{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Hockey League
Colorado 4, Philadelphia 0
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Referees: Francis Charron, Greg Kimmerly
Linesmen: Brian Murphy, Derek Nansen
Attendance: 18587

PHILADELPHIA -- Maybe the Colorado Avalanche are tired of losing close games.

It sure looked like it on Tuesday night.

Colorado, which owns seven losses in eight one-goal games, decided enough was enough by dominating the Philadelphia Flyers for a 4-0 win at Wells Fargo Center.

Nail-biter? Not this time.

"It was nice to have one going our away like this," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. "I thought we dominated from the start to the end."

And it came at the perfect time.

The Avalanche (5-9-1), who opened a seven-game road trip, were led by a pair of goals from center Matt Duchene and a shutout from backup goaltender Reto Berra. Right winger Jarome Iginla and left winger Cody McLeod also scored for Colorado, which starting Tuesday plays 14 of its next 18 games away from home.

"It was a good road game," Iginla said. "Once we got up, we just didn't want to let them get any life."

The Flyers (5-7-3) never did, as Philadelphia was outshot 40-25 and now has one win since Oct. 27. As a result, the team held a players-only meeting after its latest loss.

"It's unacceptable," defenseman Mark Streit said. "Really poor performance on our part."

After a 1-3-1 road trip, the Flyers came home and did little different on their ice.

"It wasn't a fun game to watch," center Claude Giroux said. "Guys want to win, want to play hard, but we have to play a little smarter.

"We should be ready to come back to our building and play a good game."

Berra (2-3-0) delivered his second shutout in five starts. He came in with a 1.85 goals-against average and made 25 saves.

Is he the Avalanche's new No. 1 netminder?

"He's the No. 1 because he's playing. If (Semyon Varlamov) plays the next game, he'll be our No. 1 goalie," Roy said. "Right now, we're very lucky to have two very good goaltenders. Both have confidence, Reto is playing well and he's probably the one that's going to play the next game in Boston (against the Bruins)."

Flyers backup goalie Michal Neuvirth (3-3-1) surrendered a season-high four goals. He was making his fourth straight start.

Frustration boiled over for Philadelphia in the third and capped the embarrassing loss. Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas deliberately body-slammed center Carl Soderberg after a whistle, leading to a power play for Colorado, which took advantage when McLeod scored to make it 4-0.

Soderberg recorded his second assist of the game on the goal.

"They're trying to muck it and naturally that's what you do when you get down," Iginla said. "For us, we were trying not to play into that and just get the win."

Iginla got Colorado on the board just 57 seconds into the game with a fortuitous goal. Iginla soft-served a shot at Neuvirth's left leg pad, which was hugging the goal post. Somehow the puck found its way between the pad and post and trickled across the goal line for a 1-0 Avalanche lead. "Bad goal. Bad angle. I've got to have those," Neuvirth said. "I think the first goal I gave up was a big factor. It gave them the momentum and they were the better team tonight."

That was just the start, according to Flyers coach Dave Hakstol.

"We've got 59 minutes to go," he said. "That goal doesn't decide the hockey game."

The Avalanche again wasted no time in the second, scoring 25 seconds into the period on a marker by Duchene. Center Nathan MacKinnon's wraparound attempt on Neuvirth bounced right to Duchene attacking the net, and he easily put it home for a 2-0 advantage.

Duchene then added his second goal -- and sixth of the season -- less than four minutes later on a snapshot assisted by defensemen Nick Guenin and Tyson Barrie.

For once, it was all Avalanche.

"It kind of felt like they were chasing us tonight and we need more of that," Iginla said. "Kind of the confident, go-at-them (mentality)."

NOTES: Flyers backup G Michal Neuvirth made his fourth consecutive start. Flyers starting G Steve Mason (sick) has been out and needs more practice time before returning in net. ... Avalanche backup G Reto Berra made his second straight start and fifth of the season. He entered with an impressive 1.85 goals-against average and .943 save percentage. ... Flyers C Vincent Lecavalier was inserted into the lineup for C R.J. Umberger, who was out with an undisclosed injury. ... Avalanche C John Mitchell (oblique) missed his fourth game in a row. Entering Tuesday, Mitchell was tied for third on the team in goals (four). ... Flyers RW Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (lower body) and Evgeny Medvedev (upper body) remained sidelined. ... LW Alex Tanguay (knee) and C Jesse Winchester were out for the Avalanche. Winchester has yet to play this season.
Top Game Performances
 
Colorado   Philadelphia
Matt Duchene 3 Points N/A
Matt Duchene 2 Goals N/A
Nick Holden 2 Assists N/A
Cody McLeod 1 Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Reto Berra 1.000 Save Percentage Michal Neuvirth .900
Reto Berra 25 Saves Michal Neuvirth 36
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Colorado 40 4 1-2 1-1 2 25
Philadelphia 25 0 0-1 1-2 4 29
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game at home against Washington. The Flyers have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .300 after a loss.
  • Colorado will play their next game on the road against Boston. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .455 after a loss.