- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Photo: Troutfarm27 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Team logos via ESPN.
The Colorado Avalanche begin a back-to-back road swing Tuesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Colorado carries momentum after taking three of four points in a home-and-home set with Dallas and blanking Pittsburgh 5-0 on Friday. Mackenzie Blackwood earned victories over both the Stars and Penguins, while Scott Wedgewood took the shootout defeat against Dallas. Martin Nečas scored twice in the Dallas series, and Artturi Lehkonen netted two goals against Pittsburgh. T.J. Hughes recorded his first NHL career goal Friday with an assist from Nathan MacKinnon, who said the milestone felt incredible for the rookie. Brett McLean made his debut as Avalanche assistant head coach Friday, replacing David Hakstol.
Head coach Jared Bednar noted his club still seeks consistency, saying the team is having a tough time playing a complete game. MacKinnon paces the NHL with 16 points and 10 assists, and his six goals tie Lehkonen for the team lead.
Philadelphia owns the worst start in franchise history at 0-9 before beating Ottawa 3-1 on Saturday. The Flyers dropped their home opener 7-0 to Pittsburgh on September 30, then lost eight consecutive games. Philadelphia faces a lengthy injury list including Nikita Grebenkin, out four months after back surgery October 10, Travis Konecny and Rasmus Ristolainen on injured reserve, plus Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster hurt Saturday.
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).