Scott Laughton made headlines last week with his four-goal game against the Red Wings but the Flyers know his overall game, including his stellar defensive play, is what makes him so valuable.
Laughton led the NHL in shorthanded points last year with eight, which just points out how perceptive he is in anticipating an opponent’s moves.
Having moved from center to left wing this season hasn’t hurt his game a bit. In fact, coach John Tortorella believes he’s move effective there and makes center Ryan Poehling and right wing Garnet Hathaway more effective on their line.
“I like him at wing,” Tortorella said before Wednesday night’s rematch game at Detroit. “It takes a little bit more responsibility away from him.
“Scott is full of glue. He’s a glue guy for us. He does the stuff on the wall. He’s in important situations, taking faceoffs, blocking shots, killing penalties. Knowing your responsibilities, managing the puck through the neutral zone.”
Laughton has the perfect temperament for this assignment. He never gets too high or low and that steady style rubs off on other players, especially the young ones.
“It’s a lot of the grind of the game that Scottie brings to us,” Tortorella said. “I think he gets more involved with it on the wing. And I think it’s helped him by putting him back on the wing. He wants to play more minutes. I think he’s in a good spot for us right now, that utility knife role that he has for us right now.”
Poehling’s speed and Hathaway’s toughness complement the unit quite well.
“I just think they play off of one another quite well,” Tortorella said. “We’ve used that line before quite a bit here. It’s a good momentum line. They can do a little bit of everything. They’ve actually created a lot of offense.”
And as they say, good offense can sometimes make for great defense. Another team can’t score if it doesn’t have the puck.
“Prior to last game (at Minnesota), ‘Garny’ had so many scoring chances,” Tortorella said. “He just couldn’t finish. I use them against top lines. If I am on the road, there’s a lot of things that come into play with that.
“I just like the way the lines have looked for the last little while.”
If the Flyers are to make a legitimate playoff push this season, a player like Laughton has to be at the center of it all.
“He’s an important guy,” Tortorella said. “The nice thing about the other night (the four-goal game) he kind of gets rewarded for all the stuff he does for this team. He gets rewarded with four goals. That’s just good for the group, you saw how they reacted (wild celebration in the locker room). That’s what he brings to us.
“He’s the glue and that’s so important when you’re building a hockey club.”
Laughton led the NHL in shorthanded points last year with eight, which just points out how perceptive he is in anticipating an opponent’s moves.
Having moved from center to left wing this season hasn’t hurt his game a bit. In fact, coach John Tortorella believes he’s move effective there and makes center Ryan Poehling and right wing Garnet Hathaway more effective on their line.
“I like him at wing,” Tortorella said before Wednesday night’s rematch game at Detroit. “It takes a little bit more responsibility away from him.
“Scott is full of glue. He’s a glue guy for us. He does the stuff on the wall. He’s in important situations, taking faceoffs, blocking shots, killing penalties. Knowing your responsibilities, managing the puck through the neutral zone.”
Laughton has the perfect temperament for this assignment. He never gets too high or low and that steady style rubs off on other players, especially the young ones.
“It’s a lot of the grind of the game that Scottie brings to us,” Tortorella said. “I think he gets more involved with it on the wing. And I think it’s helped him by putting him back on the wing. He wants to play more minutes. I think he’s in a good spot for us right now, that utility knife role that he has for us right now.”
Poehling’s speed and Hathaway’s toughness complement the unit quite well.
“I just think they play off of one another quite well,” Tortorella said. “We’ve used that line before quite a bit here. It’s a good momentum line. They can do a little bit of everything. They’ve actually created a lot of offense.”
And as they say, good offense can sometimes make for great defense. Another team can’t score if it doesn’t have the puck.
“Prior to last game (at Minnesota), ‘Garny’ had so many scoring chances,” Tortorella said. “He just couldn’t finish. I use them against top lines. If I am on the road, there’s a lot of things that come into play with that.
“I just like the way the lines have looked for the last little while.”
If the Flyers are to make a legitimate playoff push this season, a player like Laughton has to be at the center of it all.
“He’s an important guy,” Tortorella said. “The nice thing about the other night (the four-goal game) he kind of gets rewarded for all the stuff he does for this team. He gets rewarded with four goals. That’s just good for the group, you saw how they reacted (wild celebration in the locker room). That’s what he brings to us.
“He’s the glue and that’s so important when you’re building a hockey club.”
