Quick Hits: October 17, 2022
1) The Flyers will hold an 11 a.m. ET practice today at the Flyers Training Center. After media availability for the players and head coach John Tortorella, the team has a 1:30 p.m. flight to Tampa. Philly has started the season at 2-0-0 but they have a very tough road trip this week that starts with a Sunshine State back-to-back against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday and the Florida Panthers the next night. On Saturday, the Flyers are in Music City to take on the Nashville Predators. On Sunday, the Flyers are back home to play the San Jose Sharks.
2) For an in-depth recap of the Flyers' 3-2 comeback win over Vancouver on Sunday, see the
Postgame 5 on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com.
3) Travis Konecny reported to training camp in phenomenal physical condition and was the Flyers' best player in his lone game of the preseason. He sustained an injury in wiping out into the end boards after scoring Philly's lone goal in a 2-1 loss to Buffalo. Thereafter, he was held out of the final four games of the exhibition slate but never appeared in danger of missing the opener. Konecny has been tremendous -- not totally mistake-free but at the center of many more positive plays than negative over the first two games-- even above his three goals and shorthanded bank-pass assist that sprung Scott Laughton.
A larger sample size is needed before it can be stated that Konecny is back to (or beyond) the form he showed in his NHL All-Star season of 2019-20. He's had quick starts now in four straight season, but his hot early weeks in 2020-21 (five goals and seven points over the first five games) and 2021-22 (four goals, four assists in the first nine games) did not hold up into consistent production over the full season as it did during his career-best season.
Nevertheless, I do think there's reason for optimism that Konecny's quick start will hold up better this season. He has clearly put in a lot of work, is relishing his expanded role as an all-situations player and seems to be embracing Tortorella's challenge for players to hold one another accountable. The days when he was a young player who was often an in-and-out resident of Dave Hakstol's doghouse for repeated low-percentage plays seem long ago.
Side note: There weren't many things that made Hak show anything other than his game face. But he showed amusement one time after a rookie Konecny listed to the media contingent various things he needed to work on in his game. Hakstol grinned, considered his response for a moment, and then said, "Well, it's good that he's aware of what we need him to work on." (Left unsaid was an implication that the coaching staff hadn't seen the adjustments yet from the 19-year-old).
Konecny has always been an ambitious player who wants to do right. It took time and the maturation process -- and then dealing with the adversity of a tough 2020 playoff and back-to-back seasons where he got lesser results than he craved -- but it really does seem like it's something that's now making him stronger.
4) Flyers Daily: Today is an "Ask Billy" edition of Mondays with Meltzer on Jason Myrtetus' Flyers Daily podcast. Topics include five-man-unit play, conditioning, the strong start by the Provorov-DeAngelo pairing, the Flyers various ongoing injuries, Travis Sanheim's contract extension and more. To listen,
click here.
5) Phantoms: Lehigh Valley was significantly outplayed in both ends of its season-opening back-to-back road trip to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey. However, they were able to split the two games with a 3-2 overtime win against the Pens and a 2-1 regulation loss to the Bears. The goaltending work of both Troy Grosenick on Saturday and Samuel Ersson on Sunday was stellar. Rookie Elliot Desnoyers scored goals in each of his first two AHL regular season games including a tremendous breakaway goal on Sunday where he simply blew past the defenders with a burst of speed and finished it off. Zack MacEwen had a deflection goal on Saturday and an assist on Sunday. Beyond that, the Phantoms were fortunate they collected one win out of the two games.
6) Today in Flyers History: Bernie Parent shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins on this night in both 1968 and 1970. The Flyers won the 1968 game by a 3-0 score while the later finished in a scoreless tie.
7) In Memoriam: Flyers alum defenseman Rick Lapointe passed away on Oct. 17, 1999, at age 44 after suffering a massive heart attack.
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