The Flyers put up a valiant effort Sunday afternoon when they hosted the mighty Colorado Avalanche. Colorado is an absolute buzzsaw right now, they’re currently the number one team in the NHL. They came into Philly with their intimidating 20-2-6 record to face the rebuilding Flyers who have been better than expected but still this was quite a tall order for the Orange and Black.
Sean Couturier
Sunday marked Flyers captain Sean Couturier’s 900th NHL game. He’s played everyone of them in a Flyers uniform. Only three other players in franchise history have reached this milestone. Bill Barber 903, Claude Giroux 1,000 and Bobby Clarke 1,144.
It was also Couturier’s 33rd birthday on Sunday as well. So it seemed fitting that he would score the first goal of the day.
The game had just gotten underway. Owen Tippett deserves credit for his hard work along the boards before threading a pass to Noah Juulsen at the top of the slot. Juulsen fired a slapshot that redirected in off the shaft of Couturier’s stick just 2:09 into the match.
This would seem to be a smart approach when facing a Goliath like Colorado. Get traffic in front of the net and start throwing pucks in that direction. Instead the Flyers started looking for the perfect setup. They were playing cautiously and at times looked very tentative with the puck. Too many soft passes that got them nowhere except into more trouble. The Flyers managed just 3 shots on goal during the 1st period.
Trouble
The Avalanche tied the score at one 8:28 into the contest. Colorado was moving the puck well in the Flyers zone. Brent Burns fired a shot from the top of the circle beating Samuel Ersson far side.
The Flyers took a penalty with 2:35 left in the opening period. With just 51.0 seconds left Colorado made them pay. Brock Nelson got one too many pokes at a rebound and the 1st period came to an end with the Flyers down two goals to one.
Colorado was all over the Flyers. Coverage was so tight, there was no time or space available to get things going. Just 1:47 into the 2nd period Colorado scored again to make it 3-1. Valeri Nichushkin from the top of the circle high blocker side.
This goal snapped the Flyers out of it and changed the trajectory of their game. From this point on the Flyers were a much better match for the NHL’s finest. Emil Andrae who had a really strong game hit Travis Konecny with a stretch-pass. Konecny used his speed to force his way inside on a partial breakaway sliding the puck through the 5-hole of Avs goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. The Flyers were within a goal 3-2.
Goaltending
TK’s goal was just what the Flyers needed. It gave them a spark and they started playing with more confidence and creating better chances. Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson added to the momentum stopping Victor Olofsson on a clean breakaway. Ersson stopped 25 of 28 shots on goal for the game.
Travis Konecny was a standout in this tilt using his speed to create dangerous opportunities. Konecny still seems a bit frustrated but is looking a lot more himself lately. Several times he was so close to grabbing the tying goal but Makenzie Blackwood was having none of it. Blackwood stopped 23 of 25 Flyers shots which included stopping Trevor Zegras on a penalty shot.
The Flyers outshot the Avalanche 13-3 in the 3rd period. They really did play a very solid second half of this hockey game. They stayed on the offensive throughout the period. The line of Konecny, Dvorak, and Zegras was particularly dangerous. As time was running out Samuel Ersson was pulled to allow for the extra attacker with two minutes left in regulation. Unfortunately the scored remained 3-2 in favor of Colorado until time ran out.
This was a good exercise for the Flyers. It was encouraging to see them pull it together against such a talented and high performing team. They did catch the Avs on the 2nd half of a back to back which could explain why the Flyers continued to gain momentum as the game went on. All things considered the Flyers put up a good fight and came within a goal against the best hockey team in the NHL.
Next Up: The Flyers host the San Jose Sharks Tuesday night at 7:00PM.
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