It all started on October 4th in the Czech Republic. Travis Konecny netted 2 goals and added a helper for 3 points. Oskar Lindblom added a goal as well. Since then, the Konecny-Couturier-Lindblom line has been as hot as hot can get.
For Starters…
So far into the 2019/20 campaign, the top three leading scorers on the Philadelphia Flyers all reside on one line. You guessed it, the “TLC” line. Konecny leads all Flyers with 19 points (8g, 11a) in 17 games. Lindblom has 14 points (8g, 6a) in that same span, and Couturier has 13 points (5g, 8a).
These are all solid stat-lines, but the game logs are where the amazement lies at how productive this line has been.
First Five Games
Over the first five games of the season, the Flyers accumulated 14 goals against Chicago, New Jersey, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton. Of those 14 goals, TLC line members were responsible for seven of them. Against Chicago, Konecny was responsible for two alone, while Lindblom added a goal to his credit.
A few nights later, and a few thousand miles as well, Couturier and Konecny accounted for two of the four goals scored in the victory against New Jersey. They also assisted on an Ivan Provorov goal, so they were on ice for three of the four goals.
In Vancouver, Lindblom tallied the one goal of the Flyers’ two. In Calgary, the trio came up empty in a losing effort, but Konecny and Couturier, yet again, assisted on a goal by Niskanen this time. The last leg of the western Canada road trip saw Lindblom pot one of the Flyers’ three goals against the Oilers.
Out of the five games mentioned, there was only one game where none of the three scored a goal (Calgary). If that game were discounted, the trio would be responsible for seven of the 13 goals scored in those four games, good for 54%.
The Next Five
During these five games, the TLC line contributed six of the 21 goals scored in that span. All three scored during these five games, and even assisted on a few goals by other Flyers players. Their goals accounted for 29% of the total goals scored in that span.
In a one-goal effort from the Flyers against the Stars, that goal belonged to Sean Couturier with an assist from Konecny. The game against Vegas saw Lindblom and Konecny score two of the six goals the Flyers put up that night. Couturier and Konecny assisted on a Niskanen goal yet again.
The next three games, the line was credited with a goal for each game. Lindblom had one against Chicago, and Konecny had one each in games against Columbus and the New York Islanders.
Last Seven Games
Over the last seven tilts, one of the aforementioned three players scored eight of the 17 goals scored over that span, good for 47% of the Flyers goal output.
In the atrocious loss to Pittsburgh, Lindblom had the lone goal for the Flyers. Against New Jersey, Lindblom and Couturier each had a tally, counting for two of the three goals scored in that game.
The next game against the Toronto Maple Leafs saw neither of the three contribute to the goal column. While they assisted on the Sanheim goal, they didn’t put up any goals. The Flyers took on Carolina next, and the TLC line put two behind Petr Mrazek. Couturier’s goal came on the powerplay, while Konecny’s came at even strength.
This past week, the Flyers played three games against Montreal, Toronto, and Boston. Each player had a goal in a separate game, accounting for three of the team’s seven total goals in that span. Couturier scored against Montreal, Lindblom scored against Toronto, and Konecny scored against Boston.
So, What’s This Mean?
This all means that the Flyers have a dominant line in their Lindblom-Couturier-Konecny line. They’re responsible for 21 of the 53 total goals scored for the Flyers. They’ve also been on the ice or assisted in over 50% of the team’s goals to this point in the season.
Alain Vigneault has said repeatedly that he likes this line and refuses to break them up. It’s easy to see why when they’re putting up these gaudy numbers.
Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
