Avs Extinguish Flames With Offensive Onslaught

Kadri scores two PPGs in huge opening period

The puck dropped and the game was over.

Well, not quite, but that’s how it felt watching the Avalanche dismantle (can I use ‘extinguish’ again after using it in the headline?) the Flames, 9-2, at home in Ball Arena.

Before going any further, I want to acknowledge the maturity of a Calgary team that understood it was outmatched and overpowered… and didn’t do anything to ruin the game because of it. There was no “gooning it up,” no attempt to turn things dangerous or ugly. They took their beating and moved on.

Some teams don’t handle that situation well. They’ll send out fourth-liners to inflict pain, trying to compensate for a lack of skill with chaos. Others would argue that Calgary’s lack of response shows a lack of pride, that not pushing back is the same as accepting the humiliation.

I disagree.

Sometimes, it’s okay to admit you’ve been beaten. Calgary still has two games left against Colorado this season. There’s no reason to hand the Avalanche extra motivation — or a physical edge — to go along with the scoreboard beatdown.