The Flyers have passed some early tests this season. But they will face their biggest one when the Avalanche come to town.
And they will have to do it without one of their top scorers and potentially one of their best defensemen. Cam York is day-to-day and has missed the team's last two practices. He wasn't completely ruled out against the Avalanche, but it would be unlikely to see him play.
Expect Travis Sanheim, who averages over 25 minutes a game, to exceed that total. It would not be a surprise to see him near the 30-minute mark. That will be a big test for Nick Seeler, who has recently been paired with Sanheim in place of York. He has only cracked the 20-minute mark in 12 of his 26 games, and some of those saw him barely reach the mark.
Without Tyson Foerster, the Flyers' offense will have to find ways to step up. Owen Tippett has three goals in his last five and continues to sit in trade rumors despite the Flyers trying to shut those down. Matvei Michkov is beginning to come alive and could use this opportunity to step up his game even more.
Flyers will have their hands full against a high octane Avalanche squad
Colorado is an outstanding 20-2-6. Before their loss to the Islanders this past Thursday, they hadn't lost a game in regulation since the end of October. Out of the six games they've dropped past regulation, five have come on the road. They have earned points in nine of their last 10 games.
They are atop the league and the first team to reach the 20-win mark, though Dallas is right behind them with 19. They have a massive 48-goal differential, over 20 ahead of the Stars. They have scored the most goals per game (4.00) and have given up the fewest (2.18). Their penalty kill is third in the league (86.7%).
One of the rare stats that they aren't great at is their power play, which is 25th in the league (15.3%). They have also yet to win a game in the shootout, but they've only reached that point three times.
Nathan Mackinnon leads the league with 24 goals and 48 points. He has 10 goals in his last nine games and has three two-goal outings mixed in. Six of those games have been multi-point outings, and two of those saw him with three points. Cale Makar leads all defensemen with 25 assists and 34 points. He has not gone more than one game without registering a point, failing to record one in only five of his 28 games.
Philadelphia may get a break as they are expected to face rookie goaltender Trent Miner after Mackenzie Blackwood was in net for the overtime win against the Rangers. He posted a 24-save shutout the last time these two teams faced. Miner has four games of NHL experience to his name, starting the season as the backup goaltender.
Miner posted 20 saves in relief in his first action this season and later posted the same amount during his first start of the season. Both of those games came in October. He has not earned his first career victory, but his career numbers show promise. Miner has a 2.34 goals-against-average and a .896 save percentage. Both of his games this season have gone to overtime.
The Flyers enter the game with a 15-8-3 record. They have won six of their last eight and seven of their last 10. They handed the Devils their first regulation loss at home. They earned their 10th comeback win of the season against the Panthers. And they scored three goals in less than a minute against the Sabres.
While the Flyers have four or more goals in five of their last seven games, they still sit 23rd in the league in goals per game (2.85). They are nearly top-10 when it comes to the goals they've allowed per game, sitting at an identical 2.85. Their penalty kill is top-10 at 82.1%, and they do have a better power play than Colorado (18.7%)
Another stat where they are better than the Avalanche comes via the shootout. They are a perfect 5-0 and are three away from breaking their franchise record for most shootout wins in a season. Not that Flyers fans want to see more games past regulation, however.
If the Flyers want to keep up with the Avalanche, they cannot let their offense take over. Colorado is 12-1-0 in games decided by three or more goals, proving that they can blow past their fair share of teams. Philadelphia is 5-5-0 in such games.
There is a large drop-off in goals past Mackinnon, so if the Flyers can find a way to shut him down, they stand a chance. He has been held off the board in 12 games thus far. Only two other Avs have at least 10 goals (Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen). They can't let Makar get hot either. His goal scoring has dried up as he only has nine goals after posting a career-high 30 last season. The fact that the Avalanche are this good without him scoring means they could be even better if he starts.
If the Flyers want to prove that they can hang around with the top teams in the league, there is no better time.