Flyers battle back vs. Colorado Avalanche but see winning streak end; Owen Tippett leaves with injury

It looked like the Flyers had picked up right where they left off from their dominant win against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night in the first 12 minutes against the Colorado Avalanche.

Then the sleeping giant woke up, and things quickly went south as the Avalanche took a three-goal lead into the third period. But, in case you didn’t already know, the Flyers also are a sleeping giant, and they came roaring back.

Tyson Foerster scored off a drop pass from Morgan Frost 5 minutes, 26 seconds into the final frame before Cam Atkinson tipped in a Rasmus Ristolainen pass-shot at 8:11. But it was a little too late as the Flyers lost, 7-4.

The Flyers, who started the game with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, lost Owen Tippett to a lower-body injury early in the third period. He will be further evaluated.

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The Avalanche broke through first thanks to a few lucky bounces. Sam Malinski’s shot from the right point deflected off the stick of Ross Colton in the right faceoff circle before it went off the skate blade of Logan O’Connor — which was up in the air — in front. Not much Carter Hart could do on that one. The goal was reviewed but called a good goal.

Colorado extended it to 2-0 just six seconds after a high-sticking penalty to Travis Sanheim expired. Nathan MacKinnon made a cross-ice pass from the left corner to Mikko Rantanen in the right circle. The Finn fired a one-timer that Hart had no chance on. Rantanen added an insurance goal for the Avalanche on a power play in the third period.

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The second period was 43 seconds old when MacKinnon made it 3-0 after he somehow got past the Flyers’ defense, but the home team finally broke through 66 seconds later. Off a defensive zone faceoff win, Atkinson broke out and carried the puck into the Avalanche’s zone before passing to Morgan Frost behind the net. Frost came out into the right circle and fed Joel Farabee as he curled to the front of the net for his 16th of the year.

O’Connor made it 4-1 with his second of the game as he went streaking and buried a pass from Colton, of Robbinsville, N.J., at the far post. But the three-goal lead didn’t last too long as Travis Konecny notched his 22nd of the year 12:23 seconds into the middle frame. Konecny got the puck near the left circle and curled high in the offensive zone before sending a wrister from the center of the top of the circles past the glove of Alexandar Georgiev.

Hart was pulled after allowing five goals on 15 shots, albeit the fifth goal probably is the only one Hart should shoulder. Saturday was the first time coach John Tortorella pulled his netminder this season. There were only two games where the starting goalie did not finish — Hart vs. Buffalo on Nov. 1 because of injury and Ersson vs. Vancouver on Dec. 28 because of dehydration. ... O’Connor added an empty-netter with 20.6 seconds to go for the hat trick. ... Bobby Brink, Nic Deslauriers, and Marc Staal again were healthy scratches.

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The Flyers get back to it on Sunday when Claude Giroux and the Ottawa Senators visit the Wells Fargo Center for another matinee game (1 p.m., NBCSP).