PHILADELPHIA – Practically left for non-contender status before the Winter Olympics, the Flyers suddenly went on a 16-6-1 tear to change everything.
What made this turnaround happen?
Garnet Hathaway was asked that question prior to Monday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Hathaway believes to the resurgence was consistent play. The Flyers lost back-to-back games only once over a six-week span. They were remarkable in the second half of back-to-back games, going a spotless 5-0.
“Consistency,” Hathaway said. “You want to make the right play, you want to make the hard play. You want to make the easy play if it’s the right play. It’s consistency, guys are focusing on ‘how can I control what I can control?’ What’s the right play, what sets up my teammate well? What do I have to do defensively.”
Once the Flyers started to see improvements in early March, the movement became contagious. Success breeds success.
“Guys are going shift by shift right now,” Hathaway said. “It’s been six to eight weeks of that. It’s mainly consistent focus. That’s what has held us in it and the place where we are right now.”
Travis Konecny has been a Flyer since 2017, so he knows both sides of the coin.
At least it’s gratifying to see that all the hard work is paying off.
“I like where our team is at right now, the style we’ve been playing the last month,” Konecny said. “I think the (locker) room is in a good spot. A lot of the young guys that we have, they’ve been farther ahead than you would expect.”
That includes rookies Porter Martone, Alex Bump and Denver Barkey.
“They play a professional style,” Konecny said. “They make the right plays at the right time. They don’t feel the pressure. They’re just coming in and having fun.”
Konecny has patiently waited to get back to postseason play after a long, five-year holding pattern.
“That’s why you go through the summer, you skate, you prepare at camp and every single game you’re battling, blocking shots, just to get to the end goal, the playoffs,” he said.
Coach Rick Tocchet alluded to his early playing days in his comments about the young players. He was a rookie when the Flyers made the 1984-85 Stanley Cup Finals.
Having veterans such as Dave Poulin, Brian Propp, Mark Howe and Tim Kerr in the room certainly helped kids such as Tocchet, Peter Zezel and Derrick Smith.
“There are some young guys (now) who have played some big games,” Tocchet said. “There’s a little bit of nervous energy, so you try to help them. They know the task at hand. We just don’t want to overthink things. That’s when you get nervous.”
The coach said it’s beneficial to have kids such as Barkey, Bump, Martone and even Matvei Michkov hanging out together. It makes them more comfortable in their environment.
“I used past experience,” Tocchet said. “In ’84 I was a young kid, there were seven of us. It means a lot. There’s about six of them (including Emil Andrae) who hang together. The vets have been great to them. You see them hanging together at dinner.
“It’s a pack mentality. Having those guys (like Bump and Martone) really helps.”
>Jiricek scouting report
Defenseman David Jiricek, recently acquired in a trade with Columbus, has impressed the Flyers coaching staff since his recent callup from the Phantoms.
“Heard he has a great shot,” Tocchet said. “Maybe a potential power-play guy. He has some stuff to work on. His D-zone is getting better, working on his feet. I’ve heard some good stuff on him.”
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