DALLAS — Jarome Iginla entered Thursday’s game against Dallas with just five goals in 34 games, and on pace to produce his fewest goals since he had 13 as a second-year pro in 1997-98. The Avalanche right winger, however, could still finish his 20th NHL season ahead of first-ballot Hockey Hall of Famer’s Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic in two major categories.
Iginla, 39, played his 1,509th career game Thursday, and is now just five games shy of tying Yzerman for 15th most all-time. In all-time goals, Sakic is 15th with 625, nine more than Iginla.
In addition, Iginla is tied for eighth with Guy Lafleur in all-time game-winning goals, with 97 — just one behind No. 7 Bobby Hull.
Given his durability and history of heating up offensively after Christmas, Iginla appears to be a lock to catch Yzerman in games played and has a decent chance to match Sakic in goals this season.
Back to reality. Avalanche goalie Calvin Pickard viewed Thursday as a chance to redeem himself — or a return to normalcy after taking the loss in Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to visiting Calgary, who had four of its goals carom in off an Avalanche player.
“You could consider it a bounce-back game,” Pickard said after Colorado’s morning skate at the American Airlines Center here. “The game against Calgary, I felt really good, got a really good start and made a lot of good saves. But at the same time, I let in six goals.”
Footnotes. Iginla and defenseman Francois Beauchemin, 36, who is the second-oldest player on the Avs, didn’t participate in the morning skate Thursday. … Forward Cody McLeod and defenseman Patrick Wiercioch returned to the lineup after being scratched the two previous games. McLeod replaced Joe Colborne and Cody Goloubef was the odd-man out on the blue line. … Dallas scratched forwards Antoine Roussel (upper body) and Patrick Sharp (concussion).
