zone by the Johnny Gaudreau line led to a turnover and an odd-man rush. Rantanen snuck in as the trailer and buried a Colin Wilson feed from the high slot to give Colorado a 5-1 lead.

Shots were 19-12 Avalanche and scoring chances 12-8 Avalanche in the second period.

Erik Johnson scored early in the third period during a stretch of four-on-four on a tip-in to make it 6-1, but TJ Brodie deflected a Noah Hanifin shot 15 seconds later to make the score 6-2 Avalanche.

Well, the Flames weren’t any good.

The game-plan for the Avalanche was probably to weather the early storm and rely on their line matching (due to last change) to get some favourable conditions for MacKinnon’s line to get some scoring chances. The Flames made things easy for them by taking several early penalties and seemingly losing a step in their fore-check and back-check once they got down a goal or two.

Rather than a playoff-style battle, the Flames gave the Avalanche one of the easier playoff victories they’re ever going to get.

Bennett was the only Flames skater with a plus rating, so he gets the nod by default. Smith was also good, but he also gave up six goals.

Makar’s goal was a back-breaker. Already down a pair, the Flames needed to do whatever they could to gain momentum. Instead they stood around while a 20-year-old playing his first NHL game walked in on their goalie and extended the home team’s lead.

The Athletic’s Ryan Clark summed up the game very succinctly.

Game 4 of this Best-of-Seven series goes Wednesday night at 8 p.m. MT at the Pepsi Center in Denver.