Martin Necas recorded his 100th point of the season while Cale Makar tallied three assists in his return, powering the Colorado Avalanche to a 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames and matching franchise records in the process.
Tuesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome delivered a little bit of everything for the Colorado Avalanche—milestones, returns, and another step toward a historic regular season finish.
At the center of it all was Martin Necas, who etched his name into franchise lore by becoming just the ninth player in Avalanche history to reach the 100-point mark in a single season. His milestone moment came on Nathan MacKinnon’s late empty-net goal, where Necas picked up the secondary assist to cap off a quietly dominant night.
Meanwhile, Cale Makar made an emphatic return after missing six games with an upper-body injury, dishing out three assists and instantly reminding everyone why he remains one of the league’s most dynamic forces from the blue line.
The Avalanche rode those performances to a 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames, improving to 54-16-11 on the season. With the win, Colorado matched franchise records with 119 points and 29 road victories—further solidifying what has already been a remarkable campaign.
“It was good,” MacKinnon told NHL.com. “It was a tough game for us. Happy to get the win. Happy to get Marty (Necas) 100 points. I think that was the goal.”
After a scoreless opening period, Calgary broke through first when Blake Coleman redirected a shot from the slot 7:22 into the second. The Avalanche didn’t panic—they responded.
Artturi Lehkonen evened the game later in the period, snapping home his 21st of the year from the left circle off a perfectly placed cross-ice feed from Makar. It was the kind of sequence that has become routine for Colorado: patience, vision, and clinical execution.
Assistant coach Nolan Pratt didn’t hold back in his praise of Makar’s impact.
“He’s a dynamic player that can create something out of nothing,” Pratt said. “We see him do it all the time… if you give him a little bit of space, he can hurt you, and he did on that one.”
The game remained tight into the third period before Gabriel Landeskog gave Colorado the lead for good. Stationed near the crease, the captain got a piece of a point shot from Brett Kulak, deflecting it home for his 14th goal of the season and a 2-1 advantage.
“Good for him,” Pratt added. “We talked about getting to the net… great job getting there.”
From there, the Avalanche did what contenders do—they closed. MacKinnon’s empty-netter sealed it with just seconds remaining, pushing his season total to 53 goals and putting the finishing touch on a night that blended individual milestones with team success.
In goal, Mackenzie Blackwood was steady throughout, turning aside 30 of 31 shots and providing the backbone Colorado needed during key stretches.
With one game left on the regular season slate, the Avalanche will return home to face the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night, looking to carry this momentum—and their growing list of accomplishments—into the postseason.
