The Philadelphia Flyers (2-0-0) mounted another comeback win on Saturday afternoon. After being down 2-0 to the Vancouver Canucks (0-2-0) after the first period, the Flyers scored three consecutive goals to win their second game of the season.
Flyers’ Konecny continues to produce
Travis Konecny lit the lamp twice on Thursday against the Devils. On Saturday, his hot hand continued as he scored the game-winning goal and also assisted Scott Laughton. Konecny is rising to the occasion already this season and credits the team for buying into a new style of play after a hard training camp:
“That’s the thing. That’s what they’ve been preaching all camp is it’s hard. To keep that tempo and play that way, everyone’s got to buy in to do it. It’s a hard way to play, but it’s playing the right way. You’re going to get rewarded whether it’s every game. You’re not going to win every single game, but it’s going to keep you in games. That’s what you need.”
Travis Konecny; 10/15/22
Laughton gave credit to Konecny for dishing him an impressive pass on the penalty kill to tie the game 2-2:
“Really good heads-up play. Saw that there were two guys in the middle of the ice and banked it hard enough to where I still had some speed to go in. It was a really, really good play by TK.”
Scott Laughton; 10/15/22
What “second-period slide?”
The “second-period” slide from last year hasn’t trickled into the 2022-2023 regular season. It lingered around during the preseason, but there has been a different mojo during these first two meaningful games. The Flyers are playing aggressively throughout the entire 60 minutes, something that was missing last year.
The Flyers dominated the first 20 minutes of Saturday’s game leading Vancouver 13-4 with shots on goal, but the Canucks saw themselves up 2-0. Just like on Thursday, Carter Hart started the game slowly but found his groove as it continued.
John Tortorella wasn’t worried about Hart’s slow start in the first period:
“The first goal deflects and was a tough one for him. The second goal he gets bumped. I don’t think we will ask for a review on it because I don’t think we would get the call. I don’t blame him on those. I thought he made some great saves, two really big saves in the second. And obviously at the end of the third with the goalie pulled he made a couple great saves for us.”
John Tortorella; 10/16/22
Even though the team was down 2-0 after being in control of the first period, it didn’t affect anyone’s mindset. The Flyers were in even more control during the second period and tied the game 2-2. Kevin Hayes knew they were dominating, but the scoreboard said otherwise:
“I thought in the first – it’s just how hockey goes – we dominated and we’re down 2-0. I had a bad turnover for the second goal that ended up in the back of our net. I thought we were all over them, and we knew it. We came in here and said we were playing the right way. Stick with it and I thought our guys did. Then it’s tied up after two, set ourselves up at home, and big goal at the end.”
Kevin Hayes; 10/15/22
Olle Lycksell’s Debut
23-year-old forward Olle Lycksell made his Flyers debut Saturday afternoon. On Friday, Hayden Hodgson was placed on waivers to be loaned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Before the game against Vancouver, Lycksell was called up to the big club.
Lycksell is a two-way forward who was at his best on the penalty kill during the preseason. He lacked consistency on offense and was cut in order to strengthen his game in Lehigh Valley.
On Saturday, Lycksell played a total of 9:02 and recorded two penalty minutes while on the fourth line. Not the greatest of debuts, but it’s something to build off of moving forward.
Tony DeAngelo scores his first goal with the Flyers
The Flyers’ power play struggled throughout the first two periods. They were 0/3 during the first period and then 0/4 for a partial time during the second. Finally, on their fifth opportunity, a Tony DeAngelo shot from the point beat Thatcher Demko.
DeAngelo scored against the Islanders during the preseason, but Saturday’s tally was his first regular-season goal for the team he grew up watching. He has three points on the season already with two coming from the power play.
Phillies win rubbed off on Flyers
Broad Street was bumping all of Saturday. The Philadelphia Phillies clinched a spot in the NLCS for the first time since 2010. The Phillies game was being shown on the jumbotron during parts when the Flyers were playing.
When the final out was recorded on the jumbotron, some Flyers players reacted accordingly on the bench by looking up at the screen and tapping their sticks on the boards. Hayes said some players are following the Phillies closely, and the reaction from the fans at the Wells Fargo Center was awesome to see:
“That was awesome. A lot of guys in this room are watching the Phillies, we’re watching them close. Sixers, Eagles, this is a sports town. Everyone knows that. It’s a lot more fun for everyone when the teams are doing well. I got a couple buddies over there for the Phillies. It was awesome seeing that final pitch and seeing the fans go crazy when they turned it off, and right away they put it back on, so it was cool.”
Kevin Hayes; 10/15/22
Next Up
The Flyers are back in action on Tuesday as they travel to face the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7pm.
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson
