DENVER (AP) — Travis Konecny scored two goals, Owen Tippett had a goal and an assist, and Carter Hart stopped 36 shots to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 5-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.
Travis Sanheim and Joel Farabee also scored, and Bobby Brink had two assists as the Flyers won their fourth straight and improved to 10-3-1 in their last 14 games. Philadelphia moved into second place in the Metropolitan Division one season after finishing with the third-worst worst record in the Eastern Conference.
“I don’t think anybody wants us to win," Hart said. "I think that definitely fires us up and fuels the fire for us, to prove everyone wrong. It just strengthens our belief in each other in here.”
Nathan MacKinnon and Josh Manson scored for Colorado, which lost for the fifth time in six games (1-3-2). Ivan Prosvetov finished with 29 saves.
The Flyers took control in the second period building a 3-1 lead after goals from Tippett and Sanheim 2:16 apart in the middle of the period.
“Right now, we’re just playing with a bunch of confidence and we’re having fun," Tippett said. "That goes a long way for this group.”
After Colorado pulled within one heading to the third period, Konecny scored on a penalty shot with 10:29 remaining after he was held by MacKinnon on a breakaway. It gave Konecny three straight multipoint games and 16 goals for the season.
“He knows he’s a good player," Flyers coach John Tortorella said. "When his mind is straight and he doesn’t get caught up in the antics of it all and just plays, his engine is so good. He does so many things for the hockey team.”
Farabee added his 10th just 46 seconds later to cap the scoring.
It was Colorado's second home loss in three days.
“The biggest thing that has bothered me is we’re finding the rhythm of our game for 10-minute stretches and whatnot and then we’re shooting ourselves in the foot," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "That’s the way I see it. You’ve got to give them credit. They earned some of those. But our decisions on some of the scoring chances against and goals against is just not good.”
Konecny started the scoring with 2:19 left in the first period.
MacKinnon tied it with 1:01 left in the period with his 11th. It also extended his point streak to 11 games, the longest active run in the NHL.
“We’re not getting enough offense," Avalanche center Andrew Cogliano said. "We’re getting it from Nate, clearly. Everyone has eyes. But I think the other guys need to adopt a mindset where we can chip away, create momentum and a playoff-like style.”
UP NEXT
Flyers: At Nashville on Tuesday night to finish a three-game trip.
Avalanche: Host Calgary on Monday night in the fourth of a five-game homestand.
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Craig Meyer, The Associated Press