The Colorado Avalanche found some life in the second period, but Matvei Michkov continued to be a thorn in their side as the Philadelphia Flyers carried a 2-1 lead into the second intermission at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
After Michkov doubled Philadelphia’s advantage with a shot through traffic, Martin Necas responded with a late-period goal to pull Colorado within one. Despite the deficit, the Avalanche have a chance to mount a comeback in the final 20 minutes, but they will need to find a way to generate more consistent offense and capitalize on their opportunities.
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The Colorado Avalanche endured a frustrating opening 20 minutes at Xfinity Mobile Arena, finding themselves trailing the Philadelphia Flyers 1-0 after a period in which defensive breakdowns, missed opportunities, and a string of unfortunate bounces defined the frame. Mackenzie Blackwood was the primary reason the deficit remained at one, turning aside several dangerous Philadelphia chances to keep Colorado within striking distance. Meanwhile, the Avalanche struggled to generate sustained offensive pressure and even saw Martin Necas take a shot to the mouth from a deflected puck off the crossbar. Despite the difficult start, Colorado closed the period with five consecutive shots on goal, offering a small glimmer of momentum heading into the second.
Colorado was tested early when Devon Toews turned the puck over, leading to a scoring opportunity for Philadelphia, but Blackwood came up with the save.
The Avalanche were subsequently penalized for too many men on the ice, and the Flyers capitalized on the power play to take a 1-0 lead. Matvei Michkov buried the rebound off Trevor Zegras’ initial shot to open the scoring. Colorado challenged the goal for goaltender interference, but the challenge was unsuccessful, as officials ruled that Josh Manson had pushed Parker Martone into Blackwood, allowing the goal to stand.
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Gavin Brindley was left with an unenviable task in the opening period, serving the bench minor for too many men on the ice before also serving the delay-of-game penalty resulting from Colorado’s unsuccessful challenge.
Philadelphia, which entered the game with just one win in its first nine contests, continued to apply pressure early on. Zegras nearly doubled the Flyers’ lead on a 2-on-1 rush, but Blackwood made an acrobatic save to deny him at the backdoor.
The Avalanche continued to struggle defensively with around eight minutes remaining in the period, as Flyers forward Sean Couturier was left all alone in the low slot. After receiving a pass from behind the net, Couturier quickly fired a shot on Blackwood, who came up with yet another outstanding save to keep the deficit at 1-0.
Things went from bad to worse for Colorado when Nathan MacKinnon set up Artturi Lehkonen for a backdoor opportunity. However, Lehkonen’s shot struck the crossbar before ricocheting directly into Martin Necas’ mouth. Necas immediately went down before leaving the ice to receive medical attention.
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You could have aptly titled the opening period “Friendly Fire,” as Brett Kulak ripped a wrist shot that caught Brock Nelson in the leg, adding to an already frustrating first frame for the Avalanche.
Despite being outshot 13-8 through the first 20 minutes, Colorado closed the period with five consecutive shots on goal, showing signs of life after spending much of the frame under pressure. The Avalanche headed into the first intermission trailing 1-0, with Blackwood’s strong performance keeping them within striking distance heading into the second period.
Michkov nearly doubled Philadelphia’s lead midway through the period after collecting a loose puck and attempting a flashy between-the-legs shot on Blackwood, but he couldn’t quite pull off the highlight-reel finish.
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The 21-year-old would make no mistake on his next opportunity at 12:22. After carrying the puck into Colorado’s defensive zone, Michkov circled behind the net before working his way back toward the point and unleashing a wrist shot through traffic that beat a screened Blackwood to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead.
At the other end, Brock Nelson looked to spark a Colorado response with a slick toe-drag move on Flyers goaltender Joseph Woll, but Woll stayed with him to shut down the attempt and preserve Philadelphia’s two-goal advantage.
Colorado earned its first power play of the game with 4:11 remaining in the period after Travis Sanheim took exception to a hit Cale Makar delivered on Noel Acciari. Sanheim retaliated by checking Makar from behind, drawing a roughing penalty and giving the Avalanche an opportunity to cut into the deficit with the man advantage.
Just as the power play expired, Martin Necas brought Colorado back within one. Finding space in the offensive zone, Necas picked his spot and fired a wrist shot through traffic, beating Woll on the blocker side to make it a 2-1 game and give the Avalanche some much-needed momentum.
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Despite the late goal, Colorado still has work to do heading into the third period. The Avalanche will need to build on Necas’ momentum, find ways to generate sustained pressure in the offensive zone, and limit Philadelphia’s dangerous scoring chances if they hope to complete the comeback.
The Avalanche caught a break in the opening minute of the third period, though it came at a cost to Cale Makar, who was struck in the face by Sean Couturier’s high stick behind the net. Colorado generated some early pressure on the ensuing power play, but Flyers goaltender Joseph Woll came up with a crucial save, robbing Jaden Schwartz on a beautiful backdoor opportunity.
Philadelphia soon extended its lead to 3-1 when Noel Acciari redirected Oliver Bonk’s slap shot past Mackenzie Blackwood. The goal came as a result of yet another defensive breakdown by Colorado, as the Avalanche lost track of their assignments and allowed Acciari to establish position in front of the net with little resistance. Both Devon Toews and Nathan MacKinnon were caught occupying similar positions without covering an opposing player, leaving Acciari free to screen Blackwood and get a stick on Bonk’s shot.
