The Philadelphia Flyers couldn’t have looked more decimated when heading into Monday night’s matchup with the Colorado Avalanche.
Since starting a meager 0-6-3, the Flyers stunned two teams in as many games. They picked up their first win against the Ottawa Senators, who have 12 points on the year. Then they hosted one of the highest-octane teams, the Avalanche, and pulled off a major upset despite playing with a depleted lineup.
“Making the victory even more impressive was the fact that the Flyers did it with five injured regulars out of the lineup: forwards Travis Konecny (lower body), Owen Tippett (upper body) and Tyson Foerster (undisclosed), and defensemen Cam York (upper body) and Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body).”
With the Flyers still clocking in 29th in the NHL with 17 goals scored through 11 games (14 through their first 10) and 34 goals allowed heading into Monday night, the Avalanche looked like a lock to win this one.
How did the Flyers win this game, and what can they learn moving forward?
Philadelphia Flyers Won Despite 5 Skaters Missing The Contest
For starters, Philadelphia kept Colorado in check. The Avalanche came into the contest averaging 30.8 shots on goal per game, but they only got 26 to the net on Monday.
One reason? The Flyers kept getting in front of shots. They ended the game with 24 blocks, compared to 15 for Colorado. That was a massive help for goaltender Joseph Woll, who had 24 saves on the night.
Philadelphia also didn’t let Colorado capitalize on their two power-play opportunities, stopping them twice. The Flyers also did an outstanding job staying out of the penalty box. Heading into Monday night, they spent an average of 9.7 minutes in the box, but they took just four penalty minutes vs. Colorado.
What makes this more impressive on the Flyers’ part was that the Avalanche had an extra day between games while the Flyers had just one day off. For the Flyers, they played smart hockey, got themselves in position to stop Colorado from relentlessly firing the puck at the net, and capitalized on their scoring opportunities.
Somebody Had To Step Up And Score For The Flyers
With just a 39.7 Corsi For at 5-on-5 on Monday night, the Flyers needed to make the most of their opportunities. That meager number indicated the extent to which the Avalanche dominated puck possession and scoring opportunities despite their limited number of shots on goal.
Luckily for the Flyers, Matvei Michkov ended the game with two goals. Few have come into their own for Philadelphia more than Michkov, who now has six goals and seven points through 11 games. With 17 goals scored as a team, Michkov has over one-third of them, and they weren’t winning on Monday without him stepping up and scoring.
Going forward, playing smart hockey, staying out of the penalty box, getting in front of opposing shots, and capitalizing when opportunities present themselves are all on the Philadelphia Flyers’ checklist.
If more players stepped up and started scoring even half as well as Michkov has so far? The Flyers might just rewrite the narrative they made for themselves early in 2026-27. Consistency and building off their latest win will be key.
Philadelphia Flyers’ Makeshift Defense Delivered a Surprise Against Avalanche