Eurolanche

Avs seeking more offense vs Flyers

Season series: The Philadelphia Flyers led the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 after two periods when they played in Philadelphia on Nov. 8, but the Flyers had to survive a third-period rally to hold on for a 4-3 victory. The Flyers have defeated the Avalanche two straight games, but have lost six in a row against the Avalanche in Colorado; their last win in Denver was Dec. 27, 2002.

Flyers team scope: Philadelphia is 3-2-0 so far on its eight-game road trip, but its power play has been a non-factor. The Flyers are 0-for-14 with the man advantage on the trip; they're 0-for-6 in back-to-back losses against the Nashville Predators on Saturday and the Arizona Coyotes on Monday. "Special teams make a lot of difference in games," Flyers captain Claude Giroux said Tuesday, according to CSNPhilly.com. "Our power play has to find a way, and it doesn't matter if it is pretty or not. ... We just have to find a way." After the game in Colorado the Flyers finish their trip with games at the Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils. The Flyers have a legitimate chance to sweep their final three games; they're eight points behind the New York Rangers for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, so every point is vital. "We need the wins," coach Craig Berube said, according to CSNPhilly.com. "That's the bottom line. Road, home, we need wins. That's the way I look at it. … I told you at the beginning of the road trip that this was the biggest stretch of the season for me."

Avalanche team scope: After a 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Monday that saw the Avalanche total 16 shots on goal, coach Patrick Roy said he needed more from his top-six forwards. Among the slumping scorers are captain Gabriel Landeskog, who has gone 12 games without a goal; Nathan MacKinnon, who has one goal in 18 games; Matt Duchene, who has one goal in 10 games; and Ryan O'Reilly, who has two goals in 11 games. The players understand what the problem is and are trying not to get frustrated. "It's not a secret to anyone, we haven't been producing lately," Landeskog said Tuesday, according to the Avalanche website. "I know I have had a tough time scoring lately and we got a few guys that have felt the same way. Luckily we have had a couple big guys step up and score some big-time goals." Landeskog said the key to getting out of the slump is to simplify their games in the offensive zone. "We have to dig a little deeper," he said. "We have to get in front of the net and do the dirty work because that's where you score goals."

by Adam Kimelman for -nhl.com-