Flyers 3, Avalanche 2: Michkov Twice After Nine Straight Losses

October 19, 2026 - Philadelphia - Matvei Michkov got the puck back off a slap-pass that hit Denver Barkey in front, and he had an empty net from below the right circle. Colorado challenged for goaltender interference. The goal stood. Xfinity Mobile Arena had 1-0 at 7:41 of the first, five regulars out of the lineup, and a club that had lost its first nine before Saturday.

The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-2. Philadelphia is 2-6-3, two in a row after 0-6-3. Colorado is 5-3-1, last season's Presidents' Trophy winners, the Associated Press recap said. Shots were 26-24 Colorado. Attendance was 18,353, per ESPN.

Noel Acciari, Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, Noah Cates, Cole Knuble, Hunter McDonald, Jacob Gaucher, Devon Toews, and Dan Vladar are not seeded on AthX player pages, so those names stay unlinked.

Michkov scored twice. Trevor Zegras had three assists. Acciari scored his first as a Flyer. Joseph Woll stopped 24 of 26 for his first win in Philadelphia after five seasons in Toronto. Martin Necas and T.J. Hughes scored for Colorado. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 21 of 24.

Two from Michkov, three from Zegras

The NHL recap said Travis Konecny (lower body), Owen Tippett (upper body), Tyson Foerster (undisclosed), Cam York (upper body), and Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body) were all out. McDonald came up Sunday. Bump, Knuble, and Gaucher came up Monday. Knuble, whose father Mike played in Philadelphia, had one shot in 13:44 in his NHL debut, both recaps said.

Rick Tocchet told NHL.com he saw buy-in. Woll said the substitutes did not take a step down, and from his vantage the play actually went up.

Michkov's second came at 12:23 of the second. He circled the zone and scored from above the circles through traffic, glove side, the AP recap said. Tocchet called those goal-scorer goals: the timing, not too early, not too late. Michkov has scored in three straight, including power-play goals in back-to-back games. He leads the Flyers with six goals in 11 games. It took him 22 games to get to six last season. "I feel so good on ice," he told NHL.com.

Necas cut it to 2-1 at 17:52, three seconds after a power play expired. Artturi Lehkonen found him above the right circle. Necas roofed it over Woll's blocker. Toews the other assist on the landing.

Acciari's first, then Hughes, then Sanheim's blocks

Acciari made it 3-1 at 6:34 of the third, redirecting Bonk's slap from the right point. Zegras the other helper. First point in 11 games with the club, the NHL recap said. First time Philadelphia has scored three times against a goalie this season. The third against Ottawa on Saturday was an empty-netter.

Hughes scored at 14:40. Sam Malinski from the right point, off Fedor Svechkov's stick, Hughes from the right circle. Second straight game with a goal after his first NHL goal Friday in Pittsburgh. 3-2.

Blackwood came out with 2:02 left. Colorado generated one shot on goal. Travis Sanheim blocked three attempts. He finished with four shots and seven blocks in 28:21.

Jared Bednar told NHL.com it was sluggish and sloppy: pace, passes, handling passes. Josh Manson said they found their game a little too late.

Nathan MacKinnon had one shot in 24:20 and no points. Cale Makar had four shots in 23:38 and none either. Lehkonen has five points in a four-game streak, the NHL notes said.

Colorado visits New Jersey on Tuesday. Philadelphia visits Buffalo on Wednesday.

AthX Engine on a 3-2 that paid the power play

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Michkov at 10.20 (two goals, two shots, a block, the power-play bonus). Zegras is 9.80 on three assists. Acciari is 7.40. Malinski is 5.70. Sanheim is 5.40. Necas and Hughes are 5.20. Woll's win, 24 saves, and two goals against land at 10.20. Blackwood is 4.80.

Philadelphia's team line is 16.60. Colorado's 2-3 is 1.40.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Michkov's three-game heater on a roster missing five regulars, and for an Avalanche night that left MacKinnon at 0.60. They are not the same number.

Track Michkov, Zegras, Woll, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard, ESPN NHL scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020138. Information only; not financial advice.*