NHL Game of the Week: Flyers vs. Avalanche

The season is only a quarter of the way over, but that doesn’t mean we can't have yet another great matchup this week. The high-flying Philadelphia Flyers are continuing their road trip up to Denver to face off against the Colorado Avalanche.

This past summer, the Flyers put out a statement to the fans telling them that they will begin a rebuild. General manager Daniel Briere put it on the players to decide how long the process will take, and the players have exceeded expectations.

With a 14-10-2 record, the Flyers sit at second place in the Metropolitan Division to much surprise. Currently on a three-game winning streak, the team is flowing with youth that has found their stride in a competitive conference.

Rookies Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster have played very well as of late. Foerster has found the scoring touch the club drafted him for with four goals in as many contests. Brink has shown his strong offensive upside and has become a fan favorite early in his career.

Sean Couturier missed an extremely long period of time with back surgery, but now that he is back in the lineup, the Flyers have that defensive security that has won him some hardware.

Travis Konecny is the team’s leading goal-scorer and point-getter. With 14 goals on the year, he looks like one of the league’s more underrated players.

Rumors swirled around the future of defenseman Travis Sanheim, and with an expanded role after the departure of Ivan Provorov, Sanheim has flourished. He has displayed so much confidence in his IQ and skating, while also being second in time on ice, averaging 25:45 minutes a night.

You might not want to take a penalty when facing the Flyers because they’ve managed to score seven shorthanded goals this year, the most in the league.

Between the pipes, Carter Hart looks like his old 2019-20 self. He’s posting a 2.45 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.

Now for the hosting Colorado Avalanche, they will always be in conversation for another title. Even with their captain, Gabriel Landeskog, the team finds ways to string win and win together.

When you look at their first-place 16-8-2 record, one name comes to mind when you think about their success: Nathan MacKinnon. 36 points in 26 games is just another example of this superstar’s talent.

Cale Makar is still carving up the NHL from the blue line. With 34 points on the year, Makar continues to look like one of the best young players in the league.

Who else but Mikko Rantanen being the club’s leading goal-scorer with 12 goals on the season?

Alex Georgiev knows how to collect win after win, leading the entire league in the category with 14 on the season.

An electric offense against a solid young up-and-coming team. This game will be an entertaining one for sure.

The puck is set to drop Saturday, Dec. 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Anthony Desher is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email acd5698@psu.edu.