Cale Makar, Avalanche get jump on Flyers, hold on to win

Field Level Media|published: Mon 18th November, 22:22 2024

NHL: Colorado Avalanche at Philadelphia Flyers

Nov 18, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Avalanche goaltender Justus Annunen (60) makes a save against Philadelphia Flyers left wing Joel Farabee (86) during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Cale Makar scored twice as the Colorado Avalanche opened their four-game road trip with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday.

Casey Mittelstadt chipped in a goal and an assist and Mikko Rantanen set up two goals for Colorado, which has won four of its last five games. Justus Annunen made 24 saves for the Avalanche.

Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster scored for Philadelphia, which lost in regulation for the first time in six games. Aleksei Kolosov (26 saves) got the start in net for the Flyers with Samuel Ersson sidelined due to a lower-body injury.

Colorado led 3-0 until Philadelphia scored twice in less than two minutes during the latter half of the third period.

First, Tippett beat Annunen with a wrist shot with 8:12 remaining. Then things really got interesting with 6:28 left when Foerster dug a loose puck from under the pads of Annunen and slammed it home.

With the goalie pulled, Philadelphia controlled the play in the final minute but was unable to get the equalizer.

Makar put the Avalanche on the board midway through the second period. Nathan MacKinnon made a nice reverse pivot along the left boards and centered to the high slot for a wide-open Makar, who skated in and beat Kolosov with a wrist shot.

Less than a minute later, Makar appeared to score again, although the goal was disallowed for netminder interference.

Shortly thereafter, however, with Colorado on the power play, Makar flipped a seemingly harmless shot from the blue line that got through traffic and beat Kolosov for a 2-0 edge.

Makar has 10 career multi-goal games, although this was his first of 2024-25.

Mittelstadt expanded the lead to 3-0 with 11:26 remaining in the third period when he rammed home a rebound off a shot from Rantanen.

Referee Mitch Dunning left on a stretcher following a first-period collision with Colorado's Josh Manson. The NHL later announced that Dunning was able to move all of his extremities and displayed normal neurological signs.

--Field Level Media

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