Konecny, Flyers hold off Avalanche for second win in past 14

PHILADELPHIA -- Travis Konecny scored for the third straight game, and the Philadelphia Flyers held on for a 5-3 win against the Colorado Avalanche at Wells Fargo Center on Monday.

Konecny, who missed the previous six games with an upper-body injury, leads the Flyers with 10 goals.
"The team's been playing really, really hard, I'm just getting the bounces right now," he said. "I haven't felt all the same or great coming back. I can contribute a lot more just as far as my skating and getting back to my type of game. As much as we see the goals, there's still some more that I can give as far as like part of the team."

Travis Sanheim had a goal and an assist, Scott Laughton and Kevin Hayes each had two assists, and Carter Hart made 29 saves for Philadelphia (9-12-5), which won for the second time in 14 games (2-9-3).
"I think we were a little more sharp against the [New Jersey] Devils, didn't quite get the outcome (in a 3-2 loss Saturday)," Sanheim said. "Tonight, not quite as sharp and yet find a way to win a hockey game. So, sometimes that's how the game works and we're happy to come out with [the] victory."
Alex Newhook scored two goals, and Alexandar Georgiev made 29 saves for Colorado (13-9-1), which played the final two periods without center Nathan MacKinnon after he sustained an upper-body injury.

MacKinnon, who had an assist on Newhook's first goal,
left with 8:13 remaining in the first period
. He played five shifts totaling 4:58 of ice time.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar did not have an update on MacKinnon after the game.
"It's a guy that plays 25 [minutes] a night and in every situation, so you have to juggle everything," Bednar said. "Do the best you can. You've just got to keep grinding and find guys that contribute."
The Flyers took a 4-1 lead on Owen Tippett's power-play goal at 9:54 of the third period.
But the Avalanche made it a one-goal game after Mikko Rantanen scored at 17:47, and Newhook got his second goal of the game with Georgiev pulled for an extra attacker at 18:23.
"We have the skill, we have the drive, the determination," Newhook said. "You saw that last year in our playoff run and it's still deep within our team. We're never out until we're out. To get it within one and still have a chance to win after that kind of a game, we've just got to find a way."

Konecny scored an empty-net goal at 19:00 for the 5-3 final.
Konecny's teammates see a return of the confidence that the forward showed when he scored 24 goals in three straight seasons (2017-20), rather than the one who scored 27 goals combined in the past two seasons.
"I think he's just got that swagger that he feels like he's going to score every night," Sanheim said. "He's been our best player. And I think you see that he's making plays and obviously a big piece our hockey club. We're happy to have him back."
Newhook gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead at 3:50 of the first period on a power play when he redirected Cale Makar's shot.
Sanheim tied the game at 7:29 from the high slot to extend his point streak to four games (two goals, two assists).
"I think just my overall play with the puck, even breakouts, some of the little plays that maybe you guys don't see down low that I'm able to make right now and the way I'm seeing the ice, I think it's translating offensively and I'm getting rewarded for it," Sanheim said.
The Flyers took a 2-1 lead at 18:05 when Tanner Laczynski knocked in the rebound of a Joel Farabee shot.
Tony DeAngelo extended the lead to 3-1 at 3:59 of the second period with a power-play goal.

NOTES:Colorado, which entered Monday first in the NHL on the power play (32.5 percent), went 1-for-5 with the man-advantage. ... Newhook played his 100th NHL game. ... Makar played his 201st NHL game, the second-fewest by a defenseman needed to reach 150 assists, behind Sergei Zubov (187 games). ... Avalanche forward Artturi Lehkonen did not play and is day to day with an upper-body injury. … Colorado forward
Jean-Luc Foudy
participated briefly in the morning skate, but did not play and is day to day with a lower-body injury. … Philadelphia, which entered Monday last in the NHL on the power play (14.1), went 2-for-3 with the man-advantage, scoring more than one power-play goal in a game for the first time this season. … Colorado forward Charles Hudon had a team-high seven shots on goal in 15:25 of ice time in his first NHL game since March 10, 2020, with the Montreal Canadiens.