PHILADELPHIA – As measuring stick games go for the Flyers, Sunday’s came up about a few inches short. Challenging the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Flyers wanted to show everyone they could skate with the elite. That they did, but still couldn’t get the job done in a 3-2 loss. The Flyers knew Colorado had been facing some resistance on this trip to the East Coast. The Islanders handed the Avalanche just a second regulation defeat this season on Thursday, and the Rangers took them to overtime Saturday. Meanwhile, the Flyers had a league-leading 11 comeback wins, so there was still hope late stages in the game. Goaltender Sam Ersson did his best to keep the Flyers in it, but the Flyers fell to 1-2 on a six-game homestand. “We believed in our chances to win this game,” Sean Couturier said. “It felt at times maybe we gave them a little too much respect. We watched them a little bit. Overall, we competed hard. We were right there until the end.” Emil Andrae agreed with the assessment the Flyers might have been a little too much in awe of the Avalanche, who began the road trip 20-1-6. “They obviously have good hockey players on the other side,” Andrae sid. “We play our best when we’re on our toes, getting forward, being aggressive, getting into their faces. But they kept coming at us and maybe we were backing up a little too much, giving them too much space, getting on our heels.” Down 2-1 after one period, Colorado raised the edge to 3-1 at 1:47 of the second on a goal by Valeri Nichushkin. He found space in the right circle, and his wide-angle shot eluded Ersson. The Flyers finally started getting shots on net after putting only three on Mackenzie Blackwood in the first period. They finally broke through at 5:58. Andrae’s long clearing pass through the neutral zone caught Travis Konecny in stride down the right side, and Konecny sent a shot past Blackwood for his seventh goal of the season. A questionable tripping call on Flyer defenseman Noah Juulsen led to Colorado’s second goal late in the first period. The Colorado power play, ranked only 26th in the NHL, connected with 52 seconds left in the frame. Nathan MacKinnon took a poke at a loose puck in the crease, and ex-Islander Brock Nelson finished off the play. The Flyers got on the board first courtesy of a Couturier goal 2:09 in. Couturier, playing in his 900th NHL game (fourth all-time on the Flyers) on his 33rd birthday, saw Juulsen’s point shot carom off his leg past Blackwood. The Avalanche tied the score at 8:28 on a goal by defenseman Brent Burns. The Colorado veteran, now 40 years old, connected on a shot from just above the right hash marks. The Flyers outshot the Avalanche, 14-3, in the third period. Colorado was tiring in its third game in four days, and the Flyers were gaining momentum. They just ran out of time. “I thought it was our best period, we made a good push,” Christian Dvorak said. “We had our looks. If we played like that the whole game, we probably would have come out with two points.” “I thought we played a pretty decent game,” Ersson said. “As the game went along we grew into it, got better and better. We definitely gave it a fair shot. We wanted the win but there were some good things that will kind of stay with us as well.” Coach Rick Tocchet saw some bright spots but areas that require improvement. “It’s just making plays under pressure,” Tocchet said. “There are situations where we can learn from it.” • • • NOTES >> Trevor Zegras was awarded a penalty shot on a clean breakaway early in the third period, but his attempt was denied by Blackwood. … Defenseman Cam York (upper-body injury) was a scratch. Juulsen paired with Egor Zamula on the third unit. … The Flyers return to action Tuesday for the fourth game of a six-game homestand when they face the San Jose Sharks. … Nick Seeler played in his 400th NHL game. ...read more read less