COLORADO ROLLS 52 OVER PHILLY
Two games into the NHL season, three key elements suggest the Avalanche will return to the playoffs and make backtoback postseason appearances for the first time in 13 years.
Dominant at home. An elite top line. Secondary scoring.
Just as they did last season, the Avs are getting it done at home, improving to 20 with a 52 victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. Colorado had a clubrecordtying 29 regularseason wins at home last season, finishing 1841. They have now won 20 of their last 25 at the Pepsi Center.
The top line of center Nathan Mackinnon and wingers Gabe Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen has produced the gamewinning goals in both victories in this young season. Landeskog’s goal 7:18 into the second period Saturday gave the Avs a 32 lead. MacKinnon’s goal in Thursday’s opener was Colorado’s second in a 41 victory over Minnesota.
Mackinnon also had an emptynet goal Saturday to help put away the Flyers.
Colorado is getting secondary scoring, the most important improvement it must make. Against the Flyers, winger Colin Wilson scored the Avs’ first and fourth goals. Last season, Wilson had just six goals in 56 games.
The Avs took a 32 lead into the third period before Wilson and Mackinnon struck in the final 10 minutes.
The teams traded goals in the second, with the Flyers taking advantage of miscommunication by Colorado defenseman Mark Barberio and goalie Semyon Varlamov to tie it 22 at 2:00. Barberio and Varlamov collided and fell to the ice on the end line after a linesman waved off a Philadelphia icing, giving forechecker Mikhail Vorobyov an open net for his first career NHL goal.
Colorado regained the lead 6:18 later, when captain Gabe Landeskog muscled his way to the front of the net and redirected a Mackinnon feed from the point past goalie Brian Elliott.
The Avs outshot the Flyers 28 24 after 40 minutes. Both teams were 0of2 on the power play at that point.
Colorado held a 21 lead after 20 minutes. It could easily have been 22, but Avs center Carl Soderberg pushed the puck inches from the goal line back under Varlamov after it trickled through his legs.
Secondyear forward J.T. Compher broke the 11 tie on a beautiful play by Sam Girard. The secondyear defenseman took the puck inside the offensive blue line and drove between the circles, threatening to shoot. But Girard made a backhand pass to the left wing, where Compher snapped it by Elliott.
The teams traded goals in the first eight minutes. Wilson backhanded a rebound to give the Avs the early lead before Sean Couturier followed a semibreakaway by Traves Konecny and slapped Konecny’s rebound past Varlamov.
Footnotes. The Avs were expected to have Sunday off. They will practice Monday before departing for Columbus, where they face the Blue Jackets on Tuesday. The twogame trip concludes Thursday at Buffalo against the Sabres. … Colorado was 19112 against the Eastern Conference last season, including 1141 at home. … Former Avs goalie Calvin Pickard served as the Flyers’ backup goalie. Pickard was recently picked up off waivers from Toronto.