Calgary, Alberta: Colorado Avalanche clamped down defensively to shut down the Western Conference-leading Calgary Flames 5-1 in Game 5 of their first-round series on Friday night. Colin Wilson and Mikko Rantanen each had two goals and an assist.
Gabriel Landeskog also scored, and Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie each had three assists as the Avalanche won a playoff series for the first time since 2008. Philipp Grubauer stopped 28 shots and a penalty shot by Johnny Gaudreau in the first period.
“It’s awesome to win a round,” said MacKinnon, who had three goals and five assists in the series. “It’s been a while for this organisation and I, personally, have never won a round so I’m really excited about it.”
T.J. Brodie scored for the Flames, and Mike Smith finished with 27 saves.
Calgary, which finished first in the Western Conference at 50-25-7, was beaten by a team that sprinted the final two weeks of the regular season to capture the West’s last wild card and then won four straight in this series after losing the opener.
