If only the Avalanche would do to opponents what the Calgary Flames did to them Tuesday, wreak some havoc in front of the net to manufacture scoring chances.
The Flames earned their own breaks by doing just that in a 6-3 win at the Pepsi Center that stretched the Avalanche's home losing streak to a ridiculous nine games (0-8-1) -- the worst since the team has been in Denver, from what I could find -- since a 4-1 win against Los Angeles on Nov. 15.
It isn't listed in the media guide's record section, but the worst previous home losing streak for the Avalanche that I could find by going through the year-by-year listings was eight (0-7-1) -- seven regulation losses and one overtime loss from Jan. 26-March 11, 2011.
The media guide lists the franchise record for consecutive home losses as eight, set by the Quebec Nordiques from Oct. 21-Nov. 24, 1990. The longest home winless streak is 11 (seven losses, four ties) set by the Nordiques from Nov. 14-Dec. 26, 1989.
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Three of the Flames' four second-period goals went into the net off Avalanche defensemen -- two off Francois Beauchemin and one off Fedor Tyutin. Another bounced in off goalie Calvin Pickard after Johnny Gaudreau's deflected shot hit the glass and caromed over the net.
"The one that went off the glass, there's nothing you can do," coach Jared Bednar said after practice Wednesday. "They did the right things to create (the other) bounces."
The Flames managed to get a puck in an area where it could hit a stick or a skate and go in, something the Avalanche have rarely done this season.
"I'm a firm believer that you earn your bounces," forward Blake Comeau said. "For them to get into our zone and create some of those bounces was (because of) turnovers or not hard enough backchecks or whatever the case was. You feel for Picks because the bounces they got were frustrating for him."
Mikael Backlund was credited with the first of his two goals when his pass from just outside the crease for Matthew Tkachuk hit Tyutin and bounced by Pickard. Sam Bennett's deflection of Deryk Engelland's shot went in off Beauchemin.
After Gaudreau scored, Backlund poked the puck away from Pickard's stick and it went in off Beauchemin's skate.
"You have to get gritty, get more pucks to the net, more traffic there and fight for those rebounds and just not give up on pucks," Bednar said. "That guy just pokes at it at Pick's stick -- he hadn't heard the whistle yet -- and it pops out and goes off Beauchemin's skate. We had four guys standing there and one of their guys sneaks in.
"I'd rather have us step out, seal that guy out and keep him off the net. We have to be grittier and more physical in that area, for sure."
Offensively, where the Avalanche have struggled to score, Bednar said "the shooters have a responsibility to get playable pucks down by the net, even if you can't get them on net because someone's in your lane, getting some pucks down by the net so we can get some sticks on them." *****
Pickard will start again Thursday in Dallas, and Jeremy Smith will be the backup. Semyon Varlamov, who has a groin injury, didn't practice Wednesday and was to be reevaluated again. He didn't make the trip.