Early look The full preview opens on Friday 16 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Colorado Avalanche at Philadelphia Flyers: game preview

Puck drop19 Oct · 7:00 PM ET
VenueXfinity Mobile Arena
All-time meetings48 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-three points apart last season

Colorado finished last season 1st in the league on 121 points. Philadelphia finished 11th on 98.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 49

Across 48 completed games, Colorado lead the head-to-head 28-14-6.

All-time record28-14-6Colorado's record in the series
Meetings played48This is number 49
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Colorado
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
23 Jan 2026PHI 7 – COL 3——PHI
7 Dec 2025COL 3 – PHI 2——COL
2 Feb 2025PHI 0 – COL 2——COL
18 Nov 2024COL 3 – PHI 2——COL
20 Jan 2024COL 7 – PHI 4——COL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateColoradoPhiladelphia
7 Dec 202521-2-6 · 48 pts1st15-9-3 · 33 pts13th
23 Jan 202634-6-9 · 77 pts1st24-17-9 · 57 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 7 Dec 2025, Colorado were 1st in the league and Philadelphia 13th. By 23 Jan 2026 it was 1st and 14th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Colorado out-attempted Philadelphia 141 to 101

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Colorado Avalanche

141 att · 63 on goal · 6 G · 9.5%
Crease6 att · 1 G
Slot54 att · 1 G
Wing53 att · 4 G
Point26 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Philadelphia Flyers

101 att · 45 on goal · 9 G · 20.0%
Crease6 att · 0 G
Slot44 att · 7 G
Wing36 att · 1 G
Point14 att · 1 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Colorado have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

ColoradoPhiladelphia
3.16xG for per game1.95
2.55xG against per game4.51
55.4%xG share30.2%
+7.7FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.8
+0.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.0

This season: 2 games for Colorado, 4 for Philadelphia. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Colorado

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2744.4%
Power play · 2025-2617.1% · 27th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2684.6% · 1st
Faceoffs · 2026-2746.8% · 58/124
Drawn · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Philadelphia

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2615.7% · 32nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2773.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.6% · 22nd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 133/248
Drawn · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2715 (3.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
88Martin Necas22242.00
14Sean Couturier40220.50
11Travis Konecny40220.50
74Owen Tippett41010.25
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
42Josh Manson21231.50
8Cale Makar21231.50
7Devon Toews20221.00
24Nick Seeler40110.25
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 16 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 17 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Colorado crease

COL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 16 Oct

Mackenzie Blackwood.9122 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.1

No appearances against Philadelphia in the last meetings.

Philadelphia crease

PHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 16 Oct

Dan Vladar.8632 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −1.6
Joseph Woll.9292 GP · 0-0-2 · GSAx +3.2

No appearances against Colorado in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

23 Jan 202610 · PHI 7–3 COL
7 Dec 20255 · COL 3–2 PHI
2 Feb 20252 · PHI 0–2 COL
18 Nov 20245 · COL 3–2 PHI
20 Jan 202411 · COL 7–4 PHI

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Colorado7.002.503.682.48
Philadelphia1.254.253.052.96

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Colorado · injuries

Georgii MerkulovUndisclosedIRReturn16 Oct
Logan O'ConnorLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Trent MinerUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Zachary L'HeureuxLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Philadelphia · injuries

Helge GransLower BodyIRReturn8 Oct
Nikita GrebenkinUpper BodyIRReturn8 Oct
Rasmus RistolainenUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
27 Sep · COL

Placed LD Keaton Middleton, LD Wyatt Aamodt, RW/LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and LW Tristen Nielsen on waivers.

27 Sep · COL

Placed D Keaton Middleton, D Wyatt Aamodt, LW Fabian Lysell, C Vinnie Hinostroza, LW Adam Beckman and G Mads Sogaard Nielsen on waivers.

25 Sep · COL

Reassigned Ds Domenick Fensore, Saige Weinstein and Christian Wolanin to Colorado (AHL).

5 Oct · PHI

Reinstated C Jett Luchanko Barkey from injured reserve.

27 Sep · PHI

Agreed to terms with LW Garrett Wilson on a 1-Year contract. Loaned G Alexei Kolosov to Lehigh Valley (AHL).

25 Sep · PHI

Loaned Fs Jacob Gaucher, Cole Knuble and Jett Luchanko and D Oliver Bonk to Lehigh Valley (AHL).

Injury report
#43Egor ShilovRound 2 · VictoriavilleC
#74Beckett HamiltonRound 3 · Red DeerC
#126Tobias TvrznikRound 4 · WenatcheeG
#128Axel ElofssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.D
Full draft

Philadelphia · 2026 draft

See all: Philadelphia · 2026 draft →
#27Maksim SokolovskiiRound 1 · LondonD
#53Brek LiskeRound 2 · EverettD
#62Martin PsohlavecRound 2 · Karlovy Vary Jr.G
#120Marek SklenickaRound 4 · SeattleG
Full draft

Updated after every final