Power play surging
Since their frustrating four-game scoring drought came to an end for the Flyers’ power play units, they’ve gotten pretty well and truly hot again. They put up goals in back to back games against the Panthers and Bruins, and though they were held off the board on Sunday against Utah, they got themselves right back on track again in Columbus.
In some ways, the scoring felt like a bit of an inevitability — this was the 14th straight game when the Blue Jackets have allowed a power play goal, after all — but the work done on Konecny’s goal was still very good overall. It took a collective effort, some good passing across the zone to set up the chance, a perfectly placed shot from Konecny, and then a bit of help from a screen in front from Emil Andrae. Now, a case could be made that there were some chances left on the table in the Flyers’ two other cracks on the power play in this game — a reminder that this is all still a bit of a work in progress for them — but the bit of production they did find got things moving in the right direction.
Standing up physically
This game, while being certainly a high-scoring one for the Flyers, was also quite a physical matchup. We saw a number of big hits both dealt and taken by the Flyers, a real intensity across the board. The big notable happening of the game, though, came in the second period, when Andrae took a hit from Mathieu Olivier that was a little late, a little high, and ultimately earned him a two-minute sit for elbowing. And even though Andrae, though shaken up on the play, seemed no worse for wear after a few moments, the Flyers felt the penalty wasn’t adequate enough punishment dealt. The next time he was on the ice, Rasmus Ristolainen made like he wanted to challenge Olivier, but ultimately it was Nick Seeler who stepped up to fight.
And while we can break down whether or not this was a good fight, or whether or not it was needed, this type of thing means a lot to teammates. The Flyers were without Nic Deslauriers in this one, who would have likely been first on the list of assumed players to do that defending and fighting, but there was still a number of others willing to step up for Andrae. Now, did this factor into them winning this game in a meaningful way? Probably not. But it’s a necessary reminder of the shift in the culture, of how engaged the team remains.
We’re so back, folks! The Flyers made the trip out to Columbus for tonight’s game and, coming off of three tough losses and looking to stop the bleeding, put together quite a solid effort and came away with a tidy enough win for their trouble. It wasn’t perfect — despite creating a four-goal buffer by the two minute mark in the third period, two goals allowed for the Blue Jackets in the back half of the period made things a little closer than team or coach likely would have liked to see. Altogether, though, the Flyers bent but didn’t break, and were able to keep an overall solid game from going sideways on them in the end.
The Basics
First period: 4:37- Noah Cates (Foerster, York), 10:56- Owen Tippett (Drysdale, Frost)
Second period: 6:11- Travis Konecny (Brink, Michkov)PPG, 16:56- Zach Werenski (Marchenko)PPG, 19:00- Travis Konecny (Farabee, Seeler)
Third period: 1:55- Morgan Frost (Michkov), 11:42- Sean Monahan (Fabbro, Johnson), 19:23- Kent Johnson (Severson, van Riemsdyk)
SOG: 24 (PHI) – 18 (CBJ)
Some Takeaways
Owen Tippett stays hot
Tippett’s recent surge in play has been something of a revelation for the Flyers, and he was able to keep the ball rolling really nicely tonight in Columbus. With his first period goal to put the Flyers up by two by the first intermission, he made it five goals in the last five games for himself, and there’s been a lot to like about his play. He’s generating more good looks, playing with a ton of pace, and directing it well. That is, his elevated play isn’t just serving himself, but it also seems to be boosting and feeding (and indeed, being fed by, in turn) linemates Matvei Michkov and Morgan Frost. Frost was a testament to that tonight as well, as he got himself on the board with a goal and an assist, further involved in his line’s production.
After the game, Frost spoke on the success their line has been having, and gave a nod to the familiarity they have with each other, and the level of communication that they’ve found as key pieces of that. Maybe it was only a matter of time before things started breaking for them, but now that they’ve arrived, they’ve been a real sight to behold.
Make it two for Konecny
The offensive output from that line was huge, but they still found themselves slightly overshadowed by the individual work done by Travis Konecny. With two goals on the night, including the one to get the power play going (more on that later), Konecny stepped up in a big way when his team really needed it.
The power play goal was a big one, but even more timely was the second goal of the second period — coming just a minute before the intermission and right on the heels of the Blue Jackets’ first goal of the game. In a way, it felt like another stop the bleeding type of moment. A two goal lead heading into the third period would be relatively comfortable, certainly not nothing, but to restore the three-goal lead, to further insulate them in case things began to get away from them again as they have been late in games of late, that was a big moment. It’s a clutchness that Konecny seems to be leaning into, and it’s been serving all well.
Dec 10, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Travis Konecny (11) celebrates his goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at Nationwide Arena.
Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
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