Free NHL Picks Today: Philadelphia Flyers vs Colorado Avalanche 12/5/22

The Colorado Avalanche (13-8-1) are on the road to face the Philadelphia Flyers (8-12-5) at Wells Fargo Center on Monday. Colorado is wrapping up a four-game road trip coming off a 5-1 loss against the Bruins on Saturday. The Avalanche committed six penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal.

Andrew Cogliano scored the lone goal for the Avalanche. Pavel Francouz saved only 35 of 40 shots against (.875%) in the loss. Philadelphia fell 3-2 to the Devils on Saturday. Lukas Sedlak and Travis Konecny both scored once for the Flyers. Carter Hart saved only 15 of 18 shots against (.833%) in the loss.

HEAD TO HEAD

The Avalanche won both games between the teams last season, including a 6-3 victory in their final meeting in March. Nazem Kadri led Colorado with three points (1G 2A). Zack MacEwen, Max Willman, and James van Riemsdyk were on the scoresheet for Philadelphia. Francouz got the win, saving 28 of 31 shots (.903%).

FACING OFF

Colorado is averaging 3.32 goals per game for the season, 13th in the NHL, and they are taking on a Flyers team that is allowing 3.08 goals a game (14th). Meanwhile, Philadelphia has found the net 2.32 times a game on average, 32nd in the league, and the Avalanche are allowing opponents to score 2.77 goals per game (8th).

Philadelphia averages fewer shots per game (28.8) than most teams in the league, ranking 30th, while the team’s 8.6% shooting percentage is 30th. Colorado has been one of the league’s better shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 4 with a team save percentage of .918%.

The Avalanche’s 32.50% power play percentage is the best in the league, while the Flyers rank 32nd with a conversion rate of just 14.29%. When it comes to defending power plays, Colorado has the league’s 22nd-ranked PK% at 75.95%, while Philadelphia is 25th at 73.33%.

TOP PERFORMERS:

Nathan MacKinnon (33 points), Mikko Rantanen (31), and Cale Makar (23) have been the top skaters this season for the Avalanche. MacKinnon is the fifth-leading point scorer in the NHL. Rantanen is among the league leaders with his 14 goals (6th), while MacKinnon leads the league with 25 assists.

Makar has also been a top player for Colorado, scoring six and assisting 17. In the net, Alexandar Georgiev (11-3-1) is Colorado’s top goaltender. He has a 2.58 GAA and a .922% save percentage. Kevin Hayes leads the Flyers in scoring with 24 points. He has seven goals and 17 assists in 24 games. Hart (7-6-4) has the best goals against average for Philadelphia at 2.81. He has a save percentage of .914%.