POSTGAME 5: Avalanche Out-Gun Flyers, 7-5

With interim head coach Mike Yeo at the helm for the first time, the Philadelphia Flyers were beaten, 7-5, by the Colorado Avalanche at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday. The Flyers saw their winless streak extend to nine games (0-7-2) as the Avs picked them apart in transition and special teams.

For the first time since Oct. 27. the Flyers mustered more than three goals in a game. Unfortunately, it was nowhere nearly enough to win.
In a wild first period, the two teams combined for seven goals. Claude Giroux (8th goal of the season) gave the Flyers an early 1-0 lead in the game. Erik Johnson (3rd) scored shorthanded a few minutes later to tie the game. Colorado then got an even strength goal by Gabriel Landeskog (9th), a power play marker by Alex Newhook (5th) and a dynamic power play goal off the rush by Cale Makar (11th) to open a 4-1 lead in quick fashion. Before the period was over, however, the Flyers got an even-strength goal from Oskar Lindblom (1st) and a power play tally from Giroux (2nd of the game, 9th of the season). Colorado took a 4-3 lead to intermission.

Giroux's second goal gave him 333 power play points for his NHL career. He tied Bobby Clarke for the franchise record in power play points.
Valeri Nichushkin (7th) built a 5-3 lead for the Avalanche early in the second period. It was the lone tally of the period for either side. Cam Atkinson (9th) drew the Flyers back within 5-4 early in the third period. Nazem Kadri (power play, 10th) made it 6-4. Tyson Jost (4th) restored a three-goal margin at 11:35.Scott Laughton tallied a late shorthanded breakaway goal (5th) after being sprung by Kevin Hayes (two assists on the night).
Martin Jones had a long night in net for the Flyers. He was strafed for seven goals on 50 shots. Justus Annunen made his first NHL start and second NHL appearance in net for Colorado. The Finn earned his first NHL win, making 27 saves on 32 shots.
Colorado punished the Flyers on special teams. The Flyers went 1-for-3 on the power play but yielded a shorthanded goal. They were just 2-for-5 on the penalty kill, although Laughton bagged a shorthander of their own after the outcome of the game was decided.
TURNING POINT
After taking an early lead, the last thing the Flyers needed was to cough up a shorthanded goal. That's just what they did, though, the Flyers never led again.
MELTZER'S TAKE
1) In Yeo's first game as interim head coach, the Flyers shuffled the line combinations that started the game:
23 Oskar Lindblom - 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
48 Morgan Frost - 28 Claude Giroux - 25 James van Riemsdyk
21 Scott Laughton - 13 Kevin Hayes -89 Cam Atkinson
71 Max Willman - 38 Patrick Brown - 17 Zack MacEwen
9 Ivan Provorov - 61 Justin Braun
6 Travis Sanheim - 70 Rasmus Ristolainen
3 Keith Yandle - 24 Nick Seeler
35 Martin Jones
[79 Carter Hart]
Patrick Brown had the game's first good scoring chance of the game after a pass from Nick Seeler. Annunen denied him from near the right post. The Flyers scored on their next chance. Ristolainen forced the turnover. Frost fed Giroux and the Flyers captain fired it home from the deep slot. 1-0 Flyers at 6:02.

With Tyson Jost in the penalty box for slashing Sean Couturier, the Flyers had the game's first power play. They generated good puck movement but there was no screen or net-front presence on a Giroux blast. At 9:56, Colorado made the Flyers for a turnover with a counterattacking odd-man rush goal by Johnson. Logan O'Connor had the lone assist on Colorado's sixth shorthanded goal this season.
Landeskog put the Avs ahead at 13:10 as he gained the offensive zone off the rush and beat Jones from the left circle. Cam Atkinson did not get back on the backcheck. The assists went to Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews. On the next shift, Oskar Lindblom was called for high-sticking. Atkinson, trying to redeem the previous shift, hounded the puck. At 15:16, Alex Newhook scored a power play goal on a shot that deflected off Justin Braun. Samuel Girard and Toews got the assists.
The carnage continued as Giroux was called for hooking at 15:24. Off the rush, Makar went the length of the ice, building speed through the neutral zone. Beating Ivan Provorov one-on-one, Makar snapped a shot past Annunen to makie it a 4-1 lead for the Avalanche.
2) Philly then struck for the next two goals: Setting up shop in the lower left slot, Lindblom took a centering pass from Travis Konecny from behind the net and found the net to get off the goal-scoring schneid for the season. Travis Sanheim, who rotated the puck down low over to Konecny, got the secondary assist at 16:28.

Former Flyers winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel took an unnecessary cross-checking penalty in the offensive zone corner at 17:19, putting the Flyers on their second power play. The Flyers moved the puck very effectively on this man advantage. Finally, Giroux buried a one-timer off a cross-ice pass from Konecny at 18:20/ Keith Yandle received a secondary assist. First period shots were 14-8 in Colorado's favor.
3) A turnaround shot from Nichushkin from near the right hash marks went off the post and in to give Colorado a 5-3 lead at 1:42 of the second period. The assists were credited to Johnson and Girard. At 3:58, Jones stopped Aube-Kubel on a prime chance near the left post after the Avs had numbers off a Provorov turnover Max Willman came within a hair of scoring his first goal in the NHL. At a TV timeout with 9:17 left, shots for the period were 10-5 Colorad (24-13 Avs for the game).
4) Continuing a strong offensive game, Frost buzzed around the offensive zone on a mid-period shift and created two scoring chances. With 6:51 remaining in the second period, O'Connor went to the box for slashing Laughton. The Flyers generated very heavy pressure but couldn't score. With 4:28 left, Colorado was somehow NOT nabbed for having seven(!) skaters on the ice. Second period shots were 16-13 Colorado (31-21 Colorado through two periods).
5) Atkinson drove the net and finished off a perfect feed at the right post from Kevin Hayes, who was in the left circle. The secondary helper went to Travis Sanheim at 2:16. The goal sealed the Flyers' first four-goal effort dating back to game 5 of the season (Oct. 27 in Edmonton). However, the Flyers were still down a goal.
At 3:54, Provorov was called for tripping. The Avs ended up with a 20-second 5-on-3 on a hooking penalty on Laughton against Rantanen at the defensive blueline. A failed clear by Justin Braun on the 5-on-3 led moments later to a short-side under the bar by Kadri as Colorado took a 6-4 lead. The lone assist went to Rantanen, The Flyers got through the remaining 5-on-4.
At 8:27, after Giroux made a shifty move toward the net, the Flyers very nearly scored. A Seeler wrist shot popped up behind Annonen but was safely batted out of of play by a defenseman. Colorado held a 15-4 shot edge through a timeout at 11:06.
The Avs made it 7-4 at 11:35. Yandle was taken off the puck on a retrieval behind the net and Jayson Megna fed Jost in front for the goal. With 1:25 left, Hayes sprung Laughton on a shorthanded breakaway, and he went forehand-to-backhand to slid the puck through the five-hole.