Calgary, Alberta – On an appropriate night for it, the Avalanche suffered multiple brain freezes Tuesday during a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Mental mistakes were as much to blame for the Avs’ defeat as anything physical, although the visitors didn’t have much to brag about there, either, on a night when the temperature dropped into double digits below zero. Three power-play goals by the Flames in the game’s first 25 minutes made it an easy night for Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff.
“I don’t like the penalties we took,” Avs coach Joel Quenneville said. “They weren’t smart penalties, and I didn’t like how we killed penalties, either. To me, that was the difference.”
The Flames came in with the NHL’s 26th best power play, but Tuesday they looked like No. 1, scoring on three of their first four attempts. Included was a 5-on-3 goal by defenseman Dion Phaneuf that made it 2-0 at the 3:15 mark of the second period, and Matthew Lombardi’s goal 1:25 later.
Former Avs forward Alex Tanguay had a fun night in his first game against his old team. He set up Phaneuf’s goal and scored a seeing- eye goal early in the third period to make it 5-1.
The two-man Calgary advantage early in the second period was the game’s turning point. It came about when the Avs’ Paul Stastny took a high-sticking call from behind, then defenseman Brett Clark compounded the situation by getting caught flat-footed off the rush and hauling down his man – giving the Flames a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes.
“I don’t know if Clarkie (knew) that and I don’t know if the (second) ref knew that, either,” Quenneville said. “Two independent calls on the same play. I don’t think either guy was aware we were down one.”
Calgary took 18 seconds in getting the puck past Avs goalie Jose Theodore, as Phaneuf blasted a slap shot home to the top shelf. On the second goal, by Lombardi, Avs forward Ian Laperriere lost his stick, then failed to pick it back up by his feet after teammates pushed it toward him. That helped Lombardi to sneak in low for the goal that made it 3-0.
Calgary’s first goal, a tip-in by Jarome Iginla, came with the Flames on a four-minute power play advantage, after Marek Svatos clipped Iginla in the face with a high stick.
Svatos and Andrew Brunette, along with linemate Joe Sakic, had a poor night. Brunette played only 10:47, a season low.
The Avs were second to the puck almost all night, even on their own power plays. It was a poor start to an important three-game Northwest Division road trip.
“We’ve got to put this one behind us,” Sakic said. “We were playing well up to this point. There’s no reason for this game, but we’ve just got to make sure we’re ready for (Thursday in Ed- monton). We’ve got to stay out of the box, and we’ve got to bear down more. We were behind the play all night. We were bad.”
Rookies Wojtek Wolski and Stastny scored Colorado’s goals in the third period. Otherwise, there was little offensive spark for the Avs, who were outshot 37-25.
“(Wolski) and Paul were fine, but we didn’t generate a whole lot on any line tonight,” Quenneville said. “(This) is a similar game that we’ve seen in the past, and I’m not happy about it.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
