VOORHEES, N.J. – It seems like every time the Flyers come up short in a game, they ratchet up the resolve factor and, in the next encounter, refuse to lose.
In fact, they lead the NHL with a record of 13-1-5 after regulation-time defeats.
Part of that – or a great deal of that – can be credited to goaltender Dan Vladar, who seems to always come back strong after a rocky outing.
“I think he’s a byproduct of that (team resilience),” coach Rick Tocchet said after Monday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center. “I think we’re 13-1 after a loss, so there has to be something there.
“I think with ‘Vlady’ and the guys, I really commend them. It’s hard to do. We’re avoiding those losses, those three-four-five losses. That’s a credit to the goalies to shake off those bad starts. He (Vladar) seems to bounce back pretty well.”
Vladar got philosophical when he indicated there’s no secret formula to his increased resolve following a sub-par peformance.
“There are 82 games and it’s just impossible to win all of them,” he said. “We know in this locker room there’s a next level for us. I think the guys are dedicated to showing up every day, win or lose.
“Bring a lot of energy. I think that’s what has been helping us. Fighting for the jersey helps, too. We know what the fans here like. They’ve been the seventh player on the ice for us. We feel like we have that extra energy coming from them as well.”
Vladar just registered his 15th win of the season on Saturday night at Edmonton, establishing a new career high.
He will play in his 25th game on Tuesday night against Anaheim but insists the workload hasn’t been too much. His career high for games played is 30.
“I feel great,” Vladar said. “Still hungry. I’m glad for the opportunity. Trying to take advantage of it everyday.”
Vladar said the only concession he’s making to the bigger workload is to put some limit on his practice time.
Having a strong defense in front of him doesn’t hurt either.
“We’re not trying to exchange chances with other teams,” Vladar said. “We’re playing a system that’s working really well for us. The guys like playing that way. We’re a patient group that knows it’s going to get its opportunities. We know we have the skill to capitalize on those.”
Defenseman Cam York said Vladar is one of the team leaders. That isn’t always the case with some teams and their goalies.
That leadership comes out after a loss.
“He’s got a swagger,” York said. “You can feel it as a player. It gives you confidence on the ice. He’s going to stop the majority of those pucks.”
>Michkov has foot injury
Matvei Michkov did not participate in Monday’s practice. He apparently took an errant puck off his left foot in the Edmonton game and is still recovering.
“We didn’t know until today,” Tocchet said. “He complained about it so he’s getting checked out.”
>Zegras-Konecny connection helpful
Trevor Zegras came to the Flyers this past fall knowing hardly anyone. But he’s struck up a number of friendships and the most prominent appears to be one with Travis Konecny.
Both have good senses of humor. And in games, they have what they call in the business a “nose for the net.”
“I think it’s huge,” Tocchet said. “This is a very close team, there’s a lot of guys who hang together. You see after games, even guys who aren’t even playing are cheering. You know you have a tight group when that happens.”
The line of Zegras-Konecny-Christian Dvorak has drawn some of the other teams’ best checkers, perhaps leaving the door open for slightly less checking for the other lines.
On the flip side, that line was matched up defensively against Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid, and with the exception of one miscue by a defenseman, pretty much held that line in check.
“You go into a game as a coach, you have a feeling that (Edmonton coach Kris) Knoblauch, who’s he going to go with,” Tocchet said. After it was clear the Oilers wanted McDavid away from Sean Couturier and more toward Dvorak’s line, that served as a motivator.
“That was kind of the first half (of the game) match a lot. That’s where Trevor and Travis use that as a motivation. They’re putting their best player against us. We’ve got to check them.”
>Barkey still glowing
Denver Barkey scored his first NHL goal in the Flyers’ win over Edmonton and he was still smiling on Monday.
“For 10 seconds you’re on Cloud Nine,” he said. “You just try to enjoy the moment the best you can.
“It helps with confidence. Just continuing to grow every day as a player.”
Tocchet has mentioned Barkey’s high hockey IQ several times, including last year’s Memorial Cup championship game where the London Knights took the title for a second straight season.
“He’s not scared to go in a corner,” Tocchet said. “He’s a smaller guy but he just goes in reckless sometime, he doesn’t care. He’s got a lot of courage.”
>Kolosov AHL player of the week
Goaltender Aleksei Kolosov was named AHL player of the week on Monday. The Flyers’ prospect was 2-0 with a 0.50 goals-against average and a .984 save percentage.
Kolosov made 31 saves in a 3-0 win over Hershey and on Sunday, which was his 24th birthday, he made 29 saves in a 6-1 win at Toronto.
Tocchet had a chance to see Kolosov during training camp and the preseason. Also, Kolosov was called up to serve as a backup for a couple games when Vladar was indisposed.
The coach said having depth at that position in the organization is “huge.”
“They’re guys in the minors that are pushing, right?” Tocchet said. “They’re trying to get up. It’s a domino effect. He (Kolosov) is challenging the goaltending situation.
“He came into camp really focused. Just from the reports down there, he’s stringing a bunch of good games together. And that’s a sign of maturity. Internal competition helps the organization.”
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