Avs’ Mackenzie Blackwood shines as Flyers blanked once again

Mackenzie Blackwood made 24 saves for his second straight shutout, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-0 on Sunday in Denver.

Blackwood got his third shutout of the season — his second with the Avalanche — and the 13th of his career. It is the third time he has had shutouts in consecutive games.

Nathan MacKinnon and Samuel Girard supplied the goals and Jonathan Drouin contributed two assists for Colorado, which swept its two-game homestand without allowing a goal.

Samuel Ersson made 30 saves for Philadelphia, which has not scored in its last three games and doesn’t have a goal over its past 180 minutes, 15 seconds.

The Avalanche didn’t record a shot on goal until Casey Mittelstadt broke the drought 12:39 into the game. Colorado outshot the Flyers 6-1 to end the period and then went nearly five minutes without a shot to start the second period.

The game remained scoreless until midway through the second. Philadelphia had an odd-man rush but Scott Laughton’s shot went wide of the net and started an Avalanche breakout. Mittelstadt carried the puck into the zone and centered it to Girard, whose wrister beat Ersson at 8:33.

Colorado nearly made it 2-0 when Nathan MacKinnon had a prime scoring chance, but Ersson made the save.

Laughton picked up the first penalty of the game when he was called for hooking late in the second period, and the Avalanche took advantage. They worked the puck around the offensive zone to MacKinnon in the left circle, and his shot appeared to deflect off a body and by Ersson at 17:28.

It was Colorado’s third power-play goal in the last two games.

The Flyers pressed in the third period and had a chance midway through when Bobby Brink took a point-blank shot, but Blackwood stoned him to keep them scoreless.

Philadelphia went on the power play at 14:39 and Ersson came off for an extra skater, but the Flyers couldn’t get one by Blackwood.