The Philadelphia Flyers (15-9-3) dropped a tight game to the Colorado Avalanche (21-2-8), 3-2 in regulation on Sunday afternoon.
Like anything, you can nitpick this game. Some may fixate on Sam Ersson‘s first goal against. Others look to the Flyers skaters who generated 1.32 expected goals in the final period, but didn’t finish on any of their chances. However, in this article, that is not what we are going to do. The Flyers stuck right with the Avalanche throughout this game, and severely outplayed them in the final stanza.
Philadelphia’s head coach Rick Tocchet had no interest in making this about moral victories. This is not the same team that finished with the 4th worst record just last season. Tocchet expressed his desire for more from his club when it came to the final minute of the period, rather than making it about the team keeping the game close against the best team in the league.
“ There’s just plays to be made and we’re not making them. Even the six on five, we go into spread situation and we make three really… it’s good for us though because we have to learn how to play under pressure but it’s three plays that we got to make and we lost that. I think it’s just making plays under pressure.” – Rick Tocchet; 12/8/2025
Mr. Game 900 and Birthday Boy
It’s easy to get lost in the sauce in a game like this, which makes it all the more important to be able to think through and appreciate a game in the wake of a tight loss.
On Sunday, Sean Couturier turned 33 years old, and played in his 900th game. Couturier was drafted 8th overall in 2011, along with Nick Seeler (who also hit a milestone, playing his 400th game played). Despite not getting the win, the “Hockey Gods” still awarded Couturier for his dedication to the game, and a little birthday present.
The Captain set the tone early. Early in the first period, the Couturier line made up of Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov got to work, and set up a Noah Juulsen shot that Couturier redirected. This gave the Flyers a rare lead in the first period. Still, he was critical of himself and the team after the loss.
“ It’s tough. We believed in our chances to win this game. Felt like at times we gave them a little bit too much respect and we watched them a little bit.” – Sean Couturier; 12/7/2025
FIRST PERIOD
Shots: 12-3 Colorado
Score: 2-1 Colorado
Expected Goals Battle (5v5): 32 – .30 Colorado
Expected Goals Battle (All Situations): 1.49 – .32 Colorado
As it was alluded to, the Flyers got onto a great start in the first period. Just over two minutes into the game, Sean Couturier got the Flyers on the board with his fifth goal on the season. After some strong work with the puck, Owen Tippett sent the puck to Noah Juulsen at the point. Juulsen, who did not have a great game, had a great slapshot that lead to Couturier redirecting the puck past Mackenzie Blackwood to open the scoring. It was a great start for the Flyers.
Then, the Avalanche began to take over, and it really did not take much time for them to do so. It felt like every time the Flyers created one scoring chance, Colorado would respond with a deluge of chances themselves. It wouldn’t take long for them to get on the board as Brent Burns scored on a wrist shot from far out. It’s hard to say that the Flyers lost this game because of Ersson, but this was absolutely a goal he would want back. Now, nearly half way through the period, this game was tied and the energy of the crowd began to deflate.
Avalanche Takeover
With 7:58 left in the first period, the Avs were taking control. The shots were 6-3 COL, and the eye test lined up with the shot share. Things would continue to trend in this direction. Later towards the end of the period, Noah Juulsen committed a tripping penalty that sent the Avalanche to the powerplay. Despite their powerplay ranking in the bottom half of the league, and our penalty kill in the top half of the league, they still scored. Brock Nelson would bang home his 10th of the season off of a rebound chance as the Flyers failed to tie up sticks and clear the puck. All of a sudden, the moment from the beginning of the period vanished, and the Flyers were down 2-1.
Despite the hot start, the Flyers and their fans would leave that period down one goal. The Dvorak line would return to its form of generating offense later in the game, but for this period, they got killed in their CF%. It was a period where the Flyers needed the penalty kill to step up, and they didn’t. Otherwise, the expected goals battle was pretty even at 5v5.
SECOND PERIOD
Shots: 25-12 Colorado
Score: 3-2 Colorado
Expected Goals Battle (5v5): .88 – .63 Colorado
Expected Goals Battle (All Situations): .91 – .63 Colorado
Unfortunately for the Flyers, the Avalanche would extend their lead to two in the early goings of the second period. Off the rush, Valeri Nichushkin would be offered too much space in the right circle, and he used that space to step into a shot and beat Ersson cleanly. Colorado now lead 3-1, and early in the second period. It would have been easy for most teams to mentally break here, but to the Flyers credit, they didn’t.
Emil Andrae Stepping Up
Right after this goal, the Dvorak line with Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny began to cook. Minutes later, they were rewarded. It would Emil Andrae, who sent a gorgeous feed through multiple Avalanche sticks to send Konecny on a breakaway. Konecny, who provided a slew of turnovers for the other team, was also able to beat Blackwood five-hole and make this a 3-2 game. Great poise, great response, great shot.
Emil Andrae continues his strong play in the top four rotation on defense. Rick Tocchet acknowledged as much, and was impressed with Emil’s confidence in making plays against an opponent like the Avalanche.
“ That’s what I’m looking for right there. He was very good today. When he had the puck and there was room to skate, he skated like he didn’t wait. Even on the blue line. There’s times when he had it, he had a step on a guy, he took the good ice. We call it the good ice. He wasn’t flatfooted, he wasn’t looking to defer, he was being aggressive. It’s a good step for Emil to play against the top team in the league and do what he did. Good for him.” – Rick Tocchet; 12/7/2025
At the halfway mark of the period, Ersson would come up big. Avalanche forward Martin Necas, known for his plus-plus speed, sped around the Flyers defense for a breakaway, but Ersson stonewalled him. This could have easily killed the momentum for the Flyers, but Ersson was able to keep this game within arm’s reach.
Trevor Zegras would get called for what looked like a pretty weak slashing penalty. Again, this was another opportunity for the Avalanche to stuff this game. Luckily, the penalty kill team looked back to their usual selves. Avalanche would struggle to generate much, and the Flyers would kill this one.
In the final minute of the game, Garnet Hathaway found himself on a 2-on-1. Instead of shooting or passing the puck, he did neither, but was able to draw a penalty for the Flyers with about 7 seconds remaining in the period. I guess that is worth something, especially when you have zero points through 27 games played this year. Ouch.
THIRD PERIOD
Shots: 28-25 Colorado
Final Score: 3-2 Colorado
Expected Goals Battle (5v5): 1.32 – .87 Flyers
Expected Goals Battle (All Situations): 1.38 – .87 Flyers
The Flyers started this period with 1:53 of powerplay time, but would do very little in generating scoring chances. However, at 5v5, the Flyers quite literally created a montage of scoring chances. None would end of beating Blackwood, and he would go on to lift the Avalanche to their 21st win of the season.
Some of those chances included…
1. Trevor Zegras penalty shot, and is now mysteriously 0-3 in penalty shots despite being the best NHL Shootout scorer in the league.
2. Emil Andrae dancing two Avs players, setting up Tippett for a shot.
3. Zegras setting up Dvorak down low with a point-blank rebound opportunity.
4. Noah Cates created wide open rebound, Brink just could not get to it (had an empty net).
5. Tippett nearly sent on a breakaway by Couturier (pass just off).
6. Brink with another rebound chance created by Nick Seeler at the point.
These were just some of the chances I had tracked, and there may have been more. With all of that, the Flyers could not find a way to defeat Blackwood. With the extra attacker, the Flyers struggled to do much with the puck. Despite the outcome, it was a valiant effort by the Flyers.
UP NEXT
The Flyers will continue their six-game homestand, and will face off against the San Jose Sharks at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Tuesday, December 7th (1:00pm/ET; NBCSP).
