Quick Hits: February 23, 2023
1) The Flyers returned home from Edmonton on Wednesday after going 1-3-0 on a four-game western road trip. The team was unable to protect a 2-1 lead in the third period of Tuesday's game in Edmonton before going down to a 4-2 loss. Unfortunately for the Flyers, the team ran out of gas in the final period of their third game in four nights especially after a particularly grueling and physical 4-3 win with a short bench in Calgary one afternoon earlier.
As soon as Olle Lycksell was called for a high-sticking double minor at 5:58 of the third period -- putting Edmonton's lethal No. 1 ranked power play to work -- it felt almost inevitable that Edmonton would at least tie the game over the next four minutes (which they did) and it would be a real uphill climb for the Flyers to find a way to win thereafter (which Philly could not accomplish).
Sure enough, Edmonton dominated the remainder of the game. After being held at bay for two periods, Connor McDavid exploded for three points in the third period (power play assist, even strength game-winning goal on a broken play, and a 4-on-6 shorthanded empty net goal from long distance). Leon Draisitl scored the tying goal during the four-minute power play and then assisted on McDavid's game-winning goal.
On Thursday, the Flyers have a complete off-day. The organization should have an update on the status of Travis Konecny, who left Monday's game in Calgary during the second period with an upper body injury after a hit from Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar. He immediately went up the tunnel and straight to the locker room. Konecny reportedly had his left arm in a sling after the game.
The play itself did not look too bad. Konecny was a good distance from the boards and did not go into the wall. However, I've seen plenty of innocent-looking plays where the resulting injury turns out to be more serious than it looked a first glance (a semi-recent example being prospect winger Tyson Foerster's should injury with the Phantoms early last season, which required surgery and cost him most of the season but looked relatively harmless as it happened). Hopefully, Konecny's injury is nothing long-term.
2) Player Spotlight Series: The third installment of the Player Spotlight series on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com takes
an in-depth look at center Noah Cates.
The "Spotlight" series of articles look individually at Flyers players aged 24 and younger. Each article gives an overview of the player's development path, current season, areas in which the young player has progressed, ongoing opportunities for improvement, and highlight clips from the 2022-23 campaign.
Previous articles discussed
Owen Tippett and
Morgan Frost. Upcoming editions will look at Carter Hart, Cam York, Joel Farabee and Samuel Ersson.
3) Phantoms Lose to W-B/S: The Lehigh Valley Phantoms dropped a 4-3 decision to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday evening. The Phantoms led 1-0 after the first period on veteran power forward Garrett Wilson's fourth goal in the last two games (9th of the season). A tally by Max Willman (7th) built a 2-0 edge early in the second period. The Phantoms led 2-1 at the second intermission.
However, for the second straight game, the Phantoms collapsed in the third period as the Baby Pens scored three consecutive goals spaced less than three minutes apart go from a 2-1 deficit to a 4-2 lead with 2:40 left in regulation. A power play goal by Phantoms rookie Elliot Desnoyers brought Lehigh Valley back within one goal with 1:24 remaining on the clock. The Phantoms were unable to score an equalizer.
The Phantoms have been a good power play team this season but have struggled on the penalty kill for most of the season. Lehigh Valley went just 2-for-5 on the penalty kill to drop to dead last across the AHL at 73.0 percent. The Phantoms power play ranks sixth at 23.0 percent.
4) Later today: The next installment of the Prospect Profile series on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com look at Phantoms rookie center Elliot Desnoyers. With a goal and an assist last night, Desnoyers took over the team goal-scoring (19) and overall points (36) lead. The young two-way forward, who is comfortable playing any forward position but has primarily played center in the AHL, projects over time as a multi-situation "Swiss army knife" type of player who can be moved around the lineup as needed. Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in a recent
Prospect Pipeline podcast that adding strength to his smallish frame is the No. 1 objective the Flyers organization wants Desnoyers to focus upon before he challenges for an NHL spot.
5) On Friday (4 p.m. ET) in observance of Black History Month, student-athletes from Ed Snider Youth Hockey & Education will attend panel discussion at the Wells Fargo Center.
Flyers Alum Sandy McCarthy, who is currently living and coaching hockey in Canada's Northwest Territories (NWT), will return to Philadelphia to be a featured speaker at the Snider Hockey symposium. McCarthy is of black heritage on his late father's side and both First Nation heritage and Caucasian ancestry on his mother's side.
Also appearing: Jeff Scott (VP of community development and growth, National Hockey League) Everett Jackson, Flyers in-arena host at the Wells Fargo Center), Lyric Hamilton (events director, Philadelphia Flyers & Wells Fargo Center). Brandon Graham, a member of the Snider Hockey board and a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, will be a special guest. Bridgett Wilkerson, Snider's community outreach manager, will moderate the panel.
Immediately following the panel, the Snider student-athletes will remain for the Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens game as guests of the Flyers.
5) The Philadelphia Business Journal has announced its Faces of Philanthropy for 2023. One of the honorees is the partnership between the Flyers Alumni Association and Help Hope Live in the "Every Child Deserves a Bike" initiative that was initially launched in 2020. The program, which provides fully customized adaptive bicycles to special-needs children in the Delaware Valley, has been life-changing for many of the recipients.
Help Hope Live identifies recipients and works with their families, while the Alumni fund the construction costs and then donate the adaptive bikes in person. To date, 18 bikes have been donated with several upcoming donations scheduled.
Insurance companies generally refuse to play for adaptive bikes (which can cost between $5,000 to $7,500 to custom build), even though the benefits of therapeutic use for muscular development and more independent mobility have long been established. The "Every Child Deserves a Bike" program, which is entirely funded through the generous donations of individual Flyers fans and private sector sponsors, provides the adaptive bikes free of charge to the recipient children.
For the full list of Philadelphia Business Journal 2023 Faces of Philanthropy honorees,
click here. To learn more about "Every Child Deserves a Bike" or to donate -- any amount is greatly appreciated --
click here.
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