Flyers riding NHL's longest active winning streak

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 at Pepsi Center in Denver on Wednesday for their 10th consecutive victory.
It's the longest winning streak in the NHL this season and matches the third-longest in Flyers history. It's also their longest since a franchise-record 13-game run from Oct. 19 to Nov. 17, 1985.

But unlike the earlier streaks, in which the offense sizzled, the Flyers have done it with defense this time. Philadelphia has scored 34 goals (plus one awarded for a shootout win) and allowed 22 during its 10 consecutive victories.
Here are some highlights from the three previous double-digit streaks in Flyers history:

13 wins: Oct. 19-Nov. 17, 1985

The Flyers averaged 5.38 goals per game during their streak, which started with a 7-3 victory against the Minnesota North Stars in Philadelphia. They scored at least five goals in 12 of the 13 games and had seven or more goals three times.
Three times during the streak they were tied or trailing entering the third period, including the final game. The Flyers trailed the New York Islanders 4-2 on Nov. 17, but Dave Poulin scored with 3:25 left in the third period to tie the game, and Murray Craven scored at 3:52 of overtime for a 5-4 victory.
Tim Kerr led the Flyers with 16 goals in the 13 games; he had two hat tricks and five two-goal games. Brian Propp had 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists).
The lasting memory of the win streak, however, was the death of goaltender Pelle Lindbergh on Nov. 11 at age 26. In the first game after his death, the Flyers beat the Edmonton Oilers 5-3 on at the Spectrum in Philadelphia on Nov. 14 in a rematch of the 1985 Stanley Cup Final.
The streak ended with an 8-5 loss to the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Nov. 19.

11 wins: March 5-24, 1985

The Flyers had lost three straight when they played the Islanders on March 5, 1985. New York forward Mike Bossy's 51st goal of the season tied the game 4-4 with 57 seconds remaining in the third period, but Poulin scored at 2:18 of overtime for the win that began the streak.
Poulin and Ilkka Sinisalo led the Flyers during the streak with 10 goals each; Sinisalo also had 10 assists.
The Flyers averaged 6.09 goals per game during their run. They scored nine goals against the Washington Capitals on March 7, with Poulin and Tim Kerr each getting hat tricks; Kerr's second goal was his 50th of the season.
Philadelphia scored 11 goals, including seven in the second period, against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 10.
Lindbergh played nine of the 11 games and allowed 24 goals on 244 shots (.902 save percentage).
Sinisalo scored with 38 seconds left to give the Flyers a 4-3 win against the Montreal Canadiens on March 24 and extend the streak to 11, but three days later they lost 5-3 to the Chicago Blackhawks.

10 wins: Dec. 22, 1982 to Jan. 13, 1983

The Flyers started their first double-digit win streak by sweeping a six-game road trip, their longest of the 1982-83 season. It began with a 3-1 win at the New Jersey Devils on Dec. 22, 1982, in which Ron Flockhart scored two goals.
In the third game of the streak they beat the Detroit Red Wings 8-4 on Dec. 27. Bobby Clarke had a hat trick and two assists, and Ray Allison had two goals and two assists. The Flyers trailed 3-2 after the first period but scored four times in the second.
Clarke led the Flyers with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) during the streak, and he had at least one point in eight of the 10 games. Darryl Sittler scored eight goals, including a hat trick in a 7-4 victory against the Hartford Whalers on Jan. 8, 1983.
The streak ended on Jan. 15, when the Blackhawks scored two goals in the third period to earn a 4-4 tie at the Spectrum. The Flyers won their next game but lost 4-1 at the Washington Capitals on Jan. 18.