John Tortorella’s Philadelphia Flyers (23-24-6) are in Denver on Sunday afternoon to take on Jared Bednar’s Colorado Avalanche (30-21-2). Game time at Ball Arena is 3:00 p.m. EST.
The game will be televised on NBCSP+. The radio broadcast is on 93.3 WMMR with an online simulcast on Flyers Radio 24/7.
This is the second and final meeting of the season series between the inter-conference teams. At Wells Fargo Center on Nov, 18, the Avalanche prevailed by a 3-2 score.
Two goals in the second period by superstar defenseman Cale Makar put Colorado in the driver’s seat after the first 28 minutes of the game were scoreless. After Casey Mittelstadt opened a 3-0 lead in the middle stages of the third period, the Flyers made a comeback push but fell one goal short. Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster scored in a losing cause.
Here are five things to watch in Sunday’s match.
1. Get to the net
Over the last six games, the Flyers have been in a collective offensive drought. In five of the games, the team has scored either a single regulation goal or has been shut out. After a 4-2 home win against the Devils this past Monday, the Flyers were shut out byJersey (5-0) and the New York Islanders (3-0) in each of the past two games.
In the Islanders game, a would-be first period power play tally by Matvei Michkov was erased by a coach’s challenge for goaltender interference. Flyers assistant captain Scott Laughton said after the game that, beyond the disallowed goal, he thought New York goaltender Ilya Sorokin saw too many clear-sighted shots among his 24 saves.
When a team is struggling for goals, it helps to get back to the basics: get pucks and traffic to the net, don’t try to make the “perfect” play, and double down on puck support to minimize turnovers. Given how shorthanded the Flyers are in their available personnel for this game — especially against a top-flight opponent like the Avalanche — grinding out a couple ugly-but-good goals and prevailing in a low-scoring game is a near-must if the Flyers are to upset Colorado when all is said and done.
2. All hands on deck
No two ways about it: The Flyers have a shorthanded lineup for this game. New acquisitions Jakob Pelletier and Andrei Kuzmenko — acquired in Thursday’s trade that sent Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost to the Calgary Flames — are not yet with the team. Owen Tippett (upper body injury) is on the road trip and possibly could play in Utah but remains unavailable for this game. Ryan Poehling (upper body) remains on injured reserve.
Rugged veteran Nicolas Deslauriers is ready to exit Injured Reserve and, once activated, will be available to play if Tortorella chooses to deploy him. Meanwhile, big framed 23-year-old center Jacob Gaucher is poised to make his NHL debut for the Flyers. At Saturday’s practice at the FTC in Voorhees, Gaucher centered a line with Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway.
Prior to the last six games — over a period of 26 games between Nov. 25 and Jan. 28 — the Flyers scored at a 3.31 goals per game clip (4th leaguewide in that span). They did so through balanced offense across the lineup. Right now, with the time collectively struggling to score, Philly would welcome any line or individual forward or defenseman to step up offensively.
3. Konecny with Cates
Saturday’s practice in Voorhees featured leading scorer Travis Konecny (21 goals, 37 assists, 58 points) on right wing with Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster. If there is one line for Philadelphia that is capable of delivering a big day in Denver, this line is the primary candidate to step up and deliver. Cates and Foerster have continued to take care of the little details on both sides of the puck that go into productive shifts.
However, the rewards haven’t been there lately. Cates has not recorded a point over the last six games. Foerster has one point (a goal against the New York Islanders) in his last six games. Frequent linemate Bobby Brink also posted one point (1g, 0a). It should be noted that Tortorella has juggled line combinations the last few games both due to injuries and a search for equilibrium.
Konecny has continued to compile assists in recent weeks. However, goals have notably been tough to come by since he careened into the end boards
in the Jan. 16 game against the Islanders. In the eight games since then, Konecny has scored once (an empty net goal against the Devils, assisted by Cates and Foerster). Over the last six games, Konecny has four points (0g, 4a).
Against Colorado on Sunday, it is very likely that Cates and Konecny will be asked to shoulder more than 20 minutes of ice time apiece. Foerster could play 18-plus minutes depending on how much special teams play there is.
4. Michkov watch
Michkov lost his first-period power play goal in the Islanders game due to the goaltender interference ruling on the coach’s challenge. However, a more notable happening in Thursday’s game was the benching of the player from the mid-second period to the end of the game. Michkov got far too high in the defensive zone with a New York defenseman pinching and the puck in too dangerous of an area to gamble on receiving a home run pass.
In previous situations, the rookie has responded with a strong performance the next time he plays. The Flyers need another such bounceback from the 20-year-old Russian rookie.
From an offensive standpoint, Michkov has found less time and space to make plays over the last seven weeks or so. Nevertheless, he’s still third in rookie scoring leaguewide (34 points), second on the rookie goal scoring leaderboard (14, two behind Macklin Celebrini) and second on the Flyers in points (four ahead of Tippett in one fewer game played). It’s not Michkov’s scoring pace that is of concern to Tortorella, although chances and production have been more sporadic since mid-December. It’s been more about going to the right spots, avoiding repeat errors that have been addressed through video and dialogue and balancing the rookie’s high competitive drive with the need to understand when to try to make a play and when to live to fight the next battle.
This is not an overnight or a linear process, and the process can often be tougher when a young player is as exceptionally skilled and creative as Michkov. The rewards are also higher on the other side of going through the growing pains. That’s why it was notable that Michkov was in reasonably good spirits at Saturday’s practice despite being benched in the previous game. He wants as much ice time as he can possibly get, of course, but also understands there is give-and-take in the process (especially with a coach who is as demanding as Tortorella about his non-negotiables).
5. The altitude factor
Games in the Mile High City, even apart from the hockey-related challenges of facing a team with as much high-end talent as Nathan MacKinnon, Makar and company can throw at you, are a challenge for visiting teams because of the altitude. Even the best conditioned athletes can struggle with their stamina and experience longer-than-usual recovery times between shifts.
For the Flyers on Sunday, it is an absolute must to keep their shifts as short as possible and to execute smart line changes. It’s true in every period but especially the second (longer change) and third (wear-down risk). The Flyers cannot afford to get caught out on prolonged shifts in the defensive zone, but there’s sometimes no other choice. Philly will need to take away the middle of the ice and push play to the perimeter as much as possible. When the Flyers have the puck, even when pressing the attack, they have to be mindful of when it’s time to change. Otherwise they risk running out gas and giving up an odd-man rush or breakaway.
Last but certainly not least given all the factors in play for this game, the Flyers will probably need a “A” game in goal from projected starter Samuel Ersson. If he can see it, he needs to stop it. If there’s a preventable rebound, he needs to reel it in. If and when there are protracted spells with the Avalanche holding the puck in the Flyers zone, Ersson will need to get stoppages for his team as well as initial saves. It’s a very tall order.
