Second night of a back-to-back on the road – at elevation no less. Losing their goaltender midway through the game. Blocking 33 shots.

No wonder Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol was so complimentary.

”Just a gutsy effort Eagles Avonte Maddox Jersey ,” he said.

Ivan Provorov had a goal and an assist, Petr Mrazek stopped all 17 shots he faced in relief of starter Michal Neuvirth and the Flyers held off the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 on Wednesday night.

Claude Giroux also scored as the Flyers climbed into third place in the Metropolitan Division. They’re tied in points (92) with second-place Pittsburgh, with the Penguins currently holding the tiebreaker.

”Every point matters right now,” Mrazek said.

Philadelphia looked crisp early – scoring both goals in the first period – despite losing in overtime at Dallas a night earlier. Neuvirth turned back 10 shots in his first game since suffering a lower-body injury on Feb. 18, but he exited the game midway through the second period for an undisclosed reason. Hakstol had no update after the game.

Mrazek took over and was exceptional, especially in the last five minutes when the Avalanche turned up the pressure. He withstood a flurry of shots in the last few seconds, including one from Gabriel Landeskog where the red light briefly came on after the puck flew by the net.

”Those five minutes felt like 15. So long,” Mrazek said. ”Lots of blocked shots in front of me, a couple of lucky bounces today. Didn’t see, I think Breeland Speaks Chiefs Jersey , one or two pucks get to my pad. Big thanks to these guys in front the last five minutes.”

Matt Nieto scored for an Avalanche team that’s on the outside of the playoff picture with five games remaining. They’ve lost three of four, including two of those at home where they’ve been stellar all season. The Avs are 16-4-1 at the Pepsi Center over their last 21 games.

What’s more, Colorado’s offense has suddenly gone silent with five goals now in the last four games.

”When our line goes cold we lose games,” star forward Nathan MacKinnon said. ”If we have some chances it’s up to us to bury them.”

Andrew Hammond had 31 saves during an emergency start for Semyon Varlamov, who was sidelined by an illness. Varlamov had appeared in 21 straight games for the Avalanche.

Hammond was called up from San Antonio of the American Hockey League earlier in the day as an insurance policy. It was his first appearance for Colorado after splitting time between the minors and a backup role. He also dealt with what the team called a head injury. Hammond was acquired as part of a three-team trade that sent Matt Duchene to Ottawa in November.

”I think it took me a period to get my legs under me,” said Hammond, who played in his first NHL game in more than a year. ”The unfortunate part is I guess the game-winning goal ended up being scored in that period. But as the game went on I settled in and started to feel better.”

Nieto cut it to 2-1 by poking the puck past Neuvirth at 5:36 of the second period.

Colorado pulled Hammond with around 90 seconds left but couldn’t score the equalizer despite turning up the pressure.

Giroux put the Flyers up 1-0 in the first with his 27th goal, and Provorov added another nearly eight minutes later with a blast from the blue line.

With Provorov’s score, the Flyers have 48 goals from their defensemen – the team’s most in a season since the group accounted for 52 in 1992-93.

”This is how the game is played right now,” Provorov said. ”You can’t create offense with just three forwards. You have to move and have mobile `D.’ I think that’s what we have on our team.”

NOTES: Flyers D Shayne Gostisbehere set up Giroux’s goal. Gostisbehere has five assists over his last three games. … D Andrew MacDonald had seven blocked shots. … Avs RW Sven Andrighetto missed a third straight game with a lower-body injury. … Backup G Jonathan Bernier remains sidelined as he deals with a cut on his hand that became infected. He faced some shots during a morning skate Wednesday Bradley Chubb Jersey Broncos , but didn’t have his stick.

UP NEXT

Flyers: Host Boston on Sunday.

Avalanche: Face Chicago on Friday before a three-game trip.

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More NHL hockey: The rival Koreas will sit down for their first formal talks in more than two years next week to find ways to cooperate on the Winter Olympics in the South and to improve their abysmal ties, Seoul officials said Friday. While a positive sign after last year’s threats of nuclear war, the Koreas have a long history of failing to move past their deep animosity.

The announcement came hours after the United States said it will delay annual military exercises with South Korea until after the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, next month. The exercises infuriate North Korea, which claims they are an invasion rehearsal, although South Korea and the United States have repeatedly said they are defensive in nature.

On Friday morning, North Korea sent a message saying it would accept South Korea’s offer to meet at the border village of Panmunjom next Tuesday to discuss Olympic cooperation and how to improve overall ties, according to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles North Korean matters. Panmunjom is where a North Korean soldier dashed across the border into the South in November. He is recovering after being shot five times by his former comrades.

WINTER WEATHER

The NHL game in Boston between the Bruins and Florida Panthers was among the sports events disrupted by the winter storm that hit the East Coast.

The Panthers-Bruins matchup was postponed. The NHL hasn’t yet announced a makeup date.

Rugged weather also delayed the New York Giants’ search for a new coach. They were set to interview Eric Studesville Bills Josh Allen Jersey , the recently fired Broncos’ running backs coach, but that meeting will now take place next week.

Boston College pushed back the women’s basketball game it was scheduled to host against North Carolina by a day until Friday. Also, Rutgers said its gymnastics team was unable to travel to Arizona for its season-opening meet Saturday.

Horse racing at Aqueduct Racetrack was called off through the weekend because of the snow, cold and wind. Live racing will resume on Jan. 11.

TENNIS

Serena Williams’ decision not to defend her Australian Open title four months after giving birth to her first child had nothing to do with merely being able to play at Melbourne Park.

The seven-time Australian Open champion confirmed she wouldn’t attempt to defend the title she won here last year, saying she wasn’t convinced she could win it.

Williams played in an exhibition tournament last weekend in Abu Dhabi to test her match condition, and indicated after her loss to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko that she might not travel to Melbourne.

Williams was pregnant when she won at Melbourne Park last year, her Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam singles title. She gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia, in September.

Williams didn’t drop a set while winning last year’s title, and her victory helped her regain the world No.1 ranking.

The 36-year-old Williams needs only one more major title to equal the all-time record held by Margaret Court Youth Vinny Curry Jersey , who won 13 of her 24 Grand Slam titles before the Open era began in 1968.

PRO FOOTBALL

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The father of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier says his son has made significant progress since suffering a spinal injury in Cincinnati last month.

Vernon Shazier told WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh that his is ”a long ways from where he was on that Monday night when he was lying on the field.” Ryan Shazier left the first quarter of Pittsburgh’s victory over the Bengals on Dec. 4 with a spinal injury. He underwent spinal stabilization surgery on Dec. 6. The extent of his injury has not been disclosed, though Vernon Shazier said Ryan has some feeling in his legs.

Vernon Shazier said the family has decided to keep the details of Ryan’s injury private until he is ready to discuss it. Ryan has made two appearances at Heinz Field in recent weeks for the playoff-bound Steelers.

When asked if he believes his son will play football game, Vernon Shazier said yes.

HOCKEY

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene’ Fasel placed the emphasis on NHL players to persuade the league to compete at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

NHL Players’ Association chief Don Fehr responded by saying it’s a little more complicated than that.

Though Fehr believes it’s in the league’s best interest to compete at the 2022 Olympics, he told The Associated Press he’s not ready to commit to re-opening bargaining talks next year in a bid to have that happen.

Fehr also put the onus back on Fasel by noting the IIHF will have to budge on its position of refusing to pay for transportation and players’ insurance costs for 2022.

Fehr was responding to comments Fasel made following a news conference at the world junior hockey championship in Buffalo, New York, on Thursday. Fehr spoke while attending the 10-nation tournament later in the day,.
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