Flyers-Avalanche: Game 65 Preview

Kevin Durso

March 25 2022

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor

The road losing streak came to an end after 13 games, as the Flyers claimed a win in St. Louis on Thursday night. The trip continues one night later, as the Flyers spend Friday night taking on the Colorado Avalanche, the NHL's top team, in the third game of the five-game road trip.

Game time is 9 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	Colorado Avalanche	GP	G	A	P
Cam Atkinson	64	23	25	48	Nazem Kadri	61	24	52	76
Travis Konecny	62	12	30	42	Mikko Rantanen	61	31	44	75
Joel Farabee	46	14	16	30	Cale Makar	60	22	49	71
Scott Laughton	54	11	17	28	Nathan MacKinnon	49	22	47	69
James van Riemsdyk	64	15	12	27	Gabriel Landeskog	51	30	29	59

Kevin Hayes has been on a roll since returning to the lineup on March 5. Showing signs he is at his healthiest all season, Hayes has four goals and seven assists for 11 points in the last 10 games. Hayes is also on a streak of three straight multi-point games.

Nathan MacKinnon continues to light it up of late. MacKinnon is on a five-game points streak with three goals and six assists in that time. In his last 18 games since a return to the lineup on Feb. 13 after a two-week absence, he has 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points.

Carter Hart gets the start for the Flyers. Hart made 25 saves on 29 shots in the Flyers 6-3 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday in his last start. Hart had won back-to-back starts entering that game.

Pavel Francouz gets the start for the Avalanche. Francouz makes his first start since March 18, a win over San Jose where he allowed three goals on 28 shots. Francouz has made just four starts in March, posting a 2-1-1 record and allowing 10 goals on 115 shots for a .913 save percentage.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Nate Thompson (injury), Scott Laughton (injury), Oskar Lindblom (injury)

Avalanche Scratches: Ryan Murray (injury), Samuel Girard (injury), Gabriel Landeskog (injury), Artturi Lehkonen (healthy), Bowen Byram (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: No changes are anticipated for the Flyers, though it is possible that Oskar Lindblom could be back after sitting out Thursday's game to rest a minor injury.
Avalanche: No changes are expected for Colorado.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (32nd), Avalanche (5th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (26th), Avalanche (17th)
Recent History vs. Avalanche
- Dec. 6, 2021 – Avalanche 7, Flyers 5 (at PHI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Avalanche
- Kevin Hayes – 12 GP, 6 G, 8 A, 14 P
- Joel Farabee – 2 GP, 2 G, 0 A, 2 P
- Travis Konecny – 7 GP, 0 G, 6 A, 6 P
- Carter Hart – 1 GP, 0-1-0, 3.16 GAA, .889 SV%