Free NHL Picks Today: Colorado Avalanche vs Philadelphia Flyers 12/13/22

The Philadelphia Flyers (9-13-7) will be looking to halt their losing run when they are on the road to face the Colorado Avalanche (14-10-2) at Ball Arena on Tuesday. Philadelphia is coming off a high-scoring 5-4 overtime loss against the Coyotes on Sunday, their third straight defeat. The Flyers conceded a power play goal while failing to take advantage of their own power play opportunities.

Four players found the net for the Flyers. Morgan Frost and James van Riemsdyk both scored and provided three assists to lead the team in scoring. Carter Hart only had 24 saves on 29 shots against (.827%) in the loss.

Colorado is back home for a five-game homestand after a 3-2 overtime win over the Blues on Sunday, snapping a four-game losing streak. Mikko Rantanen scored a hat trick to lead the Avalanche. Pavel Francouz was impressive in the win, making 30 saves (.937%).

HEAD TO HEAD

The Flyers won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 5-3 victory on December 5. Travis Sanheim (1G 1A), Kevin Hayes (0G 2A), and Scott Laughton (0G 2A) each had two points to lead Philadelphia. Alex Newhook led Colorado with two goals. Hart got the win, saving 29 of 32 shots (.906%).

FACING OFF

Philadelphia is averaging 2.38 goals per game for the season, worst in the NHL, and they are taking on an Avalanche team that is allowing 2.81 goals a game (9th). Meanwhile, Colorado has found the net 3.08 times a game on average, 16th in the league, and the Flyers are allowing opponents to score 3.14 goals per game (18th).

Philadelphia averages fewer shots a game (29.4) than most teams in the league, ranking 28th, while the team’s 8.5% shooting percentage is 30th. Colorado has proven to be one of the league’s better shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 5 with a team save percentage of .917%.

The Avalanche’s 29.03% power play percentage is the second-best in the league, while the Flyers rank 29th with a conversion rate of just 16.47%. When it comes to penalty killing, Colorado has the league’s 22nd-ranked PK% at 75.56%, while Philadelphia is 25th at 73.56%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

With 27 points this season, Hayes is the top skater for the Flyers. He has eight goals and 19 assists in 28 games. In the net, Hart (8-8-5) is Philadelphia’s top goaltender by goals against average. He has a 2.75 GAA and a .913% save percentage.

Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon lead the Avalanche in scoring with 36 and 34 points, respectively. Alexandar Georgiev (11-5-2) is the top goalie for Colorado with a goals against average of 2.65. He has a save percentage of .920%.