In what saw several quality performances up and down the lineup, the Flyers have won back-to-back games for the first time since November 5th and 8th. Philadelphia will look to make it a clean sweep on the west coast swing on Monday in Anaheim against the Ducks.
Owen Tippett has shined in a big way and has shown confidence with the puck.
The 23-year-old has come up clutch with four points (2 goals + 2 assists= 4 points) since the Flyers have resumed play since the holiday break. His game tying goal on Saturday was one of beauty; where he was able to step off the wall and dangle a Kings’ defender before beating Jonathan Quick with a bullet of a shot high on the glove side. The goal was Tippett’s 12th of the season.
However, Tippet is just one of a few Flyers players in the midst of point collecting surges right now.
Defenseman Tony DeAngelo has eight points in his last five games and is distributing the puck well, aiding the Flyers transition from defense to offense. Travis Konecny is leading the club in points this season and has 6 goals in his last five games. The 25-year-old forward scored 16 goals all last season. This year, Konecny has 18 tallies in just 31 games. He’s been stellar all year for Philadelphia.
And how about the goaltending? As Carter Hart recovers from a suspected concussion, Lehigh Valley recall Samuel Ersson has filled in admirably in Hart’s absence. He improved as the game went along against a talented Kings team on Saturday and posted a .931 save percentage in the contest.
This season may not be about wins and losses, but it is nice to see so many players perform well. A high-end pick in a deep draft would absolutely help the Flyers immensely this year, but an underrated element of team building is sifting through the roster to see who plays well enough to stay and be a part of the solution too. Winning ultimately solves everything and there hasn’t been enough of that this year. There’s been a handful of players, however, that deserve to experience some of the feel-good vibes that come with playing a winning brand of hockey. That should be every bit as valuable to building a perennial winner than any one player that a little bit of draft lottery luck could afford you, no matter how talented that one individual may be at the top of the draft.
