A couple of days of real practice and the return of two important forwards gave the Flyers exactly what they needed Sunday.
Philadelphia beat the Mammoth 6-3 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, snapping a three-game skid and getting back on track with a performance that featured offense from all over the lineup. Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, Noah Cates, Christian Dvorak, Oliver Bonk and Cole Knuble all scored, while Jamie Drysdale piled up three assists. Five Flyers finished with multi-point games.
Konecny and Owen Tippett both returned after missing time with injuries, and Konecny’s impact showed up everywhere. The Flyers badly needed the player who has led them in points in each of the last five seasons, and he wasted little time making his presence felt.
Before the game, Rick Tocchet pointed to the work the team had put in during the break. “I think we spent a lot of time and commitment to defending,” Tocchet said. “We have to have another level of that, we all know it.”
The Flyers had three days between games, and that stretch included quality practices on Friday and Saturday. They also challenged themselves after their last loss.
Michkov opened the scoring with 7:11 left in the first period after Utah turned the puck over to him. He made them pay, starting the sequence and then finishing it for a 1-0 lead.
The 21-year-old winger is on a serious roll. Last season, he needed 45 games to reach 10 goals.
This year, he’s already there in just 16 games. His offseason work has fueled a strong rebound after his sophomore slump.
Utah answered quickly. Just 1:35 after the Flyers went ahead, a lofted puck took a strange bounce and landed right on Dmitri Simashev’s stick in the slot for the equalizer.
Dan Vladar handled the rest of the night well enough to earn the win, stopping 19 of 22 shots. The 29-year-old has now allowed three goals or fewer in four of his last five starts. On the other side, Mammoth goalie Karel Vejmelka stopped 15 of 20 Flyers shots.
Konecny pushed Philadelphia back in front 1:06 into the second period, backhanding a shot off Utah’s Artem Duda. Later in the period, he delivered a hard hit on Duda. Trevor Zegras was caught in the aftermath when Duda fell on top of him, sending Zegras up the tunnel briefly before he returned to the bench and finished the game.
Noah Cates made it 3-1 before the second period was over, and the Flyers kept building in the third. Dvorak, Bonk and Knuble all scored in the final frame, with Knuble adding the empty-net goal that sealed it.
The closing minutes got a little messy for Philadelphia. The Flyers were undisciplined late and gave up two power-play goals after penalties to Cates and Sean Couturier, but they still closed it out.
The teams will see each other again March 13 at Delta Center.
The Flyers are back in action Tuesday when they host the Wild at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSP.
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Flyers Finally Get A Needed Boost As Pressure Builds Up Front
The Flyers are getting some much-needed help back up front as the season keeps grinding on, with Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett both activated off injured reserve. Their return comes at a time when Philadelphia has been looking for a spark and a little more stability in the lineup, especially with the demands that keep piling up on the forward group.
Konecny and Tippett have each been sidelined for a stretch, and their absence has been felt as the Flyers try to keep pace. Getting both back into the mix gives the team a better chance to spread out the workload and add some punch to the attack, even if the bigger question is how quickly they can settle back in and help right away. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Need A Response In A Reset Game Against Dangerous Utah
The Flyers are back home looking for a reset after a rough stretch, and the timing could hardly be more important. Utah comes in with momentum after an overtime win and enough offense to punish a team that has been struggling to find its footing, so this is not the kind of opponent that lets a club ease back into rhythm.
Philadelphia did get some encouraging roster movement Saturday, and the group could look a little closer to full as it tries to steady itself. The bigger question is whether the Flyers can clean up their game quickly enough to match a dangerous Utah team, especially with the goaltending assignment still looming as part of the nights setup. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Win Over Utah Didnt Silence Their Biggest Concern
The Flyers uneven start to the season has left them searching for more than just a few encouraging nights, and a high-scoring win over Utah offered only a partial answer. October was rough enough to put Philadelphia near the bottom of the NHL standings by points percentage, but early November brought a better offensive rhythm and a reminder that this group can still look dangerous when it gets rolling.
Even so, the follow-up loss to Washington brought the conversation right back to the same place. Players and coaches have been open about the lingering issues, especially discipline and a tendency to get pushed around physically, and those are the kinds of problems a single win cant erase. The Flyers have shown flashes of progress, but until the details sharpen up, the concern around this team is going to hang around. [Read more 🡒]