In the third game of a six-game homestand, Rick Tocchet's Philadelphia Flyers (15-8-3) will host Jared Bednar's Colorado Avalanche (20-2-6) on Sunday afternoon. This is the first of two meetings between the interconference teams and the lone game in Philadelphia.
Game time at Xfinity Mobile Arena is 1:00 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on NBCSP.
The Flyers enter this game coming off a 5-2 home victory against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. A three-goal explosion in a 59-second span during the first period proved to be the difference. Five different Flyers players scored one goal apiece: Travis Konecny (PPG, 6th), Trevor Zegras (PPG, 10th), Bobby Brink (7th), Noah Cates (6th), and Owen Tippett (9th).
Colorado got third-period and overtime goals from Nathan MacKinnon (23rd and 24th) to defeat the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon. 3-2. The Avalanche also received a second period goal from Parker Kelly (6th) to open the scoring.
Here are the RAV4 Things to watch on Sunday in Philly.
1. Fatigue factor
The Flyers have had three straight open nights on the game schedule, including a complete off day on Friday. The Avalanche are playing their third game, all on the east coast, in a span of less than four nights.
A fatigue factor matters if the tired team is forced to spend a lot of time on defense or grinding out 50-50 battles. If the Flyers force Colorado into turnovers, stay out of the penalty box, and avoid structural breakdowns, they have a fighting chance to deal a rare loss to the league's most dominant team so far this season.
2. Special teams
The Flyers' penalty kill has taken a beating the last couple weeks after ranking near the top of the NHL all season. However, the PK seemed to get back on track as Wednesday's game against Buffalo progressed. Meanwhile, the Flyers scored back-to-back power play goals last game.
Overall, the Flyers rank 17th in the NHL on the power play (18.7 percent). Surprisingly, despite their incredible record and the presence of MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the Avs' power play ranks 26th at 15.3 percent.
The Flyers' penalty kill has slipped to 9th in the NHL (82.1 percent) but is still in the top one-third of the leaguewide ranking. Meanwhile, the Avalanche PK is tied with Tampa Bay for second in the NHL at 86.7 percent success.
3. Five-on-five play
If Colorado's power play has had limited success this season and the team has just one shorthanded goal to date, what's been the source of team's dominance? The answer: even-strength goal differential.
The Avalanche has scored a league-high 81 goals at 5-on-5 to date. By comparison, the Flyers have scored 52 (tied for 24th).
Meanwhile, Colorado is tied with Washington for the fewest goals allowed at full strength (42). The +39 goal differential leads the NHL by far. The Flyers have allowed 50 goals, which is tied for the 8th-fewest in league. Overall, Philly is +2 in their even strength goal differential.
Given Colorado's stout penalty kill, it's a must for the Flyers to at least hold their own at 5-on-5 in Sunday's game. If the Flyers can accomplish that feat by wearing down the Avalanche, the chances of victory increase considerably.
4. Flyers defense: Sanheim's workload
Look for Travis Sanheim to play anywhere from 26 to 30 minutes of Sunday's game. His usual blueline partner, Cam York, is day-to-day with an upper body injury suffered in the second period of Wednesday's game.
York did not practice on Thursday or Saturday. Veteran shot-blocking defenseman Nick Seeler was paired with Sanheim at Saturday's practice.
The Flyers recalled rookie defenseman Ty Murchison on Saturday from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. There is no morning skate on Sunday. Most likely, Murchison will play on Sunday only in case of injury or illness to one of the other six available Flyers defensemen.
