Tanguay leads Avs past Flames – Ft McMurray's Homepage

Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov, of Russia, lands on Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund, of Sweden, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 14, 2015, in Denver.

David Zalubowski / AP
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DENVER – The old necromancer can still hold an audience spellbound.

With a new generation of scorcerers – Johnny Gaudreau, Matt Duchene – in the house of and dying to show off their tricks, a past master showed ‘em.

Having just recently reached the career 1,000-game mark in career regular-season games, the 35-year-old Alex Tanguay turned back the clock Saturday and in the process turned back the Calgary Flames.

The ex-Flame scored the first goal, set up the second and his Colorado Avalanche held off the customary third-period uprising by Bob Hartley’s men to hang for a 3-2 victory at the Pepsi Center.

With the Calgary net empty and the end in sight, Sergei Varlamov made a point-saving save off Lance Bouma.

The loss broke a six-game streak of securing at least a point for Calgary.

Typical of them, though, the Flames did not go quietly into the good night despite trailing 2-0 after 40 minutes.

The third period was nothing if not topsy-turvy.

A determined one-armed pass, stretching to retrieve the puck, back across the face of the crease from Mikael Backund that deflected off a skate of David Jones and beyond Varlamov brought the Flames to within 2-1 at 3:54.

Only 26 ticks of the scoreclock later, Avs’ centre John Mitchell spun away from the attentions of T.J. Brodie and picked the soft spot over Ramo’s glove from inside the faceoff circle to restore Colorado’s two-goal lead.

That, however, held up only a minute and 26 seconds, with Lance Bouma wiring a shot off the underside of the crossbar and beyond Varlamov.

The ins and outs were so sudden, it was difficult to catch your breath.

The visitors had a great chance to equalize in the closing stages when Avs’ defenceman Jan Hejda was whistled away for interference on David Jones but despite intense pressure they could not find one more way past Varlamov.

Following a scoreless first period, the Avs broke the ice at 9:40 of the second courtesy that man Tanguay.

Circling parallel to the goal line near the corner a minute into a too-many-men minor to the Flames, he spied Ramo slightly off his post and napping, flinging a shot that hit the startled goaltender in the crook of the arm and dropped down, egg-falling-from-a-chicken style, and over the goal line.

That breakthrough seemed to act as a release for Colorado.

Less than two minutes later, on his next shift, Tanguay dished off to a rampaging Ryan O’Reilly, executing a classic power move off the right flank, veering hard to the net and popping the puck up and over Ramo’s left shoulder.

The hosts didn’t slow down, either.

Right winger Dennis Everberg whipped a shot through a tangle of bodies and off the far post, only a desperate hogtie job from Flames’ D Kris Russell denying Marc-Andre Cliché from cashing the rebound.

With Winnipeg, Vancouver, Minnesota all victorious, the Western Conference standings, already tight, just got tighter.

The Roto-Rooter man may have to be booked to unstick this clog.

Outside of Brad Stuart dropping Mikael Backlund on his seat of his britches with a ferocious jolt early on, Ramo producing the period’s best save off Gabriel Landeskog and a POed Varlamov face-washing Joe Colborne encroaching in his blue paint near the intermission, the first period held little fascination.

Calgary outshot Colorado 12-6 so at least could argue a measure of territorial supremacy.