The Colorado Avalanche are to begin back-to-back road games with a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 19.
Colorado is coming off a 5-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Flyers are coming off a 3-1 win over Ottawa. The Avalanche's win was especially significant in that they were able to erase a 2-0 first-period deficit and saw undrafted rookie T.J. Hughes log his first NHL goal at 14:57 of the second period. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 30 of the 32 shots he faced and met the need for a much-needed step-up.
"He’s been playing really well. [He's made] a lot of great plays. He's pretty comfortable around the net, so I think getting down on one knee looked comfortable.," MacKinnon said to the NHL on Hughes. "That's not the easiest puck to put in."
Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon is also currently tied for sixth in the League in goals with six. Fellow superstar Cale Makar is additionally tied for second in goals with three and tied for fifth in points with nine among defensemen across the NHL.
Colorado does have an advantage in that they are taking on an injured Flyers team — Travis Konecny (lower body) is on IR, with Owen Tippett missing Saturday's game with an upper-body injury.
Sean Couturier and Tyson Foerster are considered day-to-day and potential game-time decisions against the Avalanche.
Quick Hits, Avalanche vs Flyers
In 47 previous regular-season games against the Flyers, the Avs have a record of 27-14-4-2.
Per NHL.com, MacKinnon has posted 21 points in 22 games against Philadelphia, and Makar has logged 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 11 matchups against the Flyers.
Devon Toews is tied for seventh among defensemen in goals with two.
Colorado additionally leads the NHL with 30 five-on-five goals this season and ranks eighth in the League on the penalty kill with a mark of 85%.
This will be the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams in 2026-27, as they’ll see play against the Flyers on March 9.
The Avalanche sit at a 5-2-1 overall record with 11 points in the Central Division ahead of play at Philadelphia; the Flyers are at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division with five points and only one win.
"When we decide to play and play the right way with the right level of, for me, it's intensity and discipline, then we're a really good team, and we're playing well," Head Coach Jared Bednar has previously said on when the Avs are at their strongest.
Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. Central, with the Avalanche next traveling to visit the New Jersey Devils before returning to Ball Arena to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 23.
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