Postgame 5: Flyers Fall to Colorado, 7-4

The Philadelphia Flyers lost a high-scoring affair to the Colorado Avalanche, 7-4, at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday afternoon. Philly controlled much of the play and were resilient when trailing. Ultimately, though, it was a case of the Flyers needing one more converted scoring chance, one more save, one fewer turnover, etc. Colorado stepped up in those moments, and the Flyers never caught up.

Nathan MacKinnnon earned a point in five of Colorado's goals, with two tallies and three assists. Logan O'Connor notched a hat trick, and Mikko Rantanen scored twice. For Philly, Joel Farabee, Travis Konecny, Tyson Foerster and Cam Atkinson scored in a losing cause. Morgan Frost collected a pair of primary assists. Atkinson also contributed two helpers for a three-point game.

The Flyers were the better team in most of the first period. However, they went to intermission trailing 2-0.

A controversial goal by O'Connor (9th) at 9:58 of the first period gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead. On a double deflection of a Sam Malinski point shot, Ross Colton tipped it in the high slot. The puck then went off O'Connor's skate and into the net. There appeared to be a distinct, albeit not intentional, kicking motion by O'Connor (whose skate was off the ice) but the goal stood.

Moments after a Colorado power play expired, they opened a 2-0 lead on a seed of a right-circle one-timer by Rantanen (25th). MacKinnon's tape-to-tape setup pass was the primary assist. Ross Colton got the secondary helper.

Just 43 seconds into the second period, MacKinnon (25th goal of the season) made it a 3-0 game in Colorado's favor. Miles Wood and Manson earned the assists.

The Flyers got the goal back quickly at the 1:49 mark of the second period. Morgan Frost stepped out around the net and feathered a pass to an open Farabee (16th goal) in the left slot. Cam Atkinson got the secondary assist for getting the puck down low to Frost.

Colorado made the  Flyers pay for a turnover just outside their blueline at 8:14 of the second period. O'Connor (10th of the season) drove toward the right post and potted a feed from Wood. Colton received the secondary assist.

Philadelphia moved back within 4-2 at the 12:23 mark of the second period. Travis Konecny (22nd) swung around up high in the Colorado zone and found the net through some traffic. Owen Tippett and Ryan Poehling received the assists.

Colorado scored again at 17:05 of the middle period to forge a 5-2 lead. MacKinnon (26th of the season, second of the game). beat Hart from 45 feet as the puck squeezed through on a save opportunity the Flyers needed to stay in the game. Josh Manson and Joel Kirivanta got the secondary assist. Hart said after the game that the puck deflected off a Philly player in front.

At 5:26  Foerster (6th goal of the season) took a drop pass from Frost in the left circle and wired home a shot to cut the deficit to 5-3. The assists went to Frost and Atkinson.

Going to the net paid off for Atkinson (12th goal of the season) as he potted a goal on a re-direct of a puck that Rasmus Ristolainen put at the net. to draw back within 5-4 at 8:11 of the third period. Noah Cates' board work and pass back to Ristolainen produced a secondary assist.

At 12:23 of the third period Rantanen 26th of the second, second of the game) scored a power play goal to restore a two-goal edge for Colorado. A Makar point shot dribbled through Samuel Ersson's pads and Rantanen put it over the goal line. MacKinnon's secondary assist was his fourth point of the afternoon.

O'Connor completed a hat trick into an empty net (11th of the season) as MacKinnon gave him the puck at 19:39. The assists went to MacKinnon and Devon Toews.

Carter Hart played the first 40 minutes, allowing five goals on 15 shots. The final goal looked stoppable -- unless it redirected on the way -- but others were not. Samuel Ersson came in for the third period. He stopped eight of nine shots.

Alexandar Georgiev earned the win for Colorado. He stopped 34 of 38 shots.

Tippett had to leave the game with a lower-body injury early in the third period. He appeared to get twisted on a play along the boards and did not return. Per general manager the player was to undergo further evaluation.

The Flyers went 0-for-3 on the power play; there were chances from scoring range but Philly couldn't put one in on this day. The Avalanche went 1-for-2.

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

74 Owen Tippett- 14 Sean Couturier - 11 Travis Konecny
86 Joel Farabee - 48 Morgan Frost - 89 Cam Atkinson
71 Tyson Foerster - 21 Scott Laughton - 18 Garnet Hathaway
27 Noah Cates - 25 Ryan Poehling - (rotation)

6 Travis Sanheim - 9 Jamie Drysdale
8 Cam York - 26 Sean Walker
24 Nick Seeler - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
5 Egor Zamula

79 Carter Hart
[33 Samuel Ersson]

TURNING POINT

In a game where 11 goals were scored, there were multiple moments that could be singled out. The turnover near the Flyers' blueline that led to O'Connor's second goal and the Rantanen power play goal in the third period -- after Philly had drawn back within 5-4 -- stand out as the biggest two plays of the day.

POSTGAME 5

1) The Flyers generated four of the game's first five shots on goal. Philly went on the game's first power play at 4:42 when Jonathan Drouin was called for slashing the stick out of Ristolainen's hand. The Flyers generated an early scramble near the net, but nothing beyond that. Shots were 6-1 Flyers through 6:54.

The O'Connor deflection goal gave Colorado a 1-0 lead at 9:58. On the next shift, Frost led a 2-on-1 rush with Farabee. From the right slot, Farabee had half the net open but put his shot off the outside of the net.

Josh Manson was penalized for high-sticking Foerster at 11:28 as Foerster tried to skate in on the forecheck. The power play generated three shots, including an Atkinson deflection of a Frost shot/pass at the doorstep, but no goal.

At 14:57, Hart gloved a MacKinnon shot from the right circle. Shots on goal were 9-4 Flyers. Around 15:30, the Couturier line went to work down low. Couturier and Konecny (near the left post) had scoring chances.

Colorado went to the power play at 16:30 as Sanheim was called for high-sticking Colton in the neutral zone. The Flyers broke up a couple cross-seam pass attempts. Later, Atkinson led a 3-on-1 counterattack. Colorado's Rantanen scored right after the penalty expired.

2) The 2-0 score at the end of the first period was deceptive. Farabee likely wished he had back the Grade A chance off the 2-on-1. Georgiev made a good stop on Atkinson's power play tip. The O'Connor goal seemed to be a clear cut kicking motion but the goal stood. No goalie was stopping that laser beam of a one-timer by Rantanen. Overall, it was actually a pretty good period by Philadelphia.

First period shots on goal were 12-5 Flyers. First period shot attempts were 22-14 Flyers. Scoring chances were 8-7 Flyers. High-danger scoring chances were 4-3 Flyers. Faceoffs were 14-8 Flyers (Couturier was 6-for-8, Laughton was 4-for-4).

3) Just 43 second into the second period, Colorado opened a 3-0 lead on MacKinnon's goal. Farabee got it right back off at 1:49 off the Frost feed.

At 4:16, Seeler broke up a Colorado counterrush. Shots on goal were 3-1 Colorado through this juncture. Cates wasn't quite able to get to a juggled puck off a Walker shot at 12:53.

The Flyers had a bang-bang chance off a right circle faceoff. Colorado iced the puck at 7:11. Colorado scored at 8:14.

Foerster was tripped by Jason Polin behind the Colorado net at 8:57. The Flyers went to their third power play. PP2 had two prime chances on a scramble in front but neither Sanheim nor Frost were able to finish. After the power play expired, Konecy cut the deficit to 4-2.

Konecny had a momentary look from the left hash marks at 14:41. Georgiev made his 20th save of the game.Then MacKinnon's tally made it 5-2 at 17:05.

4) The Flyers still generated more attack chances than the Avs in the second period. However, Colorado pounced on Flyers turnovers and continued to generate deflection chances as their lead grew to 4-1 and then 5-2 in the middle frame.

Second period shots on goal were 13-10 Flyers (24-15 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 24-16 Flyers (47-30 Flyers overall). Scoring chances were 8-7 Flyers (16-13 Flyers overall). High-danger scoring chances were 5-2 Flyers (9-5 Flyers overall). Faceoffs were 13-7 Flyers (27-15 Flyers overall, led by Laughton's 7-for-8 and Couturier's 11-for-17).

5) Konecny missed the target from the left hash marks on the opening shift of the third period. York appeared to hit the post from the left point at 3:49. Foerster's goal came on Philly's eighth shot (8-2) of the period. Then Atkinson struck at 8:11.

Colorado got hemmed in their own zone on a very long defensive shift. At 11:34, the Avs received a power play on a Laughton hooking minor. Colorado scored their sixth goal at 7:36.

The Flyers pulled Ersson for a 6-on-5. Colorado iced the puck with 2:28 left in regulation. Philly generated heavy pressure but couldn't get back within a goal. The Flyers went offside with 52.9 second on the clock and called a timeout.

Couturier won the next faceoff. The Flyers created a scramble. Finally with 20.6 seconds left, O'Connor bagged an empty netter on a 2-on-0.

Third period shots on goal were 15-9 Flyers (38-24 Flyers overall). Shot attempts were 38-14 Flyers (85-45 Flyers overall). Scoring chances were 16-7 Flyers (34-21 Flyers). High-danger scoring chances were 7-3 Flyers (16-9 Flyers). Faceoffs were 11-6 Flyers (38-21 Flyers overall, led by Couturier's 17-for-25 and Laughton's 8-for-10).