CALGARY, Alberta - Since making his season debut last week, Brad May has been a pleasantly productive member of one of the Avalanche's top scoring lines.

So productive, in fact, that he's getting credit for passes he never even made.

May gave a sheepish laugh Friday when commended for recording the secondary assist on Joe Sakic's 600th career goal Thursday night against the Calgary Flames.

"Do you know the amazing thing about that?" he said. "It was Kurt Sauer's assist. I was on the bench. . . . We all jumped off the bench. Maybe that's what they saw. It wasn't me at all, but I'll take it."

Colorado vice president of communications Jean Martineau notified the NHL of the scoring error, and Sauer will replace May in the history books. That's A-OK with May; he's just happy to be a contributing member of Avalanche society.

After being limited to 54 games because of groin, hand and knee injuries last season, May reported to training camp excited for 2006-07. The enthusiasm was short-lived; he underwent reconstructive shoulder surgery after being injured during a fight in a preseason game on Sept. 26.

"I was pretty unhappy for a little while," May said. "I'd even say depressed, maybe, thinking 'Geez, what happens now? Can I get back? Is it going to heal? What if you have a setback?' "

May, 35, swept the lingering doubts away and worked on his rehabilitation. Upon his return Feb. 8, he impressed coach Joel Quenneville with his energy and physical play, earning a spot on a scoring line with Milan Hejduk and Paul Stastny.

In the three games since his promotion, May has assisted, legitimately, on two goals. He even saw some power-play time against the Flames and finished with a plus-1 rating in 12 minutes, 34 seconds.

Expect to see plenty more of May tonight when Calgary and Colorado play again at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

"He's played very well every shift he's been on the ice since his return," Quenneville said. "Right off the bat he had a lot of energy. He had a purpose to his game. I think we were missing that element that he provides on a regular basis of toughness and some banging and some size presence.

"Everything he gets on the production side is going to be a bonus. I think we're looking for a contribution with his physical play and his forechecking ability, because the two guys he's playing with can do a lot of finishing."

May, known as a tough guy who will drop the gloves when necessary, never will be confused with the prolific-scoring Sakic, but he seems comfortable playing alongside Hejduk (21 goals, 21 assists) and Stastny (18 goals, 30 assists).

Hejduk and Stastny combined for 14 shots Thursday night, and May aggressively pursued the puck on the forecheck and tried to create havoc down low.

"He's done a great job going to the net hard and playing simple hockey," Sakic said. "He's got a lot of skill."

Told that May was credited with the assist on his milestone goal, Sakic joked: "Brad has a long stick."

May also has a long memory, which is evident as he subconsciously rubs his left shoulder while talking about his health. He wants to prove to critics that he still has value.

"I'm sure other people think that Brad May's got bad shoulders, but honestly, they're healthy," he said. "They feel great and I'm just happy for that.

"We all chase and we all want (playing) opportunities. When you get them, you want to make the most of it. I'm enjoying it."

ETC.: In anticipation of Sakic's 600th goal, the Avalanche received permission from the NHL to allow players on the bench to join the on-ice celebration. . . . Of all NHL records, Sakic marvels at Patrick Roy's 551 career wins. Roy broke Terry Sawchuk's record of 447 on Oct. 18, 2000. "That was a pretty special moment," Sakic said. "To be able to be a part of that and be on the ice to see that happen, that was big."

In his own words

• When it comes to talking about his career achievements, Joe Sakic is Captain Consistency - as in consistently humble and consistently team-oriented. Such was the case again Thursday night when the Avalanche captain scored his 600th career goal. Here is a look at Sakic's quotes through the years after major milestones:

600th goal

• Team result: 7-5 victory at Calgary.

• Sakic says: "I'm just happy to get it out of the way, I guess, and get the win. What it means? I don't know. I'll have to figure that out when I'm finished (playing). . . . It feels good, especially after an important win."

500th goal

• Team result: 3-1 loss at Vancouver, Dec. 11, 2002.

• Sakic says: "It was a great feeling to get it, but it's tough right now because we lost the hockey game. Right now, I'm glad I got it over with, but there's nothing really to be happy about."

400th goal

• Team result: 4-2 victory at Phoenix, March 23, 2000.

• Sakic says: "It's a great milestone, but 500 is the big-time goal. When you are at the end of your career and you've got a year or two left, you might start thinking about what you might like to get to, but I still feel I have a few more years left in me. More important, this was a huge win for us."

300th goal

• Team result: 4-3 victory vs. Calgary, Dec. 23, 1996.

• Sakic says: "It's something you accomplish, but I really don't think you shoot for milestones until you're at the end of your career. Then maybe you can look at different things. I've still got a lot of hockey left. I don't think 300 is that big of a deal."

Avalanche at Flames

• When: 8 MST tonight.

• Where: Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta.

• TV/radio: Altitude; KKFN-AM (950).

• Leading scorers

Colorado (28-25-4) G A P

C Joe Sakic 26 42 68

LW Andrew Brunette 20 32 52

C Paul Stastny 18 30 48

RW Milan Hejduk 21 21 42

LW Wojtek Wolski 19 21 40

Coach: Joel Quenneville

Calgary (30-20-8) G A P

RW Jarome Iginla 27 37 64

C Daymond Langkow 24 34 58

LW Alex Tanguay 17 41 58

RW Kristian Huselius 25 28 53

D Dion Phaneuf 13 24 37

Coach: Jim Playfair

• Injuries: Colorado - D Patrice Brisebois (back surgery) and C Pierre Turgeon (calf) are on injured reserve; Calgary - RW Darren McCarty (hip) and D Richie Regehr (concussion) are on injured reserve.

• Sidelight: Tanguay, a member of Colorado's 2001 Stanley Cup championship team, is thriving against his former teammates. His three assists Thursday night gave him a goal and six assists in three games against the Avalanche this season. "It's certainly a little extra motivation," he said. "I'm just trying to help this team win some hockey games."

• Notes: Despite being pulled for the second time in three starts, Peter Budaj will be back in net for Colorado tonight. Budaj gave way to Jose Theodore on Thursday after allowing four goals on 20 shots in 35 minutes against the Flames. Quenneville is hoping for a repeat of Tuesday, when Budaj blanked Anaheim two days after being pulled in a 7-5 loss to Dallas. . . . Paul Stastny's goal-scoring streak ended at four games Thursday, but he came up with an assist to extend his points streak to six games. . . . Hejduk and Sakic also have scoring streaks. Sakic has a six-game run going (five goals, four assists), and Hejduk is at five games (five goals, eight assists). . . . The Flames have lost five of six games. . . . Quenneville continues to marvel at Sakic's level of play at age 37. "He might retire still playing great," Quenne-ville said. "Everybody gives you a sign that when it's over, the decision-making might be in order. But Joe, I don't know. It's not clear. There's no signs, which amazes me."

lopezaa@RockyMountainNews.com

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