GAME 2: FLYERS @ AVALANCHE
The Philadelphia Flyers (1-0-0) are in Denver on Saturday to take on the Colorado Avalanche (1-0-0) at the Pepsi Center. Game time is 9 p.m. EDT.
The game will be televised on NBCSP. The radio broadcast is available on 97.5 AM The Fanatic with an online simulcast available on FlyersRadio247.com.
This is the first of two meetings between the inter-conference teams this season, and the lone game in Colorado. The season series will conclude Oct. 22 when the Avalanche pay a visit to the Wells Fargo Center.
Last season, the Flyers earned three of four possible points against the Avalanche.
On Nov. 4 in Philadelphia, the Flyers erased 3-2 and 4-3 deficits in the third period but lost via shootout, 5-4. On March 28 in Colorado, a tired Flyers team gutted out a 2-1 win on the strength of first period goals by Claude Giroux and Ivan Provorov. Starting goalie Michael Neuvirth had to leave midway through the game due to injury. The Flyers played a strong game through 50 minutes but tired in the third period. Relief netminder Petr Mrazek enabled the team to hang on through a scary final 10 minutes of the game.
The Pepsi Center is a tough road building in which to win, in part because the altitude of the "Mile High City" can affect teams that aren't used to it. Nevertheless, the Flyers have won in their annual game in Denver for three straight seasons heading into this tilt.
FLYERS OUTLOOK
The Flyers earned a 5-2
opening night win in Vegas on Thursday. A win in Colorado would get the season off to a strong start before the club returns to Philadelphia for the Oct. 9 home opener.
Wayne Simmonds tallied even strength and power play goals on opening night in Vegas. Oskar Lindblom, Robert Hägg and Scott Laughton also scored for the Flyers. Jakub Voracek notched two assists, while rookie Mikhail Vorobyev notched an assist in his NHL debut and Claude Giroux took over sole possession of third place on the Flyers all-time assist list.
Building off a strong outing in the preseason finale, Brian Elliott backstopped the Flyers to victory in Vegas with 23 saves on 25 shots. He made several momentum saves along the way and the team in front of him effectively bottled up the neutral zone against the speedy Golden Knights.
The Flyers went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill on opening night, including a successful 5-on-3 kill in the third period. Philly went 1-for-4 on the power play but yielded a shorthanded goal.
There weren't many negatives on opening night. However, the Flyers can get more sustained pressure from their top line at 5-on-5 and from second-line center Nolan Patrick than they got on opening night.
Top-line center Sean Couturier appeared to be feeling his way back into the lineup after missing all but the final game of the preseason while rehabbing an off-season MCL injury and dealing with soreness that kept him off the ice for several days midway through training camp.
Recently claimed off waivers from Toronto, goaltender Calvin Pickard will join the Flyers in Colorado, backing up Elliott. In order to add him to the roster, the Flyers waived Anthony Stolarz on Friday and assigned him to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms after he cleared waivers on Saturday.
AVALANCHE OUTLOOK
The Avalanche earned a 4-1 home win over the Minnesota Wild in their opening night game on Thursday.
After Minnesota's Zach Parise scored for the Wild at 6:14 of the first period, Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov went on to earn the win. He stopped 20 of 21 shots overall, including seven saves on the penalty kill.
The deadly duo of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen was in force for the Avalanche on opening night. Off the rush, they put Colorado ahead to stay midway through regulation as Rantanen made a beautiful cross-ice set-up of the Hart Trophy finalist for a back door tap-in goal .Later, Rantanen added an empty-net goal of his own. Gabriel Landeskog assisted on the latter goal.
Carl Söderberg opened the scoring for the Avalanche, using a Minnesota defenseman as a screen and scoring top-shelf from the left circle. Later, he assisted on a J.T. Compher's power play empty-net goal in the final half-minute of the third period.
Former Texas Stars left winger Sheldon Dries made his NHL debut in Thursday's tilt. He skated on the fourth line with Matt Calvert and Compher.
Before their two empty-net goals to ice the 4-1 win, the Avalanche peppered Minnesota goalie Devan Dubnyk with 38 shots. Final shots were 40-21 in Colorado's favor. Colorado went 1-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.
PROJECTED LINEUPS (subject to change)
FLYERS
28 Claude Giroux -14 Sean Couturier -11 Travis Konecny
23 Oskar Lindblom -19 Nolan Patrick - 93 Jakub Voracek
25 James van Riemsdyk - 24 Mikhail Vorobyev - 17 Wayne Simmonds
21 Scott Laughton - 15 Jori Lehterä - 12 Michael Raffl
9 Ivan Provorov - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
47 Andrew MacDonald - 8 Robert Hägg
6 Travis Sanheim - 26 Christian Folin
35 Brian Elliott
[33 Calvin Pickard]
Scratches: 40 Jordan Weal (healthy), 22 Dale Weise (healthy), 3 Radko Gudas (healthy), 30 Michal Neuvirth (lower body), 49 Alex Lyon (lower body), 38 Corban Knight (upper body), 5 Sam Morin (ACL surgery).
AVALANCHE
92 Gabriel Landeskog - 29 Nathan Mackinnon - 96 Mikko Rantanen
13 Alexander Kerfoot - 17 Tyson Jost - 22 Colin Wilson
83 Matt Nieto - 34 Carl Söderberg - 57 Gabriel Bourque
15 Sheldon Dries - 37 J.T. Compher - 11 Matt Calvert
49 Samuel Girard - 6 Erik Johnson
4 Tyson Barrie- 28 Ian Cole
16 Nikita Zadorov - 44 Mark Barbiero
1 Semyon Varlamov
[31 Philipp Grubauer]
Scratches: 12 Patrik Nemeth (day-to-day), 18 Conor Timmins (IR), 10 Sven Andrighetto (IR).
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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