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Winless teams square off when Avalanche host Flyers

Oct 16, 2008 - 10:04 AM Philadelphia (0-2-1) at Colorado (0-3-0) 9:00 pm. EDT

DENVER (Ticker) -- A pair of winless teams face off on Thursday as the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Colorado Avalanche, who are off to their worst start in 10 years.

Both the Flyers and Avalanche reached the playoffs last season but have struggling at the onset of the 2008-09 campaign.

Philadelphia, which reached the Eastern Conference finals, earned its first point of the season on Tuesday, when it fell, 3-2, in overtime to Pittsburgh - the team that eliminated the Flyers last postseason.

The Flyers received goals from Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne in a 21-second span late in the second period, but it was not enough to prevent them from losing three straight to start a season since the labor dispute-shortened 1994-95 campaign. Gagne has scored in each of Philadelphia's three games this season.

Meanwhile, Colorado is coming off a 5-4 setback to Calgary on Tuesday.

The Avalanche are off to their worst start since 1998-99, when they opened with an 0-4-1 mark, and much of the blame falls on Peter Budaj. The fourth-year goaltender has posted an abysmal .669 save percentage and 4.00 goals-against average.

Budaj split time last season with Jose Theodore, who left via free agency this summer.

Budaj may watch from the bench on Thursday, as coach Tony Granato has hinted that backup Andrew Raycroft may get the call. Raycroft started 19 games for Toronto last season, going 2-9-5 with a 3.92 GAA.

The 26-year-old Budaj never has faced the Flyers, while Raycroft is 5-4-1 with a 2.33 GAA in 11 career games against Philadelphia.