Avalanche bury Flyers to keep hot streak going

Mikko Rantanen had two goals, Matt Nieto and Gabriel Landeskog also scored, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1 on Monday.

The Avalanche continued their early-season hot streak and finished 3-0-1 on their four-game road trip. Landeskog had a hat trick on the trip against New Jersey and clinched this one with his eighth goal of the season early in the third period.

Semyon Varlamov was solid in net and stopped 37 shots.

The Flyers continued to push their rookie mascot Gritty, giving out T-shirts and running fun facts (“Gritty has been known to use the express lane at the grocery store even when he buys more than 15 items”) on the big screen. But the frivolity can’t mask the problems for a Flyers’ team that suffered its third home loss of the season.

Rantanen needed only 3:23 to beat Brian Elliott for his third goal of the campaign and the quick lead. Nathan MacKinnon set up Rantanen, and they became the first players in franchise history with concurrent nine-game point streaks to start the season.

Nieto was left open on the left side to score his first goal in the second.

Flyers captain Claude Giroux lost the puck in the offensive zone and Landeskog capitalized with a breakaway goal for a 3-0 lead.

A slapper from Nolan Patrick cut it to 3-1.

The Avalanche continued to get production from perhaps the best top line in the NHL. MacKinnon has a goal in seven of nine games, and his eight even-strength goals lead the NHL. Rantanen is in the top-five in scoring, and Landeskog has been a dominant goal scorer. Rantanen added an unassisted empty-netter.