PHILADELPHIA – All it took was a couple days in the classroom.
And the return of Travis Konecny.
The Flyers were in the midst of a three-game winless streak when a rare back-to-back practice opportunity presented itself on Friday and Saturday.
Apparently the extra instructional time was just what the Flyers needed.
They looked like a much more composed team in Sunday afternoon’s 6-3 win over the Utah Mammoth at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Travis Konecny, just back from a lengthy stay on IR, scored just 1:06 into the second period to break a 1-1 tie and the Flyers never looked back. Standing behind the Utah net, Konecny attempted to pass in front but the puck hit goaltender Karel Vejmelka’s pad and slid into the net for a 2-1 Philly lead.
Konecny later assisted on the Flyers’ fourth goal to put the game away.
His return gave the Flyers just the emotional energy they needed.
Owen Tippett, who was also sidelined recently, said Konecny’s return helped on several levels.
“He made himself known for sure,” Tippett said. “He worked for that one, he put in a lot of hard work. He had a huge impact tonight. Not only on the ice but in that room as well.”
Sean Couturier felt the same way.
“Yeah, he (Konecny) brought some energy,” the captain said. “He and ‘Tip,’ they’re two big pieces of our lineup. We’re really happy to have them back.”
Konecny doesn’t always take praise to heart but on this night it was fairly obvious he was a big factor in the outcome.
“It was great to be back in the locker room today,” he said. “I just missed the guys and being in the game. There’s a lot of chemistry there (on his line with Christian Dvorak and Trevor Zegras). We had some success last year. Those guys make it pretty easy. They’re guys that I know how to read off of. I was trying to keep it simple and get out of the way.”
Having Konecny back on one wing and Zegras on the other was kind of a reunion of a line that, along with Dvorak, has been successful in the past.
Dvorak was asked if the team was able to feed off of Konecny’s energy.
“For sure,” he replied. “Having him and ‘Tip’ back, you know meant a lot for us. High energy guys, huge to have them back. Made the difference tonight.”
After Konecny’s goal, the Flyers continued to apply pressure.
Noah Cates got into the scoring column with a goal at 5:50. Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale picked up assists on the play.
For just the sixth time in 16 games, the Flyers got on the board first.
Matvei Michkov, off to one of fastest starts in recent Flyers history, put Philadelphia ahead with a goal at 12:49. Michkov circled in front and lifted a puck past Vejmelka for his 10th of the season.
It didn’t take long for Utah to respond. Dmitri Simashev found the mark at 14:24.
In the third, Dvorak used a perfect feed from Konecny to score at 1:02. At 5:35, Oliver Bonk connected on a 30-foot bullet to make it 5-1.
Utah scored two late power-play goals to make things a bit interesting but Cole Knuble scored into an empty net to close it out.
Getting Konecny and Tippett back into action after lengthy injury stays certainly helped on Sunday afternoon.
“In the room it’s helped,” coach Rick Tocchet said before the game. “Even on the ice, the steadiness, especially when teams are making presses at us, you need veteran guys who can make a play, calm the waters, that helps.”
After the game, Tocchet made it known he always appreciates the different things that Konecny brings to the table. Likewise, Tippett.
“Today, lot of juice in the room,” Tocchet said. “A lot of chances, good defense and he (Konecny) was part of it. He comes up with loose pucks. We’ve had a lot of trouble with puck possession this year. He’s a puck possession guy, so that helps.”
>Thoughts on McDonald
Rookie defenseman Hunter McDonald was returned to Lehigh Valley on Saturday after five games with the Flyers in which his play was pretty impressive for a young player making his NHL debut.
“Well, it’s a numbers game,” Tocchet said. “That’s really what it comes down to. That doesn’t mean he won’t get called (back) up.”
>Defense reset
With McDonald gone, the Flyers’ defense underwent a reset. Simon Benoit returned to the lineup and was paired with Nick Seeler. Drysdale was paired with Sanheim and Cam York played with Bonk.
>Short shots
The Flyers get back into action on Tuesday night when they host the Edmonton Oilers. . .Michkov had nine goals in October. He became the second Flyer in the past 20 years (Couturier the other) to register nine goals in a month. The record is 11 by John LeClair (1997-98). . .Owen Tippett also returned to action after a lengthy injury stay.
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