Avalanche 4, Flames 2

Michael Kelly, The Sports Xchange

DENVER -- Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere stopped 30 shots, centers Paul Stastny and John Mitchell scored in the second period as the Colorado Avalanche continued their hot start with a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames on Friday night.

Centers Ryan O'Reilly and Matt Duchene also had a goal for the Avalanche.

Colorado (13-2) matched the 1995 Quebec Nordiques for the best 15-game start in franchise history.

Left winger Mike Cammalleri had two goals and center Mikael Backlund had two assist for the Flames, who have lost seven of their last nine.

Goalie Karri Ramo made 23 saves for Calgary.

Giguere entered Friday having allowed three goals in four games this year and Cammalleri nearly matched that total in the high-scoring second period.

His first goal 6:07 into the frame cut Colorado's lead to 2-1, and his second one, midway through the game, made it 3-2 after Mitchell gave the Avalanche a two-goal lead again.

Cammalleri had a chance for the hat trick late in the second but Giguere stopped him on an odd-man rush.

The Flames kept the pressure on in the third and almost tied it on the power play in the first minute. Later, center Jiri Hudler had a point blank chance, but Giguere lunged forward to make the save.

Ramo came off for an extra skater with little more than a minute left the Flames but couldn't tie it.

Duchene scored into an empty net with seconds remaining to seal it.

O'Reilly got Colorado on the board with his sixth goal 5:31 into the game. Stastny made it 2-0 when he scored on a 5-on-3 just 69 seconds into the second.

Colorado had a chance for more when it got another two-man advantage a minute later but the Flames killed off both penalties.

NOTES: The Flames acquired D Ladislav Smid and G Olivier Roy from the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. Calgary sent C Roman Horak and G Laurent Brossoit to Edmonton. Smid is expected to join the Flames on Saturday while Roy will report to the Anchorage Aces, Calgary's East Coast Hockey League affiliate. ... Avalanche D Ran Wilson was scratched with a back injury and D Nick Holden took his place in the lineup. Wilson is out for at least two weeks. "The doctor said let's wait two weeks and see where it goes from there," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said ... Flames D Shane O'Brien played in his 500th career game. ... O'Reilly has now scored a goal in three straight games.