"Avalanche veteran wingers Milan Hejduk and Marek Svatos missed Colorado's 3-2 victory over Calgary. Colorado coach Joe Sacco said both were considered "day to day" — Hejduk with a knee injury and Svatos with a groin problem.

Hejduk earlier this season missed two games with a back injury and then three games with a knee problem. Until he was sidelined the first time, he had played in 170 consecutive games.

With Hejduk and Svatos out, recent Lake Erie call-ups Ryan Stoa and Justin Mercier were in the lineup Sunday. Stoa, the Avalanche's first of four second-round draft choices in 2005 (the second was Paul Stastny), made his NHL debut after playing 25 games for Lake Erie in his rookie pro season following a full four-year career at the University of Minnesota. Against the Flames, he started out on the Matt Duchene-centered line with TJ Galiardi, and Stoa ended up with 9:22 of ice time and had two shots on goal.

"It was fun," Stoa said. "I just kind of took it all in, and it was a good experience. I felt like I did OK.""