After back-to-back shutout losses, the Flyers are in desperate need of some offense. It won't be easy to come, though, as they take on the Colorado Avalanche.
It's the first game in a new era of Philadelphia after trading away Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. New arrivals in Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier won't happen due to visa issues. The hope is to have them available for Tuesday's matchup against Utah.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers come into this game even more shorthanded with the loss of Frost and Farabee. Owen Tippett, who did join the team on the trip, remains out. Ryan Poehling is still on injured reserve. Nic Deslauriers practiced with the team on Saturday but is not ready to rejoin the lineup at this time. The team will be deploying seven forwards and 11 defensemen due to this.
There will be some excitement with Jacob Gaucher making his long-awaited NHL debut. His story is one of hard work and perseverance as he turned an AHL-only contract into his ELC this past December. His minutes may be limited against a tough Avalanche squad. But making his debut in the league is enough to celebrate. It will be a good test for Gaucher to go up against a team like Colorado.
Regardless of who is in the lineup, the Flyers have to find a way to get the puck to the net. Counting the shutouts, Philadelphia has scored one goal or fewer in four of their last six games. They needed overtime against Detroit to score a second goal. Flashy plays aren't the highlight of this offense so it may have to take some greasy goals to spark the Flyers offense.
Flyers Projected Roster
Tyson Foerster - Noah Cates - Travis Konecny
Anthony Richard - Sean Couturier - Matvei Michkov
Scott Laughton - Rodrigo Abols - Bobby Brink
Jacob Gaucher - Garnet Hathaway
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae - Rasmus Ristolainen
Nick Seeler - Jamie Drysdale
Erik Johnson
Sam Ersson
Colorado Avalanche
The new-look Avalanche are coming off a dominant victory over the Blues. Martin Necas scored his first with his new team while Mackenzie Blackwood stopped all 19 shots he faced. Colorado has lost four of its last six and six of its last 10, though.
The Avalanche offense runs through Nathan Mackinnon as his 79 points also lead the entire NHL. With Mikko Rantanen in Carolina, it's now Artturi Lehkonen who leads the group with 21 goals. Mackinnon is close behind as he's tied with Cale Makar with 19 goals. Speaking of Makar, he's been hot with six goals in his last seven games. He scored twice the last time he faced Philadelphia.
Mackenzie Blackwood has handled the majority of the goaltending for the Avalanche since coming over from San Jose. He's having a strong year with Colorado, posting 11 wins in 18 games. He has a 2.15 GAA and .921 SV% with his new team. His season numbers give him a 2.58 GAA and a .915 SV%. The former is the best of his career.
Avalanche Projected Roster
Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Martin Necas
Jonathan Drouin - Casey Mittelstadt - Juuso Parssinen
Miles Wood - Jack Drury - Ross Colton
Joel Kiviranta - Parker Kelly - Logan O'Connor
Devon Toews - Cale Makar
Samuel Girard - Josh Manson
Keaton Middleton - Sam Malinski
Mackenzie Blackwood
When, Where, and How to Watch
Time: 3:00 PM
Where: Ball Arena
Watch: NBCSP+
Radio: 93.3 WMMR
Live Stream: FuboTv
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