It only took a few games but suddenly things are looking a bit brighter for the Flyers.
A three-game winning streak will do that for a team, lifting locker room energy, especially after a nine-game (0-6-3) streak without a W.
Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory at Buffalo had coach Rick Tocchet in an upbeat mood.
While Cole Knuble made all the headlines with a pair of goals (his first two in the NHL), Tocchet pointed out a number of other young players – such as recent callups Oliver Bonk, Jacob Gaucher and Hunter McDonald – have made significant contributions as well.
The youngsters have been brought in due to a number of injuries to some of the regulars (Travis Konecny, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen).
“We’ve got a lot of guys out,” Tocchet said. “Some guys are stepping up and getting more minutes. We’re getting to our game a little quicker. I think the last three or four games we’ve played to our identity a little bit more.
“It’s very infectious, the energy. They (the young players) love coming to the rink, love putting their gear on. It’s nice to see that. This is a game you should love to play and they enjoy it. They love being around each other.”
>Vladar solid
Goaltender Dan Vladar continues to bounce back from that opening night disaster against Pittsburgh and is starting to look like the guy who led the Flyers to a surprising playoff appearance last season.
He’s got his save percentage back up to a respectable .900 and his record up to basically .500 at 2-3-1.
“Him and ‘Wollsy’ (Joseph Woll) are just solid,” Tocchet said. “We’re getting great goaltending every night. ‘Vlady,’ he’s a battler. They had a weak side shot there, he was over to make that stop. He made a couple big saves.”
During this three-game streak, the Flyers have played some of their best hockey in the third period, when it matters most.
“It was ‘Vlady’ who said, ‘C’mon boys, we need five-man units every shift,’ and after he said that I think they (the Sabres) only had 10 shots in the last half of the game,” Tocchet said. “That’s the sort of stuff that leaders do. And the guys took that to heart.”
>Knuble’s big night
Knuble was a major part of the Flyers’ first road win of the season. Tocchet likes what he’s seen of the youngster so far.
“You’re so excited for the kid,” Tocchet said. “We all know he had a really good training camp and he stuck with it when he went down there (to Lehigh Valley). Great attitude. Obviously good things are happening for him.”
A positive attitude has definitely kept Knuble in the mix this season.
“He came in (to training camp) like he wanted to make the team,” Tocchet said. “He deserved it, I know he had some numbers and deserved to make the team. He went down and what I liked is he didn’t pout. He came up and it’s been seamless for him.”
Knuble is trying to make the most of this opportunity. When some of the veterans come back from the injury list, there will be some difficult decisions to make.
“I’ve put a lot of work in over the years, I’m confident in my abilities,” Knuble said. “It’s obviously a jump up. The NHL has the best players in the world.”
Right now he’s working on just trying to get comfortable.
“I think just in general I’ve felt better every period,” he said. “It will be nice to get some practice time in. Maybe start playing with the same players. So I think I’ll just get better and better.”
Cole’s parents were on hand to witness the historic moment. His dad, Mike, played a number of seasons for the Flyers so it was a proud moment.
There was a big postgame family celebration in Buffalo after the game.
“That was probably the best moment of my life,” Cole said with a smile. “Having my parents there, it was unreal.”
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