Colorado @ Calgary preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 3, 2019 ) Calgary 3, Colorado 5

Colorado has endured enough big-ticket injuries to cripple most teams but Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar are keeping the Avalanche from sliding too far. Colorado tries for its sixth straight victory over Calgary, including playoffs, when it visits the Flames on Tuesday after winning four of its last five games without its No. 1 goaltender and two elite forwards.

MacKinnon has seven goals and 14 points in nine games since Gabriel Landeskog (lower body) joined Mikko Rantanen (ankle) on the injured list while Makar has contributed four goals and 12 points during that span. "Such a gifted player,'' MacKinnon told reporters about Makar, who has five goals and leads rookies with 22 points. "I said before this season I thought he was going to get 70 (points). I might have to up that a little the way he's playing." Calgary has lost four straight following a 6-0 setback at Vegas on Sunday that marked their second straight shutout after scoring three goals in the previous two contests. "Something’s got to change here,'' Flames left wing Matthew Tkachuk told reporters. "We have to get back to the old us and get out of this little funk we have here because this is not fun. It’s not fun being down in games and it’s not fun leaving your goalie out to dry like that.”

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), Sportsnet One (Calgary)

ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (12-6-2): Colorado could have its top two goaltenders in uniform for the first time in six games if Pavel Francouz clears concussion protocol as Grubauer has returned to practice in earnest. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov recorded an assist and was a plus-1 in 16 minutes, 7 seconds of ice time in Saturday's 5-4 overtime victory at Vancouver after missing three games with a broken jaw. MacKinnon paces the team with 13 goals and 29 points while Joonas Donskoi (nine goals), Andre Burakovsky (eight) and Nazem Kadri (seven) have all stepped up in their first seasons with the club.

ABOUT THE FLAMES (10-10-3): Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm lead the team with 10 goals apiece and each own a minus-1 rating. Johnny Gaudreau (18 points) and Sean Monahan (17) - Lindholm's linemates - are a combined minus-19. Sam Bennett (upper body) did not play against Vegas while defenseman Travis Hamonic left Sunday's game with a lower-body injury.

OVERTIME

1. Colorado LW Matt Calvert (four goals, 12 points) will be out indefinitely after getting hit in the head by an Elias Pettersson shot Saturday.

2. The Avalanche have yielded six power-play goals in 12 chances over the last two games while the Flames are among the league's best in penalty-killing at 85.5, but 10-for-14 over their last four contests.

3. Colorado won the first of three meetings this season 5-3 on Oct. 3 with Donskoi scoring twice in his club debut.

PREDICTION: Flames 3, Avalanche 2