Flyers-Avs Preview: Philly Tries to Rebound from Painful Loss

Colorado, the defending Stanley Cup champion, will be hungry to pay back the Flyers for a loss last week.

The Philadelphia Flyers, who have won one playoff series in the last decade, will be hungry to end another losing streak.

The injury-riddled teams will meet Tuesday nigh at Ball Arena in Denver, where the Avalanche will start a five-game homestand. The 9 p.m. matchip is on NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Colorado (14-10-2) is coming off a 3-2 win Sunday in St. Louis, a game in which Flyer-killer Mikko Rantanen tied things with nine seconds left in overtime, then completed his fifth career hat trick by scoring 29 seconds into the overtime.

The Flyers (9-13-7) dropped their third straight decision Sunday, a 5-4 overtime loss in Arizona. They have lost 15 of their last 17.

“It was nice to battle back and get a point, but we want to start winning games here,” center Morgan Frost said.

The line of Frost, James van Riemsdyk and Owen Tippett combined for three goals and 10 points. Frost had a career-best four points, and van Riemsdyk equaled his career high with four points

“We just had some good chemistry,” Frost said. “… And obviously once we get one or two good shifts, the confidence starts growing.”

He said his linemates “played really well, and I just fed off them.”

Coach John Tortorella liked the Flyers’ structure against Arizona, “other than the back half of the second period, where I felt we backed off.”

“We’re in every game. We have to figure out the overtime periods,” he said.

The Flyers are 0-6 in overtime decisions, and 0-7 in games that have gone past regulation..

Eight nights ago, the Flyers outlasted the visiting Avs, 5-3, as Travis Sanheim, Kevin Hayes, and Scott Laughton each had two points. Nathan MacKinnon absorbed a hit from Laughton and was injured in that game. The star center is sidelined indefinitely.

The Flyers need to stay out of the penalty box. Cale Makar and Colorado convert on 29% of their power-play chances (second in the NHL). The Flyers are 28th in the league on the PP (16.3%).

Pick: Colorado, 4-2.

Breakaways

Hayes has 17 points (6-11) in 14 career games against the Avalanche. … Rantanen has five goals over his last four games; he has eight goals in 12 career games vs. the Philadelphia Flyers. … The Flyers have not given an update on Zack MacEwen, who was injured in the third period Sunday. … Colorado goalie Alexandar Georgiev (11-5-2) has a 2.65 GAA and .920 save percentage, while the Flyers’ Carter Hart (8-8-6) has cooled off after a hot start. He has a 2.84 GAA and .909 save percentage. … Both teams are near the bottom of the NHL in faceoffs. … Since the franchise moved to Denver, Colorado is 12-4-5 in home games against the Flyers. … Joel Farabee will play in his 200th career game Tuesday.