A pair of Northwest Division clubs seeking their first victories of the season will meet tonight in Calgary, as the Flames welcome the Colorado Avalanche to the Saddledome.

The Avalanche began the season with back-to-back regulation losses, losing 5-4 to visiting Boston on Thursday and dropping a 3-2 decision at Edmonton on Sunday.

Calgary is 0-1-1 after beginning the 2008-09 campaign with a home-and-home series with the Vancouver Canucks. The Flames were pounded, 6-0, Thursday in Vancouver and then were dealt a 5-4 setback Saturday in Calgary.

Dustin Penner's tip-in with 5.4 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Oilers the close victory over the Avalanche on Sunday. Penner had also given Edmonton the lead early in the third in a two-goal performance.

Joe Sakic lit the lamp in the second and Milan Hejduk tied the game midway through the third on a penalty shot for Colorado, which saw Peter Budaj take the loss in facing 19 shots.

Colorado hasn't begun a season with two straight regulation losses since the 1998-99 Avs started the year on a four-game slide.

Pavol Demitra netted the overtime winner with 1:06 left in the extra session to lead the Canucks to the win at the Saddledome on Saturday.

Rene Bourque and Mike Cammalleri each had a goal and assist for Calgary, which also got goals from Andre Roy and Todd Bertuzzi. Miikka Kiprusoff was victimized for the five goals on 34 shots.

Tonight, the Flames will try to avoid a three-game losing streak to start the season for the second straight year. Calgary was 0-2-1 after three tests in 2007-08.

Colorado went 5-3 against the Flames last year and has won nine of the last 12 encounters between the clubs. However, the Avs have lost in two of their last three trips to the Saddledome.

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