Avalanche Hold Off Late Flyers Push to Secure 3–2 Win

Brock Nelson buried the go-ahead goal with 52 seconds remaining in the first period, and the Colorado Avalanche capped a flawless back-to-back set with a 3–2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Brent Burns opened the scoring for Colorado, while Valeri Nichushkin extended the lead with an insurance marker early in the second period. Mackenzie Blackwood delivered another outstanding performance between the pipes, turning aside 24 shots.

Advertisement

Philadelphiaâ€s offense came from captain Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny, the latter firing a game-high nine shots on goal. Samuel Ersson—usually slotted as the backup—stood tall in defeat, recording 25 saves to keep the Flyers within striking distance.

The Flyers struck just 2:08 into the game when Noah Juulsen unloaded a slap shot from the point that was redirected by captain Couturier past Blackwood, giving Philadelphia an early 1–0 lead.

A little more than six minutes later, Burns responded with his fourth goal of the season, wiring a wrist shot through traffic—thanks in part to Nichushkinâ€s heavy screen in front—that prevented Ersson from seeing the shot. Martin NeÄas remained poised on the left circle and threaded a pinpoint pass to Burns, whose ability to get shots through, even at age 40, continues to defy logic.

After Juulsen was whistled for tripping Parker Kelly, Colorado capitalized on the ensuing power play. Nelson and Nathan MacKinnon both took hacks at a loose rebound, but it was Nelson who delivered the decisive tap to put the Avalanche ahead 2–1. NeÄas nearly added another goal moments before, but his one-timer rang off the post. Nelson now has 10 points in his last 10 games.

Advertisement

Just 1:47 into the frame, Nichushkin extended the lead. He corralled a cross-ice feed from Devon Toews that glanced off the skate of Victor Olofsson, then snapped a wrister from the right circle past Ersson to make it 3–1 Colorado.

Konecny trimmed the deficit with a clever move, selling a pump-fake toward the far post and slipping the puck five-hole as Blackwood bit on the fake, cutting the score to 3–2.

Burns nearly restored the two-goal cushion midway through the period, springing Victor Olofsson on a breakaway, but Ersson stood tall with a blocker save. Minutes later, Burns hammered another shot from the point, only to hear it ring off the post. On the same sequence, Trevor Zegras was called for slashing Nichushkin, sending Colorado back to the power play. The Avalanche couldnâ€t convert, and late in the period, NeÄas took a slashing penalty of his own.

Advertisement

Colorado carried a 3–2 lead into intermission, while the Flyers entered the third with 1:53 remaining on the man advantage.

After the Avalanche killed off the penalty, MacKinnon was assessed a hooking infraction on Zegras, who was sprung on a breakaway 4:54 into the period. The officials awarded a penalty shot, a dangerous situation considering Zegras†68% shootout success rate (17-for-25).

But Blackwood shut the door, reading the move perfectly and turning aside the attempt to preserve Coloradoâ€s one-goal lead.

The remainder of the game evolved into a tactical showcase, but the Avalanche remained composed and resolute. Philadelphia pulled Ersson twice in the final minutes, pressing desperately for the equalizer, yet their efforts came up short as Blackwood stood tall and refused to yield.

The Avalanche (21-2-6) end their Tour De USA on Tuesday when they take on the Nashville Predators (10-14-4) at Bridgestone Arena. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. local time.

Image

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

Source link