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 Da'Shawn Hand Jersey Elite ,” 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, 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 Authentic Saquon Barkley Jersey , 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, 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: Andrew Luck came out of the preseason opener unscathed.

Some of his teammates weren't as fortunate.

Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich announced Friday that promising rookie receiver Deon Cain suffered a season-ending knee injury and running backs Marlon Mack and Robert Turbin will be listed week to week after sustaining other injuries.

"Really unfortunate. Obviously, he was having a great camp," Reich said during a conference call with reporters. "We'll support him and he'll come back stronger next year."

All eyes, of course Bills Taron Johnson Jersey , were on Luck 鈥?who made his first game appearance in almost 600 days and looked like his old self.

He completed 6 of 9 passes for 64 yards, leading the Colts to field goals on their first two drives and even bounced up quickly after taking his first big hit on the surgically repaired right shoulder before leaving the game.

It was exactly what the Colts 鈥?and an anxious fan base 鈥?needed to see from the top overall pick in the 2012 draft.

"Hopefully it brought a smile to the whole city (of Indianapolis) and really the NFL," Reich said. "I think what's cool in this league is that guys root for each other and quarterbacks root for each other, so it's really a boost for the league and for our team."

But losing the other three players could alter the Colts' preseason plans.

Cain, a sixth-round pick out of Clemson who slid down the draft board because of off-the-field questions, was playing so well at training camp he was moving up the depth chart and appeared to be in position to challenge for one of the top three jobs in the receiving rotation.

He spent the offseason working out with recently inducted Hall of Famer Randy Moss and consistently showed the coaches he was neither afraid of making catches in traffic nor using his 6-foot-2, 202-pound frame to win jump balls.

Reich wasn't even sure when Cain tore his anterior cruciate ligament though he believed it came when Cain made a cut, trying to come back for the ball on a deep route.

"One of the traits Deon was flashing was an ability to really win against press coverage and that's really an attribute at this level," Reich said. "But we know we've got something special in Deon Cain. He's a good guy who can become a great player."

Losing Cain means the Colts are likely to stick with four-time Pro Bowler T.Y. Hilton, free agent acquisition Ryan Grant and veteran Chester Rogers as their top three receivers.

And, for now, Reich seems content filling the other jobs with other players already in camp such as veteran K.J. Brent Adidas Nico Hischier Jersey , who has impressed, too.

But the more pressing concern is at running back, where the Colts are thin.

Indy plugged Mack into the starting job left by departed workhorse Frank Gore.

Mack played all of last season with a torn labrum in his shoulder and left in the first quarter Thursday with an injured hamstring.

Turbin, a short-yardage specialist who was projected to be the No. 2 back, left the Seattle game with an injured ankle. He already has been suspended for the first four regular-season games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancers.

Mack and Turbin are now listed week to week, leaving the Colts with just four other running backs on the roster 鈥?veteran Christine Michael, who missed all of last season with an injured knee, rookies Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins and veteran Josh Ferguson, who missed the game with a hamstring injury.

"That run at the end of the game (by Wilkins), that was a big-time run," Reich said, referring to a third-down conversion that helped seal Indy's victory. "It's only a couple-yard run Cheap Sam Hubbard Jersey , but those are the kind of runs that win games."

Notes: Reich said receiver James Wright also will be week to week with an injured knee. ... Rookies Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard also impressed Reich. Nelson, the No. 6 overall pick and highest chosen guard in more than two decades, helped keep the pocket mostly clean for Luck and showed he could be an asset as a pulling guard, too. Reich said Leonard, a second-round pick, "flashed" on a couple of plays at linebacker, too. ... The Colts return to training camp Saturday afternoon and will host the Baltimore Ravens for a joint practice late next week.

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