It was Kelly’s second career two-goal game. The other came with the Ottawa Senators against the Arizona Coyotes on March 5, 2022.
Ryan Lindgren and Valeri Nichushkin, into an empty net, also scored for Colorado (40-24-3), which has points in eight straight (7-0-1). The Avs moved to within three points of the Dallas Stars for second place in the Central Division.
Blake Coleman and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for Calgary (30-24-11), which lost in regulation for the first time in six games (2-1-3). The Flames remain tied with Vancouver for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Both teams have played 65 games.
Scott Wedgewood made 22 stops for the win, improving to 9-6-1.
At the opposite end, rookie goaltender Dustin Wolf had 24 saves, falling to 22-13-5.
Avalanche: A pair of offensive dry spells ended with Lindgren’s first-period goal snapping a 28-game goalless drought while Kelly’s first of the night at 15:24 of the second was his first in 21 games. Between the pipes, Wedgewood had extended his personal shutout streak to 125:04 before Coleman ended his bid for a second consecutive shutout 3:08 into the third.
Flames: Captain Mikael Backlund (upper body) did not play, snapping a 328-game iron man streak. With Connor Zary suspended for two games, Calgary was left without two top-nine forwards. Coming into the lineup was rookie Adam Klapka and called up from the Calgary Wranglers (AHL) was Dryden Hunt.
After Coleman’s first goal in 15 games drew the Flames back to within one, Calgary built momentum and nearly tied it on multiple occasions before Kelly restored the two-goal cushion at 5:55, converting a pass from Ross Colton after MacKenzie Weegar turned the puck over behind the Flames net.
The Avs lead the NHL with 92 third-period goals.
Avalanche: Play host to the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
Flames: Begin a four-game road trip on Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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