DENVER – Colorado Avalanche players secured a real-deal record and a wink-wink statistic in Friday’s 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Cale Makar tied and then broke Sandis Ozolinsh’s single-season franchise record for goals from a defenseman with his 23rd and 24th of the campaign. He said it didn’t click right away.

“Mikko (Rantanen) told me, actually, on the bench,” Makar said. “It’s pretty special.

“I sound like a broken record, but those goals go back to the team. It’s awesome to achieve something like that. But at the end of the day, we’re focused on this last run of the regular season.”

Later in the third period, Avalanche leading scorer Nazem Kadri completed a Gordie Howe hat trick, dropping the gloves with Joel Farabee and putting a five-minute fighting major next to his goal and two assists.

“I’m not thrilled when our skill guys have to fight,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. “If they want to, it’s their decision. So I’ll just sit there and hope everyone’s good, no broken hands or faces. Once I know that’s not a problem, then I’m OK with it.”

The Avalanche player most likely to fight, Kurtis MacDermid, scored his second goal of the season on his 28th birthday. Right off a faceoff, he sent the puck in from barely inside the blue line to make it 5-1 at Ball Arena.

“Doesn’t happen too often, so that was pretty cool,” MacDermid said.

Almost eight minutes into the third period, Philadelphia closed Colorado’s lead to two goals – as tight as the score had been in some time. Mikko Rantanen won a faceoff back to Makar, who flicked an effortless-looking shot past Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (45 saves) to make it 6-3.

Josh Manson and Andrew Cogliano earned their first points in Avalanche sweaters with assists on Colorado’s third and fifth goals, respectively.

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Kadri opened the scoring. He sent a wrist shot whizzing past the shin guard of defender Nick Seeler for his second in two games. Forty-four seconds after James van Riemsdyk tied the game for Philadelphia, Makar restored the lead on a power play.

Both player and coach acknowledged the record-setting night wasn’t a perfect success for Makar. Two of his mistakes led to Philadelphia goals.

“Take those two plays out of it, I thought he was exceptional,” Bednar said. “So that’s the difference, but that’s kind of where we’re trying to get our team to go.

“You don’t see Cale make mistakes often, but he made two tonight, probably, and both of them end up in the back of our net. We get a couple of saves there and I’d say he was really good.”

Colorado forward J.T. Compher chased the puck down behind the net before throwing it at the blue paint. It shot up off Seeler’s stick, hit Hart’s helmet and went in. Rantanen made the game 4-1 on another deflection, closing in on Hart with Valeri Nichushkin as an option. Rantanen sent it in off a Flyers stick.

Pavel Francouz earned the start for Colorado and made 28 saves.

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