Game Preview: Colorado Avalanche look to snap Philadelphia Flyers win streak

The Colorado Avalanche are back in action on Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Avs are coming off a frustrating loss against the Washington Capitals on Friday night. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak. Now, the Avs will be looking to get back on the plus side.  The Avs (9-9-0) are currently fourth in the Central Division. They are one point ahead of the Utah Hockey Club and the St. Louis Blues while trailing the Dallas Stars for third place in the division.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers (8-8-2) are riding a three-game winning streak. The Flyers have beaten the Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, and Buffalo Sabres to tie them for fifth place with the New York Islanders in the Metro Division.

So, here’s a look at three key points heading into Monday night’s matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and the Philadelphia Flyers

3 key points between Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers

No major lineup changes expected

The Colorado Avalanche should roll with the same lineup as seen against the Washington Capitals. Here’s a look at the latest practice lines:

The most interesting modification is having Ivan Ivan as the third-line center with Joel Kiviranta and Logan O’Connor. Coach Jared Bednar will be looking for more spark in the bottom six.

Similarly, splitting Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon should also look to boost scoring among the top two lines.

Justus Annunen should be back in net with Alexandar Georgiev officially placed on IR with an upper-body injury.

MacKinnon continues to lead the league in scoring

Nathan MacKinnon continues to lead the NHL in scoring with 33 points. He’s got seven goals but leads the league with 26 assists in 18 games. MacKinnon is two points up on the Minnesota Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov.

At this pace, MacKinnon looks to follow up his Hart Trophy performance from last season with another tremendous season. According to ESPN projections, MacKinnon is on pace for 32 goals and 118 assists for 150 points.

That total could put MacKinnon at 932 career points, leaving him roughly 70 points shy of the 1,000-point mark for his career.

Mandolese and Tynan recalled

As part of the usual course of business, the Avalanche sent Trent Miner back to the Colorado Eagles and recalled Kevin Mandolese and T.J. Tynan. Tynan should not get into game action at this point while Mandolese will likely backup Annunen against the Flyers.