The Philadelphia Flyers (23-25-6) fell to the Colorado Avalanche (31-21-2) on Sunday afternoon, 2-0.
The Flyers are now winless in their last three games and have been shutout in each one. They have not scored a goal since their win over the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 27. This is the first time in franchise history that the Flyers have been shutout in three consecutive games in the regular season. The last time they were shutout in three consecutive games was during the 2002 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals against the Ottawa Senators.
The Flyers ran with an 11-forward and seven defensemen lineup for Sunday’s tilt. Jacob Gaucher made his NHL debut for the Flyers, and Emil Andrae made his first appearance since Dec. 19 after being recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. During the game, defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen did not return for the third period.
Flyers at Avalanche
The Flyers came out of the gates hot in the first period. The first 20 minutes ended 0-0, but the team set up some good offensive chances and outshot the Avalanche 10-6. Samuel Ersson made a few big saves on Colorado’s offensive threats. There didn’t seem to be any moping around following the Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee trade.
Defenseman Samuel Girard scored near the halfway point of the second period to put the Avalanche up 1-0. Scott Laughton had a chance on the prior but missed wide. The Avalanche transitioned on a rush opportunity, and Girard beat Ersson for his third goal of the season.
With 2:32 remaining in the second, Nathan MacKinnon doubled the Avalanche’s lead with a powerplay goal. Laughton was sent to the penalty box for a hooking call, and MacKinnon rifled a shot into the top corner, beating Ersson. Surprisingly, it was MacKinnon’s first powerplay goal in 44 games. It was also his 80th point of the season and he is the first player in the NHL this year to reach 80 points.
Despite the Flyers starting the first period hot, they cooled down in the second, and the Avalanche took over.
In the third period, the Flyers’ offensive woes continued. They were given a powerplay in the final minutes of the period but weren’t able to generate any momentum. There were some late chances in the final 20 seconds, but the Flyers wouldn’t find any luck getting on the scoreboard.
The Avalanche hounded the Flyers defensively after taking the lead and walked away with a 2-0 win.
Jacob Gaucher’s NHL debut
Following the Frost and Farabee trade, the Flyers called up Jacob Gaucher from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Gaucher impressed during training camp and has scored 27 points (14G, 13A) for the Phantoms this season. Against the Avalanche in his NHL debut, Gaucher recorded 8:08 of time-on-ice with two shots, one blocked shot, and one hit.
Up Next
The Flyers will travel to the Delta Center for the first time to take on Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday. The puck is scheduled to drop at 9:00 pm EST. Newly acquired forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier can make their Flyers debuts in Utah.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images
