• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Smyth, Hejduk net milestone goals in Avalanche win

Jan 19, 2009 - 4:51 AM By Dave Reed PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

DENVER (Ticker) -- Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk notched their respective 300th career goals as the Colorado Avalanche snapped a three-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Sunday night in a battle of Northwest Division rivals.

Marek Svatos, rookie Chris Stewart, defenseman Ruslan Salei and Cody McLeod also tallied for Colorado, which defeated the Flames for the first time in five games this season.

Peter Budaj, who was in goal for the Avalanche for just the second time in the last seven games, made 39 saves to snap a personal four-game losing streak.

"I'm very glad," Budaj said. "I was with the team when Joe Sakic scored his 600th. I'm here when Milan Hejduk, my very good buddy, scored his 300th goal. (Smyth) is a great guy, too. It's not just the (guys), it's the result of the entire team making plays and making passes."

Mike Cammalleri and Rene Bourque scored and Curtis McElhinney finished with 33 saves for Calgary, which dropped its second in as many days after posting an 11-1-1 mark in its previous 13 games.

"It's disappointing to lose two in a row and it's disappointing to lose for some different reasons," Cammalleri said. "I would say that one of the biggest disappointments is that he (McElhinney) has a lot of respect in this room and we all think he is very capable."

Smyth, who also had two assists, netted a shorthanded goal with exactly seven minutes remaining in the second period with a wrist shot from the right circle and Hejduk found the net with a wrist shot from the left circle on the power play just 4:44 later.

"We know that they've had our number this year and it's frustrating because not only are they divisional points, but points that are very important in the standings," Smyth said. "I thought we played a well rounded 60-minute hockey game."

Smyth and Hejduk became just the second teammates to earn career goal No. 300 in the same game. The duo joins Danny Gare and Ivan Boldirev of the Detroit Red Wings, who accomplished the feat against the New York Islanders on February 26, 1983.

"It was honor to share it with Milan Hejduk," Smyth said. "I have to give it all to my teammates over the years who I've played with and obviously this team here.

"And the fans that have stuck by over the years and obviously my family, my wife and kids. My wife is here tonight, which is special."

The milestone goals came just after Calgary cut Colorado's two-goal lead in half with Cammalleri's 5-on-3 power-play goal. He buried a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle after taking a cross-ice pass from captain Jarome Iginla.

"We were trying to get back into the game," McElhinney said. "He (Smyth) comes down and makes a shot that sneaks under my arm. That's a save that I need to make at this level. Obviously, it takes a lot of wind out of our sails.

"Both the goals are goals I felt I should have had. That's the bottom line."

McElhinney had 18 saves during the first period and for the first 16 1/2 minutes appeared destined to be the game's No. 1 star. He stopped Hejduk and Smyth on back-to-back shots midway through the period, and then denied Smyth, Darcy Tucker and Hejduk on Colorado's first power play.

"He gave us a chance to get our legs under us," Iginla said. "With 5-on-3, he had some big saves. He gave us an opportunity tonight and as players, we feel bad for not getting him a win and for not being as good as we should have been in front of him."

The Avalanche finally got one past the former Colorado College star when Svatos found the rebound of a Smyth shot at the right post and banged it in off the Calgary goaltender.

It was Colorado's first power-play goal in three games and the first allowed by the Flames in their last five.

Stewart gave the Avalanche a two-goal lead when he took Salei's pass off the left boards at the Calgary blue line, fought through a check by rookie defenseman Adam Pardy and slipped the puck between McElhinney's pads at the top of the crease.

The 18th overall selection of the 2006 draft, Stewart has two goals and two assists in the last four games.

"It seems like when we have a good first period, when we score a few goals, most of the time we win the hockey game," Hejduk said. "It seems like the start is really important for us. They are all big right now. Basically the playoffs start right now."

Colorado had a two-man advantage for 95 seconds early in the second period when Bourque and Matthew Lombardi were whistled for back-to-back tripping penalties.

Bourque scored 5:30 into the third period from the bottom of the left circle after he picked up the rebound of a Lombardi shot behind the Colorado net.