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Avalanche beats Flyers behind Samuel Girard, Nathan MacKinnon goals to win consecutive games for first time in a month

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Avalanche beats Flyers behind Samuel Girard, Nathan MacKinnon goals to win consecutive games for first time in a month


Perhaps Sunday marked the Avs getting their mojo back after a roller-coaster January underscored by a 7-6-2 record and the blockbuster trade of Mikko Rantanen to Carolina.

The Avs weathered a grinding opening period to pull away for a 2-0 victory over the Flyers at Ball Arena. Samuel Girard’s goal put the Avs ahead, Nathan MacKinnon’s power-play netter gave them cushion and Mackenzie Blackwood posted a second straight shutout as Colorado won consecutive games for the first time in a month.

As Colorado sits in fourth place in the Central Division and atop the wild card standings, coach Jared Bednar hopes that this weekend’s two-game homestand is a momentum builder for the club. Colorado routed St. Louis 5-0 on Friday, thus outscoring its pair of opponents 7-0 over the set of games.

“We’s been bouncing around for 16 games, and there’s always games you feel like we should’ve gotten a better result than we did, and there’s games where we feel like we didn’t get enough in order to win them,” Bednar said.

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“I want us to be stringing together performances like we just did over the last two, or better, and see where it takes us. I’m confident that we understand where we’re at, and the importance of each game. Now it’s time to go out and repeat it again and again and again (on the upcoming road trip) before we take our break.”

Philadelphia controlled the momentum early, tallying the game’s first six shots before Colorado finally started to find its footing. Blackwood called the Avs’ start “a little bit sleepy,” while Bednar labeled it “too safe, too vanilla.”

The Avs had several good looks in the opening period, but Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson turned them away each time and Blackwood also stopped 10 shots as the the teams took a 0-0 score into the intermission.

“There was nothing wrong with it defensively, but we were just out there seeing how it goes,” Bendar said. “In the second period, we got much more dangerous after there was some detail lacking (on offense) in the first period.”

In the second, Colorado started consistently beating the Flyers to loose pucks and doing a much better job of controlling possession than they did in the opening minutes of the game. They continued to press Ersson, but he stood his ground, including denying what looked like a sure goal by Martin Necas.

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The recently acquired center was perched in front of the crease on the weak side of the net, but Ersson slid over and stuffed the attempt to keep it scoreless after MacKinnon’s threaded pass found Necas’ stick.

A couple minutes later, Philadelphia had a chance to take the lead with a two-on-one rush but couldn’t covert as Scott Laughton’s errant shot went wide right. Colorado immediately gained possession and pushed the puck up ice.

Casey Mittelstadt skated with the puck down the left side and found Girard streaking down a void in the center of the ice. Girard took the pass, made a slick move to bypass the defender in front of him and then ripped off a slap shot that beat Ersson on the left side of the net to make it 1-0.

“(Taking chances to shoot) is something I need to be better at personally,” said Girard, who had two goals on the season coming into Sunday. “I need to put more pucks on the net, knowing it’s probably going to create some rebounds for us. … Today I was better at trying to find that shooting lane and just put a puck on the net.”

Colorado kept up the pressure following Girard’s goal, while Blackwood continued to stonewall.

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With four minutes left in the period, a clean game to that point finally saw its first penalty. A hooking call on the Flyers resulted in a 2-0 lead for the Avs after MacKinnon wristed one home from the left faceoff circle that beat Ersson in the top right shelf. The score was assisted by Cale Makar, while Jonathan Drouin screened Ersson’s vision in front of the net.

In the third, the Avs had multiple chances to extend the lead to three, but it was no matter. The defense played well, limiting Philadelphia’s clean looks and killing a power play, while Blackwood made six more saves to cement the win. That included preserving the shutout as the Flyers pulled the goalie for the final few minutes.

“The mentality the last two games is to play like it’s the playoffs, and we’re going to keep going with how we played in the second and third periods today, and how we played (on Friday),” Girard said.

Colorado now heads on a three-city Canadian road trip this week to Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton before the NHL goes on break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The Avs’ next home game is Feb. 26 vs. New Jersey.

The Avs might lean heavily on Blackwood during the road trip, as fellow goalie Scott Wedgewood is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Wedgewood, who last played in a 3-1 loss in Boston on Jan. 25, will be traveling with the team this week.

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“It’s definitely getting good to have momentum going on the road,” Casey Mittelstadt said, “because we’re going to play some good teams and we’ve got to be ready to go.”

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Denver, CO

Game Thread: Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings. December 11th, 2025. – Denver Stiffs

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Game Thread: Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings. December 11th, 2025. – Denver Stiffs


Community Guidelines

Welcome to Denver Stiffs! We’re glad you’re here.

Denver Stiffs is a community where sports fans from all backgrounds gather to share their passion. We strive to create a fun and welcoming place for everyone to come fan with us. These guidelines help ensure that happens. Here’s the short version:

  • Be respectful in your interactions with contributors and fellow fans.
  • Don’t be a jerk, and don’t call other people jerks.
  • We’ll remove anything we see that jeopardizes our communities.
  • We ask that you do your best to keep the conversation to sports and primarily our favorite NBA team. Why? Because there are plenty of other sites where you can air your opinions about everything from politics to soup recipes.
  • You can help with that. If you see something that doesn’t align with our guidelines, let us know. Flag any comments or usernames that violate our guidelines so our community managers can review them.

These rules extend to our communities everywhere: in our comments, on social media, and in real life.

We do not allow any of the following:

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  • Personal attacks: This includes name-calling, insults, threats, hurtful comments about someone’s appearance, voice, or style, and all other forms of attacks. We want our communities to be welcoming and fun. Personal attacks are the opposite of that.
  • Attacks on staffers: It’s fine to critique a post, disagree with a take, or point out errors. We draw the line, however, at personal attacks (see above) about writers, editors, moderators, etc.
  • Discriminatory or derogatory language: This includes racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, or other forms of discrimination.
  • Harassment: This includes, but is not limited to, intimidation; stalking; unwanted photography; inappropriate physical contact; use of sexual or discriminatory imagery, comments, or jokes; and unwelcome sexual attention.
  • Wishing harm on athletes: Don’t root for an injury, don’t root for harm to befall a coach or athlete. You can want someone to get fired or released, but please do not hope for bodily harm.
  • Misinformation and disinformation: Sharing demonstrably false information about news or world events, beyond the scope of reasonable sports opinion or analysis, can be harmful to our communities. These comments will be removed and may result in a suspension or a ban.
  • Illegal activity: Don’t promote, encourage, or make light of any kind of illegal activity, including DUIs, domestic violence, or sexual assault.
  • NSFW images and comments: Keep it PG-13, or you will be removed. This includes language and images that are sexual, violent, or generally offensive in nature.
  • Excessive profanity: Fans get worked up on game days, and we’re fans, too. We understand that. As a general rule, keep profanity to a minimum. Some communities prohibit profanity, so be sure to review guidelines for the individual communities you participate in.
  • Multiple accounts and throwaway emails: These are a signal that you’re not interested in being a productive member of our communities, and we do not allow it.
  • Trolling: We know it when we see it, and we’ll remove it. Don’t go to a rival team’s community for the sole purpose of riling up their fans, either. Moreover, you should never publish any private or personally identifiable information. Doxxing is strictly prohibited.
  • The “first post” rule: If you break any of these guidelines with your very first post or interaction, it signals to our community managers you’re just here to be disruptive. Violators may be banned, blocked, or removed.
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  • Political commentary: Denver Stiffs is a site dedicated to the Denver Nuggets, not politics. There are many sites available on the internet to discuss politics, Denver Stiffs is not one of them. Please refrain from any political commentary while using our site.

Anyone who doesn’t follow these rules when engaging in our communities will at best be removed from the conversation, and at worst will end up banned from that community. These decisions will be made at the discretion of our community managers and other Mile High Sports personnel. Community managers and moderators have final say on interpretation of violating our community guidelines, and on all decisions resulting in a warning, suspension, and/or ban.

If you see any of these things happening in our communities, please flag it and it will be reviewed. You can also reach out via our contact page.



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Denver, CO

Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/11-12/14 – 303 Magazine

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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/11-12/14 – 303 Magazine


When: Dec 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Fight Club – 1959 16th St Mall Denver
Cost: Price varies
The Lowdown: 

Guests have the option of $39 bottomless flatbreads, which includes the price of their oche reservation for Social Darts®. The bottomless flatbread menu features Smoked Salmon Flatbread, Four Cheese Flatbread, Breakfast Flatbread, or Garden Vegetable Flatbread. Guests can also order off the á la carte menu, which includes a fresh-cut fruit plate, breakfast sliders,, avocado toast, and Flight Club’s famous churros.





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Louisiana child rape suspect arrested in Denver

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Louisiana child rape suspect arrested in Denver


DENVER (KKTV) – A man out of Louisiana suspected of child rape is now in custody in Colorado.

The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force said they arrested 43-year-old James Connolly Tuesday morning in Denver.

The U.S. Marshals Service said Connolly was wanted by West Baton Rouge Parish deputies for first-degree rape of a child under 13 years old.

According to the U.S. Marshals, a full-scale investigation into the allegation was launched, and probable cause was found to file charges.

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After an arrest warrant was issued on August 12, they said Connolly was likely aware of the warrant and had fled the state.

On Monday, officials reportedly received information that he could be in Denver. The next day, the U.S. Marshals Service said the Colorado Violent Offender Task Force found Connolly working maintenance for a company near I-270 and York Street in Denver under the name “Alli” with a changed physical appearance.

Officials said Connolly was then positively identified and taken into custody.

“The success of this arrest represents a culmination of extensive cooperative investigative efforts between the U.S. Marshals in Baton Rouge, U.S. Marshals Colorado Violent Offender Task Force – Denver, West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Englewood Police Department, and Colorado Department of Corrections,” the U.S. Marshals Service said in a release.

He’s currently in the Adams County Jail pending extradition back to Louisiana.

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