PREVIEW: FLYERS @ AVALANCHE
Looking to build the franchise's first 10-game winning streak since the fall of 1985, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (18-10-3) are in Denver on Wednesday to take on Jared Bednar's Colorado Avalanche (11-15-1). Game time at the Pepsi Center is 10:00 p.m. ET. The game will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network and locally on TCN Philadelphia.
This is the first of two meetings between the inter-conference teams this season, and the lone game in Denver. Last season, the clubs split their two-game season series, with each winning in regulation on the other's home ice. Historically, however, the Flyers have struggled in Denver. All-time, the Flyers are 3-6-3 with four ties in road games against the Avalanche.
Flyers Outlook
The Flyers have had two open nights on the schedule since extending their winning streak to nine games with a 1-0 overtime win in Detroit on Sunday. Brayden Schenn, who recorded his second career hat trick in Saturday's 4-2 home win over the Dallas Stars, broke the scoreless deadlock in sudden death OT with a perfectly executed give-and-go with Ivan Provorov.
In Detroit, Anthony Stolarz posted a shutout in his second career NHL start. Steve Mason will return to the net in Denver.
Shayne Gostisbehere missed Sunday's game with a bruised hand after taking a puck in Saturday's game. He will play in Denver. Veteran Mark Streit is out with a suspected sprained left shoulder (officially, an upper-body injury) sustained on Sunday.
Jakub Voracek the Flyers with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 31 games. Claude Giroux is second on the team with 29 points (nine goals, 20 assists), while Wayne Simmonds paces the club with 15 goals and eight power play tallies among his 27 points.
Schenn is fourth on the Flyers' scoring leaderboard with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 28 games. He's followed by Streit (five goals, 11 assists), Gostisbehere (four goals, 11 assists) and rookie forward Travis Konecny (four goals, 11 assists).
Rookie defenseman Provorov has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) while dressing in all 31 games. The 19-year-old is already now routinely matched up against other teams' top lines and is coming off one of his best games to date.
Elsewhere the injury front, Matt Read (midsection), Sean Couturier (knee) and Michal Neuvirth (sprained left knee) remain on injured reserve. Neuvirth is the closest to being ready to return, and is skating daily.
Avalanche Outlook
Mired in last place in the Western Conference, Avs have struggled on home ice so far this season, posting a 4-8-1 record to date while managing a .500 record on the road (7-7-0). The team is 3-6-1 over its last 10 games overall.
Colorado enters this game coming off a 3-1 road win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov authored 51 saves to steal a game for his team. Special teams keyed the win. Mikko Rantanen (power play, fourth goal of the season), Nathan MacKinnon (power play) and Blake Comeau (shorthanded, empty net) scored for the Avalanche.
MacKinnon leads Colorado in scoring with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists). He is followed by Matt Duchene (10 goals, eight assists), defenseman Tyson Barrie (two goals, 11 assists) and Rantanen (four goals, eight assists). Overall, Colorado ranks 28th offensively in the NHL, managing a relatively paltry 2.22 goals per game. Defensively, the team ranks 29th.
Varlamov is unavailable for this game, due to a groin issue. The Avalanche are also missing top pairing defenseman Erik Johnson, who suffered a broken fibula when he was hit by a scorching shot by Dallas forward Tyler Seguin on Dec. 3. Forward Carl Söderberg is questionable due to illness. If he cannot play, the team may instead dress seven defensemen.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 3.16 (4th), Avs 2.22 (28th) Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.97 (T-25th), Avs 3.15 (29th) Power play efficiency: Flyers 24.1% (2nd), Avs 17.6% (16th) Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 81.7% (15th), Avs 79.2 (24th) Shots on goal per game: Flyers 31.7 (6th), Avs 28.4 (T-26th) Shots against per game: Flyers 28.7 (T-7th), Avs 32.7 (29th) Faceoff percentage: Flyers 50.3% (12th), Avs 53.0% (2nd)
Projected Lineups (subject to change, will be updated)
FLYERS (Saturday's lines)
12 Michael Raffl - 28 Claude Giroux - 17 Wayne Simmonds 11 Travis Konecny - 10 Brayden Schenn - 93 Jakub Voracek 76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 P-E Bellemare - 13 Roman Lyubimov 25 Nick Cousins - 27 Boyd Gordon - 22 Dale Weise
9 Ivan Provorov - 47 Andrew MacDonald 15 Michael Del Zotto- 3 Radko Gudas 53 Shayne Gostisbehere - 23 Brandon Manning
35 Steve Mason [41 Anthony Stolarz]
Scratches: Sean Couturier (lower body, suspected left MCL), Taylor Leier (healthy), Michal Neuvirth (IR, knee), Matt Read (IR, abdominal area), Mark Streit (shoulder).
AVALANCHE
92 Gabriel Landeskog - 29 - Nathan MacKinnon - 17 Rene Bourque 96 Mikko Rantanen - 9 Matt Duchene - 25 Mikhail Grigorenko 14 Blake Comeau - 7 John Mitchell - 12 Jarome Iginla 27 Andreas Martinsen - 34 Carl Söderberg - 55 Cody McLeod
16 Nikita Zadorov - 4 Tyson Barrie 28 Patrick Wiercioch - 51 Fedor Tyutin 32 Francois Beauchemin - 44 Eric Gelinas
31 Calvin Pickard [30 Spencer Martin]
Scratches: Cody Goloubef (healthy), Joe Colborne (questionable, lower body), Erik Johnson (broken fibula), Semyon Varlamov (groin).