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  • Why has Matvei Michkov been playing his less-favored left wing? Here’s what Rick Tocchet had to say

    Why has Matvei Michkov been playing his less-favored left wing? Here’s what Rick Tocchet had to say

    DENVER ― There’s been a lot of discourse regarding Matvei Michkov.

    It ranges from his ice time to his spot on the power play to his deployment at certain times during the game. The latest one is about which wing he plays on.

    When he was drafted to the NHL, and for most of his first season with the Flyers, Michkov played on the right wing. This year, like at the end of last season when he played on a line with Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny, he’s largely been skating on the left.

    “Yeah, I mean, listen, he’s struggling, so you’re looking for all different things,” coach Rick Tocchet said about moving him across the ice. “But the bottom line is, we got him to play with some pace. That’s it. I know everybody wants him to score and all that stuff. You’ve got to be [in] positions to score.”

    Wednesday’s collapse marked a new low point for the Flyers: ‘We’ve got to learn how to play winning hockey’

    Traditionalists will tell you that Michkov should be playing on the left side anyway as a left-handed shot. A lot of it is more about where to line up on faceoffs and in defensive-zone coverage, as a left-handed stick will be able to use the walls and protect the puck to get it out on the left side.

    A left-handed left wing is preferable to many coaches in the defensive zone because it typically pits a lefty against a right-shot defenseman, so they have their stick on the same side — and in the shooting lane — as the defenseman when they try to close them down.

    “Whether it’s right or left, it really doesn’t matter. It’s just to line up,” Tocchet said. “When you’re in the offensive zone, it doesn’t matter where you [start]. So I think everybody makes a big deal. But through the neutral zone, for me, the faster you can go on your forehand is the better [side]. But that doesn’t mean you can’t go to the other side.”

    Across the first 14 games of the season, Michkov lined up on the right side. He had two goals and seven points while averaging 14 minutes, 52 seconds a night. The first of those goals came in Game 4 of the season, and his second came in Game 14 on Nov. 6 against the Nashville Predators.

    The next game, on Nov. 8 at home against the Ottawa Senators, he lined up on the left side with Couturier and Bobby Brink. He has stayed on that side of the ice since, regardless of his linemates — although he is back with Brink, but now with Noah Cates as the center.

    Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet and winger Matvei Michkov have had there disagreements about deployment and responsibilities this season.

    At the onset of the switch, it seemed to be working too, as the 21-year-old winger had five goals at five-on-five in the first 10 games and six overall. But over the next 24 contests, he managed just two. Across the past 34 games since switching to left wing, Michkov has 17 points (eight goals, nine assists). He missed one game in January after taking a puck off his foot and has been skating on average 14:30 a night.

    “I think there’s been some [better] pace in his game, but I think there’s more,” said Tocchet. “I know he had like [seven] shots last game, but a lot of them are just from the outside, just thrown on the goalie. I want more from him. I want him to do a deep delay, get out of there, move your feet, things like that.”

    Matve Michkov’s event map during five-on-five from Wednesday’s loss to the Utah Mammoth.

    When delving into the analytics, he is producing at the same 0.50 points per game clip when on the left and right, but he has gone from 0.14 goals per game to 0.24 goals per game since the shift. His shooting percentage has also risen from 7.7% to 11.1%, while his shots per game have risen from 1.86 to 2.12.

    The Flyers will be irrelevant as long as they lack a No. 1 center. A trade for Robert Thomas could change that.

    According to Natural Stat Trick, at five-on-five, he has also seen his individual shot attempts rise from 2.43 to 3.41 per game, his individual high-danger shot attempts go from 0.71 to 1.03, and his individual scoring chances from 1.5 to 1.82.

    Although there are several factors to look at aside from shifting right to left — e.g., linemates, time on ice, the fact that he’s probably in better shape now that he’s further removed from his offseason ankle injury — statistically, he seems to have been slightly better on the left.

    But regardless of side, Michkov’s production hasn’t been anywhere near as good as last year, when the talented youngster averaged 0.79 points per game and led all rookies with 26 goals. The Flyers will hope that starts to change as they close in on the Olympic break (Feb. 6-24).

    Breakaways

    Nicolas Deslauriers and Hunter McDonald stayed on the ice late, with the veteran showing the youngster some fighting techniques. … Dan Vladař shared a net with Aleksei Kolosov at morning skate as he inches closer to a return from an undisclosed injury. … Sam Ersson (7-8-5, .858 save percentage) was to start in goal against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.

  • The Flyers will be irrelevant as long as they lack a No. 1 center. A trade for Robert Thomas could change that.

    The Flyers will be irrelevant as long as they lack a No. 1 center. A trade for Robert Thomas could change that.

    The Flyers are leaking oil.

    Losers of seven of their last eight games, Rick Tocchet’s men, who have resided in a playoff spot for most of the season, are in free fall and now sit three points out of both the final spot in the Metropolitan Division and the wild card.

    With injuries piling up, the latest suffered by indispensable goaltender Dan Vladař, and a condensed schedule, the Flyers are in real danger of falling out of the postseason race before the March 6 trade deadline.

    The recent slide has also made painfully obvious what many already knew: The Flyers aren’t nearly as close to contending as they think they are.

    Why?

    For all their improvement and the savvy acquisitions of Trevor Zegras, Christian Dvorak, and Vladař, the Flyers have yet to acquire maybe the most important ingredient to any contending hockey team: a No. 1 center.

    To make matters worse, they don’t look to have a prospective solution to that problem in their farm system, as Jett Luchanko, Jack Nesbitt, and Jack Berglund all project to top out as middle-sixers.

    Wednesday’s collapse marked a new low point for the Flyers: ‘We’ve got to learn how to play winning hockey’

    Florida had Aleksander Barkov. Vegas had Jack Eichel. Colorado had Nathan MacKinnon. Tampa Bay had Brayden Point. The Flyers have … Christian Dvorak? That’s not to say the Flyers are simply a 1C away from doing laps around the ice with a 35-pound silver bowl over their heads, but until they find one, everything else they do is more or less a futile exercise.

    That brings us to Robert Thomas, a bona fide top-20 center who some around the league believe could be pried away from St. Louis — he is listed on both the Athletic and Daily Faceoff’s most recent trade boards — for the right price. Thomas, who turns 27 in July, is one of the league’s top playmakers and has tallied 80-plus points in each of the last two seasons.

    There’s a lot of speculation that the St. Louis Blues will listen to offers for talented center Robert Thomas.

    In addition to his tremendous vision, he’s a sturdy 207 pounds, possesses above-average speed, wins faceoffs (53.4% since 2022-23), and plays a responsible 200-foot game — a trait the Flyers clearly prioritize in their centermen.

    In other words, he’s exactly what the Flyers need.

    Did I mention he’s already won a Stanley Cup and is signed for five more seasons after this one at a below-market average annual value of $8.125 million?

    So is Thomas actually available? That depends on whom you ask, but with the Blues tied for the league’s second-fewest points, it would be surprising if general manager Doug Armstrong wasn’t at least listening on pretty much everybody.

    Armstrong all but confirmed that in December when he said, “There’s really no untouchables — not [just] on the St. Louis Blues, [but] there’s really few untouchables in the league. There’s a lot of other guys that, when things aren’t going well, I would say that [trade] list grows.”

    Danny Brière and Armstrong are no strangers, as the two did a deal in 2023 involving Kevin Hayes, and infamously had another deal centered on Travis Sanheim nixed at the 11th hour. So with a gaping hole down the middle and armed with a deep prospect pool and three first-round picks over the next two drafts, why wouldn’t Brière blow Armstrong away with a deal he can’t refuse?

    Flyers general manager Danny Briere has acknowledged the team’s need to upgrade down the middle. Could Robert Thomas be the answer?

    Assuming that Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, and potentially Tyson Foerster are off the table, any deal will start with at least one first-round pick in 2026 or 2027, a center prospect, and a combination of one or two more picks, prospects, or young roster players.

    The Blues would have their pick of Luchanko and Nesbitt and would likely covet another first-rounder in a 2026 draft — the Flyers would likely prefer to trade a 2027 first since they have two of them — that features three blue-chip prospects in Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Keaton Verhoeff.

    It’s worth mentioning that Stenberg’s brother Otto plays for the Blues, and with a closely-contested East and the Flyers’ precarious position at present, St. Louis might gamble that the Flyers’ draft pick would land them a second selection inside the top 10.

    Should the Flyers have gone harder after Quinn Hughes? And what now for a team lacking a No. 1 center and defenseman?

    St. Louis also is likely to ask for a youngish defenseman to go the other way, which would mean Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Oliver Bonk, or Emil Andrae.

    The Flyers would likely balk at moving York, a key part of their blue line who just signed a five-year extension, while the 23-year-old Drysdale’s value has decreased, not to mention that he’s a restricted free agent at season’s end and would require a new deal. That leaves Bonk and Andrae as the most realistic targets, with the former, a first-rounder in 2023, having the higher upside.

    Rounding out the deal would be another draft pick — let’s say a second — or a prospect or young roster player. Would the Blues have interest in Bobby Brink or Nikita Grebenkin as cheap wingers who can play up and down the lineup and have some untapped potential? St. Louis native Shane Vansaghi, a bruising second-rounder from this past June’s draft with a unique skill set, is another player who might intrigue Armstrong.

    Flyers defensive prospect Oliver Bonk could be an intriguing player to the rebuilding St. Louis Blues.

    The Flyers are in a tough spot, as they need a No. 1 center and are unlikely to have a pick high enough to draft one — 19 of the 27 players I’d characterize as No. 1 centers were top-10 picks, with 15 of them selected in the top three — and there are none available this summer in free agency.

    That leaves a trade as the likeliest path, and even those options are largely limited to guys either on the wrong side of 30 or younger, distressed assets looking to rediscover their 1C potential à la Seattle’s Shane Wright.

    Thomas represents something different entirely. He’s a proven commodity who not only fits the right age profile but has 5½ years of control. His high-danger passing would also be a tantalizing proposition alongside exciting wingers like Zegras, Michkov, Martone, Foerster, and Travis Konecny. If you have to overpay for someone like that, so be it.

    Would a 2026 or 2027 first-rounder, Luchanko, Bonk, and Brink get a deal done? And is that too much for Thomas, who is having a down year with 11 goals and 33 points in 42 games?

    The Flyers need to get uncomfortable and take some risks if they are going to address the organization’s biggest need. Until they do, they will be stuck in NHL purgatory, the worst place an organization can be.

  • Wednesday’s collapse marked a new low point for the Flyers: ‘We’ve got to learn how to play winning hockey’

    Wednesday’s collapse marked a new low point for the Flyers: ‘We’ve got to learn how to play winning hockey’

    SALT LAKE CITY ― Standing in the hallway outside the Flyers’ locker room at the Delta Center after a 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday, Rick Tocchet was the most frustrated and direct he’s been all season after a loss.

    “Obviously, we had good parts of it, but that’s unacceptable what happened tonight. So [there’s] really not much to say,” the Flyers coach said.

    “I’ve been here [49] games, and there’s some really good stuff,” he added. “But when the pressure hits this team, we’ve got to learn how to play winning hockey.”

    The Flyers waste an early three-goal lead, fall in overtime to the Mammoth

    The Flyers had the game on their sticks. Literally.

    Garnet Hathaway skated in on an empty net with Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka pulled and nothing standing in his way of making it a two-goal game with 1 minute, 27 seconds left in regulation. Instead, he dallied, got his pocket picked, and never got a shot on goal.

    Nick Seeler then had a shot that was blocked by Clayton Keller, the eventual tying- and winning-goal scorer, with 1:16 to go. Travis Konecny had a third chance at the empty net from the right point blocked by Jack McBain with 53 ticks remaining.

    Those came after Trevor Zegras had been robbed by the glove of Vejmelka and Owen Tippett nailed the crossbar. Zegras also hit a post with 2:55 left. But those were just missed opportunities to ice the game.

    The Flyers also allowed the Mammoth to climb back into a game in which they led 3-0 and 4-2.

    Noah Juulsen rushed to defend Jamie Drysdale and got tagged for an extra minor, leading to the 4-3 goal with less than eight minutes to go. “I love Juuls, but take a punch in the mouth,” Tocchet said afterward. “You’ve got to win the game. … You can’t take a penalty there.”

    Then there was veteran defenseman Travis Sanheim getting dog walked by Keller on the tying goal with 35 seconds left, and Konecny losing the puck to Dylan Guenther deep in the Utah zone in the lead-up to Keller’s overtime winner.

    The Flyers also could have done with one more timely save along the way from Sam Ersson, who allowed five goals on 27 shots.

    Rick Tocchet called the way his team handled pressure on Wednesday “unacceptable.”

    As Ersson said, “Obviously, it [stinks], losing this game, but it’s not on one guy, it’s on everybody.”

    Tocchet can say that they’ve got to “keep building certain people, and get some of these young guys to understand that and go that direction.” But this was on the veterans.

    Regardless, the game is now in the past. Mistakes happen. It’s what one does in response that matters.

    “I thought for the most part, we were the better team [and] played some good hockey,” said Christian Dvorak, who scored twice. “Sat back a little bit. It’s a tough loss. It stings, but we can’t let it tread on the next game.”

    That next game is Friday against powerhouse Colorado. The Avalanche, who have only five regulation losses all season, are 20-1-4 at Ball Arena.

    With the Flyers sitting three points out of a playoff spot at 23-17-9 and with the 16th-best points percentage in the NHL, this is a big game. Leaving a three-game road trip with at least four points out of six across the new Death Valley would not only keep the Flyers in the playoff picture but be a good return considering they entered the week riding a six-game losing streak.

    The Flyers need to do what they did well early on against the Mammoth:

    • They need to play as aggressively as they did in the first period, when Cam York scored after sneaking down from the point to bury a rebound, and Dvorak got behind the defense and scored around a sprawled-out Vejmelka.
    • The power play scored twice, with Bobby Brink getting one of the goals. The Flyers moved the puck well and created good momentum, but as Tocchet said, “I liked it early, and we did a good job, but then the last one or two, we revert to old style again.” After going 2-for-6 on the power play, the Flyers have moved up from 32 to 30 (15.5%) but will have a tall task against the NHL’s best penalty kill (85.0%).
    Journeyman Lane Pederson signed in Philly seeking an NHL opportunity. Now he’s trying to make it count.
    • The penalty kill was good early on and looked like the unit that went 6-for-7 against the Vegas Golden Knights’ potent power play on Monday. But it came up short in the end, with Guenther given space to put a shot on goal that hit Barrett Hayton to make it 4-3. “You’ve got to come out and block the shot, play aggressively, and we sunk,” Tocchet said. “We let Guenther, one of the best shooters in the league, go and shoot the puck. Obviously, we unraveled, and we’ve got to put the pieces back.” One positive — the Avalanche’s power play, given its immense star power, is surprisingly not clicking much better than the Flyers’ at 16.5%.
    • Turnovers are going to happen. It’s inevitable when you’re playing in a 200-by-85-foot enclosed space with 10 people typically skating around 20 mph. But the Flyers need to minimize them, especially when facing guys like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, who can turn it into a goal in a heartbeat.
    • Whether it is Ersson or Dan Vladař returning from his injury in goal, the Flyers need saves. Early on, like he played in Vegas, Ersson was impressive against Utah, playing with confidence as he read the puck well, especially through traffic. The late goals were not entirely his fault, as one was a deflected shot, and the game-winner saw a guy left wide-open in the slot, but the Flyers will need big-time saves against the Avs. Ersson was in net for the Flyers’ 3-2 loss at home to Colorado in December, and let in three goals on 28 shots, with the game-winner coming off a cross-ice pass.
  • Travis Kelce helps pay for family of hockey star Laila Edwards to see her play in Olympics

    Travis Kelce helps pay for family of hockey star Laila Edwards to see her play in Olympics

    Laila Edwards, the first Black player to make the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team, could become one of the breakout stars of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy.

    She’s also from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the hometown of Jason and Travis Kelce. The brothers experimented with hockey growing up before committing to football, and they remain fans of the game.

    In November 2023, when Edwards first made the women’s national team, they gave her a shout-out on New Heights.

    “I thought, ‘I’ll just message them thanking them, they’ll never see it,’” Edwards told People. “And then Travis and I had a full conversation over DM, and that was super cool. He was a really down-to-earth, humble guy who was super supportive and had really good things to say. They shouted me out again recently for making the Olympic team.”

    At 18, South Jersey figure skater Isabeau Levito is heading to the Olympics: ‘I feel like I really achieved my dream life’

    Their support didn’t end there. Edwards told People that Travis made a large donation to her family’s GoFundMe page, which has raised over $50,000 to help her family fly to Milan to support her and the U.S. women’s national team.

    Kylie Kelce will be on-site in Milan, after NBC named her as part of its Creator Collective. Jason and Kylie attended the Paris Olympics, and supported field hockey, volleyball, and women’s rugby. This time, Edwards hopes to see them at some of her games.

    “Travis was saying that Jason and Kylie are big fans of mine, and I’m hoping to meet them all in Italy,” Edwards said.

    Jason and Travis Kelce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

  • The Flyers waste an early three-goal lead, fall in overtime to the Mammoth

    The Flyers waste an early three-goal lead, fall in overtime to the Mammoth

    SALT LAKE CITY ― The Flyers were in control until they weren’t.

    After ending a six-game losing streak on Monday, and snapping the Vegas Golden Knights’ seven-game winning streak in the process, they lost to the Utah Mammoth, 5-4, in overtime on Wednesday.

    The Flyers had a 3-0 lead early in the second and led by two going into the final frame. It was only the fourth time after leading after two periods that they did not come out victorious.

    Clayton Keller scored in overtime from the slot after he tied the game with 35 seconds left in regulation during a six-on-five situation.

    The Utah captain tied the game when he knocked a bouncing puck away from Travis Sanheim. Keller skated around the defenseman, cut across the crease, and backhanded one over Sam Ersson. On the game-winner, Travis Konecny lost the puck deep in the Utah zone to Dylan Guenther, who carried it up the ice and eventually fed Keller for the shot.

    Q&A: President Keith Jones on the Flyers’ timeline, playoff hopes, and Matvei Michkov’s development

    Philly had chances to extend its lead several times, with Owen Tippett ringing one off the post after a sick dangle with 5 minutes, 55 seconds left, and Garnet Hathaway with the puck on his stick and skating in alone toward an empty net with just under 1:30 to play. But Hathaway didn’t pull the trigger fast enough and had his pocket picked by Nick Schmaltz.

    It was a stinging loss as the Flyers led the game just 30 seconds in.

    Defenseman Cam York slammed home the rebound on a turnaround shot by Sanheim. The goal came off sustained pressure by the defensive pair with the line of Christian Dvorak, Konecny, and Trevor Zegras, with the latter two using the boards before Konecny fed Sanheim.

    The goal was York’s fourth of the season, tying his total from last year across 66 games.

    Just over four minutes later, the Flyers were up 2-0 for the first time since Jan. 4 against the Edmonton Oilers. The Flyers broke out of their own end with Noah Juulsen sending an outlet pass up in the air to Konecny at center ice.

    Konecny knocked the puck down and led Dvorak with the pass and he took off. The center skated between the defense, cut across the crease, and put the puck around the right pad of Karel Vejmelka.

    The Flyers took a 3-0 lead with a power-play goal 58 seconds into the second period. After a clean zone entry, the unit of Zegras, Konecny, Jamie Drysdale, and Bobby Brink got to work.

    Zegras and Drysdale played catch above the circles before Zegras put a shot on goal from inside the blue line. Brink had been in the bumper but then rotated into the left circle before dropping down and burying the rebound on Zegras’ shot.

    The goal was Brink’s 12th of the season, tying his career high set last season.

    Utah started to pick up its game after a hard and borderline high hit by Liam O’Brien on Tippett in the neutral zone. Initially, the referees called a major penalty, but after a video review, ruled that it did not warrant a penalty. Tippett left the game but returned to the bench later in the second period.

    The Mammoth then scored two quick goals 36 seconds apart, the first by JJ Peterka and the second by Lawson Crouse.

    On the goal by Peterka, there was a scramble at the side of the net, and he jammed in the loose puck. The Crouse goal came after Sean Durzi’s shot went off the stick of Brink, and Emil Andrae couldn’t handle the bobbling puck. Crouse knocked it away from the Flyers defenseman, and Schmaltz fed Crouse for the quick snapshot.

    Journeyman Lane Pederson signed in Philly seeking an NHL opportunity. Now he’s trying to make it count.

    Flyers coach Rick Tocchet called a timeout to settle down his club, and it worked.

    The Orange and Black had some chances, and then Dvorak added his second of the night with a power-play goal. He got the puck in the neutral zone, gained the zone, and fired a wrister from the right circle. Vejmelka couldn’t control the rebound, and Dvorak knocked the follow-up in.

    With his second multigoal game of the season, Dvorak now has 12 goals, tying his total last season with the Montreal Canadiens. His career high is 18 set in 2019-20.

    Utah cut it to a one-goal game with 7:13 left when Barrett Hayton deflected a Guenther shot from the left circle on a power play past Ersson. The Mammoth had the man advantage after Juulsen dropped the gloves with Jack McBain and got an extra two minutes for roughing. Juulsen went after McBain, who ran over Drysdale.

    Breakaways

    Making the start for the second straight game — the first time since Dec. 18-20 — Ersson stopped 22 of 27 shots. … Forward Carl Grundström was a healthy scratch for the first time since entering the lineup on Dec. 9. In that 21-game span, he had seven goals and nine points. … Defenseman Hunter McDonald and forward Nic Deslauriers were also healthy scratches. … The Flyers extended their point streak to two games.

    Up next

    The Flyers head to Denver to face the NHL’s best team, the Colorado Avalanche — who have only five losses in regulation on the season — on Friday (9 p.m., NBCSP).

  • Journeyman Lane Pederson signed in Philly seeking an NHL opportunity. Now he’s trying to make it count.

    Journeyman Lane Pederson signed in Philly seeking an NHL opportunity. Now he’s trying to make it count.

    SALT LAKE CITY ― Familiarity and opportunity.

    Those are two reasons that several free agents signed with the Flyers this season, as Christian Dvorak, Noah Juulsen, and Dan Vladař did. It’s why Lane Pederson did, too.

    After spending the last two seasons with the Edmonton Oilers organization, the centerman saw Philly as a place where he would have an opportunity to return to the NHL. And he had familiarity with Rick Tocchet and assistant coach Jay Varady. On July 1, he signed a one-year, two-way deal worth $775,000 in the NHL.

    On Wednesday, Pederson will skate in his second game for the Flyers against the Utah Mammoth (9 p.m., NBCSP). The 28-year-old will be the pivot on the fourth line, replacing Rodrigo Ābols, who went down with a long-term injury on Saturday.

    The reeling Flyers needed a spark Monday. Bobby Brink provided it in his first game back from a concussion.

    In the Flyers’ win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday, he played his first NHL game since March 30, 2023, with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pederson skated a little under nine minutes in a game filled with special teams. It’s a departure from his deployment by John Snowden, the coach for Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League, where Pederson had 13 goals and 28 points in 37 games. With the Phantoms, he was centering the team’s top line — between Denver Barkey and Alex Bump.

    “Just a really great human being, down-to-earth, and made me feel welcome in Lehigh right away. So really appreciative of him, obviously,” Barkey said. “A special player, really reliable, 200-foot, but also really smart. He skates well, holds on to pucks, and kind of does it all. So it’s exciting to have him here.”

    Largely a career minor leaguer, Pederson entered the season with 71 NHL games across four teams: the Arizona Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks, and Blue Jackets.

    His tenure in Arizona overlapped with those of Tocchet and Varady, with the former at the NHL level and training camps, and the latter in the AHL. He was also with Tocchet for a few days after the bench boss was hired by Vancouver before being claimed off waivers by Columbus.

    Lane Pederson spent time in the Arizona Coyotes organization where he worked with Flyers coach Rick Tocchet and assistant Jay Varady.

    “Jay was awesome for my development [during] my time in Tucson,” Pederson said. “It’s a familiar face and someone I can kind of lean on and go ask questions, and he’s helped me along the way. He’s open door and open book, so he’s been great.

    “We’ve kind of kept in touch throughout the years, text here and there, congratulate one another on milestones and stuff like that. So it’s awesome to be able to work with him and Tocc again.”

    Flyers takeaways from ‘a gutsy win’ against the Golden Knights

    According to Tocchet, Varady and Pederson spent time together going over video and on-ice reads since he joined the Flyers for the three-game road trip that ends Friday in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche. Consistency is something that Pederson has been chasing, but the bench boss likes what the Saskatchewan native can bring to the bottom of the lineup.

    “He’s got some speed up the middle, something that we want, we need, and I think that can help his wingers,” Tocchet said. “So if he can play [with] speed up [but] now the reads and sometimes he’s got to know puck decision stuff, that’s stuff he’s going to have to learn at this level to be consistent. But it’s tough to find those speed up the middle guys.”

    Breakaways

    Sam Ersson (7-8-4, .860 save percentage) will get the start for the Flyers. It will be the first time he starts back-to-back games since Dec. 18-20. Last season in Utah, the Swede had a masterful performance, with the Flyers ultimately losing in overtime despite Ersson stopping 39 of 42 shots. … It looks like Nikita Grebenkin will slot back in on the fourth line. Carl Grundström stayed out on the ice during the optional morning skate. …. Goalie Dan Vladař continues to work his way back and was on the ice for the optional skate at the Delta Center after not participating in the team’s practice on Tuesday. He did skate on his own on a different rink.

  • The reeling Flyers needed a spark Monday. Bobby Brink provided it in his first game back from a concussion.

    The reeling Flyers needed a spark Monday. Bobby Brink provided it in his first game back from a concussion.

    SANDY, Utah ― Was Bobby Brink the Flyers’ good luck charm?

    Without Brink, the Flyers lost six straight. After he returned Monday, they snapped the skid and beat the Vegas Golden Knights, a team that was on a seven-game heater.

    “I don’t think we changed anything,” he said Tuesday after the Flyers had a high-tempo practice at the Utah Mammoth’s practice facility near the picturesque Wasatch Mountains. “Sometimes you’re going to go through tough stretches [and] you play a long season. The way we were playing worked for us earlier in the year; it’ll work again. So, I think we showed that [Monday] night, didn’t change a thing, and it worked out for us.”

    Flyers takeaways from ‘a gutsy win’ against the Golden Knights

    While Brink will, of course, not take any credit for being a catalyst, the coach did think his return helped boost the Flyers’ game.

    “Really, really well,” Rick Tocchet said of Brink’s game.

    “Bobby, for a guy that’s been out for a couple of weeks with that injury … I just like his speed to the middle. I mean, it’s noticeable when you’re on the bench, when you have those guys that can carry that puck with speed, separate, and transport the puck. We missed that speed from him.”

    That injury was a concussion.

    The Flyers forward missed the entire six-game losing streak after getting blindsided by Jansen Harkins in the first period of the Flyers’ 5-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 6.

    It was the first time in his hockey career that he dealt with this type of injury.

    “A concussion is never easy,” he said Tuesday. “It’s a different type of injury than a lot of, maybe arms and legs and stuff. But the medical staff was good to me, and we got through it, and now I’m back playing.”

    Concussion recovery is not a straight line. Steps and milestones must be met in a graded return-to-play progression before one can put a game jersey back on.

    “Just slowly kind of work up to game-level again,” he said of the ramping-up process. “Try to keep the symptoms to the least amount that you can and try not to elevate them as you’re working. Work on some vision stuff and balance, and try to rewire the brain to make it feel good again.”

    Bobby Brink missed six games with a concussion after taking a blindside hit against Anaheim on Jan. 6.

    According to the NHL’s concussion evaluation and management protocol, a player can only return when he does not have symptoms at rest, the symptoms do not return when he exerts himself at an NHL game’s pace, and the team’s doctors confirm he has returned to neurological and neurocognitive baselines.

    Although Tocchet said they may monitor his ice time because of the injury, Brink skated 13 minutes, 28 seconds Monday, including more than two minutes on the power play. Tocchet did say some of his cut-back ice time was due to the exorbitant amount of penalties (seven) the Flyers took in the game. Brink had one shot on goal, two missed shots, and blocked two more.

    Travis Konecny scores twice, Flyers snap six-game losing streak with 2-1 win at Vegas

    And he was back on a line with Matvei Michkov and Noah Cates.

    The trio played together in nine games before Brink got hurt, beginning on Dec. 16 in Montreal. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers scored five goals and allowed one with a 64.63% expected goal share. On Monday, when they were on the ice against the Golden Knights, the Flyers had seven shot attempts and allowed eight. They outshot the opposition 4-2, but allowed two scoring chances.

    “It’s never fun sitting and watching, so it was good to be able to kind of come back and get in the game and go to battle with the guys,” Brink said.

    Brink has 11 goals and 20 points in 42 games this season. The 24-year-old is one goal away from tying his career high set last season in 79 games and is shooting a career-best 15.3%. He is tied with Cates for the team lead in game-winning goals and has four points on the power play.

    Breakaways

    Forward Sean Couturier did not participate in Tuesday’s practice. “Maintenance day,” Tocchet said. “Just wanted to give him a rest.” … Goalie Dan Vladař did not participate in practice but did skate on his own on the other rink in Utah during the team’s practice time. Vladař was placed on injured reserve on Monday after suffering an undisclosed injury in the Flyers’ loss to the Buffalo Sabres last Wednesday. … Asked about Rodrigo Ābols, Tocchet didn’t want to say he would be out for months, “but it was a pretty tough injury.” Ābols was injured Saturday against the New York Rangers when he appeared to get his right toe stuck in the ice along the boards in the offensive zone, and his ankle buckled. He was unable to put weight on the leg as he was helped off. One of the first players named to Latvia’s team for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics, he was replaced on the nation’s roster on Sunday.

  • Flyers takeaways from ‘a gutsy win’ against the Golden Knights

    Flyers takeaways from ‘a gutsy win’ against the Golden Knights

    LAS VEGAS ― On Saturday, captain Sean Couturier stood in front of reporters in the Flyers locker room at Xfinity Mobile Arena after a 6-3 loss to the Rangers and said, “We [stunk]. Plain and simple. We can’t show up.”

    Fast forward to Monday night at T-Mobile Arena after a 2-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights, and Couturier said, “Yeah, it was a gutsy win.”

    It wasn’t always pretty, but it was a win. Finally, after losing six straight, the Flyers were able to hold off the red-hot Golden Knights.

    Here are four stars.

    4. The penalty kill

    The Flyers’ penalty kill has been dreadful. Since Jan. 1, it entered the game as the league’s second-worst unit at 57.7%. That led to assistant coach Todd Reirden, who is in charge of the penalty kill, calling a meeting on Monday morning. According to Travis Konecny, it was a detailed, long meeting focused on reminding the players what made them so successful early in the season.

    “We had a really good meeting this morning, and had a game plan going into their power play,” defenseman Nick Seeler said. “Obviously, they’re a top-10 power play in the league. I thought our pressure was a smart, pressure, right? So, try to take away time and space for [Jack] Eichel, he’s a heck of a player, obviously. We did a good job, obviously. We need to stay out of the box, but, you know, PK was good tonight so that’s a positive.”

    Eichel did help Vegas get its lone goal when he sent a shot-pass to Tomáš Hertl as he glided in front and deflected the puck past goalie Sam Ersson.

    Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae and left wing Noah Cates sandwich Golden Knights center Jack Eichel during the second period.

    But when you’re facing the fourth-best power play in the NHL, and you allow just one goal on seven power plays, that’s pretty darn good. And one of those penalty kills was in the last 1 minute, 33 seconds of the game when Owen Tippett sent the puck over the glass — in a one-goal game. The Flyers made two big blocks during that kill, one by Seeler and one by Cam York.

    The structure was better as they didn’t collapse or shift into the box too often; coach Rick Tocchet likes to employ the diamond on the penalty kill. According to Natural Stat Trick, Vegas had 12 shot attempts, five shots on goal, seven scoring chances, and five high-danger chances. But in the end, the Flyers and Golden Knights each got a goal while the home team was on the man advantage.

    “Obviously, on the PK you’re going to have to give up some shots. So just knowing which ones we want to kind of give up and the ones we need help to take away,” Ersson said. “Like a lot of our penalty kill, I think we build on like our urgency and our willingness to block shots. I think that’s huge for us to have success.

    “And we did that tonight, and it kind of leads the way and gives so much momentum to the team when guys put their body on the line like that.”

    3. Nick Seeler

    Speaking of guys who like to lay their body on the line, Seeler came up big in several ways Monday.

    Although Tocchet had shown different defensive pairings during recent practices and morning skates, he stuck to his pairings. Seeler was paired with Noah Juulsen and was on the ice during the final 1:33 of the game. Seeler slid and made a massive block with 44 seconds left on a Shea Theodore shot to preserve the win.

    Travis Konecny scores twice, Flyers snap six-game losing streak with 2-1 win at Vegas

    But it was earlier in the game when he made the biggest play.

    In the second period, he faced a two-on-one when Juulsen pinched down the right boards. Seeler was the lone man back facing two of Vegas’ best in Ivan Barbashev and Mark Stone. He stayed on his feet and blocked the Stone pass intended for Barbashev across the crease.

    It was a big moment in the game but also a big moment considering what Tocchet said Saturday after the loss to the Rangers.

    “We’re just doing things,” an exacerbated Tocchet said. “Even on two-on-one, the guys on the outside site, why are you leaving your feet and letting them pass [across]? Just hold them; that’s something we’ve really worked on this year and have done a good job.

    Q&A: President Keith Jones on the Flyers’ timeline, playoff hopes, and Matvei Michkov’s development

    “But now we’re sliding again, and we’re trying to block a shot now. How many weakside goals have we been giving up lately? That’s something that I’ve been preaching since the start of the year: You cannot give weakside goals up.”

    The play was huge as it kept it a one-goal game.

    “Yeah, [Tocchet] likes the D to try not to leave their feet,” Seeler said. “Obviously, there’s situations where you need to desperation-wise, but, yeah, it’s good. It’s nice to break those up and get going the other way.”

    Flyers right wing Travis Konecny (11) celebrates his first goal against Vegas during the first period.

    2. Travis Konecny

    From the onset, it looked like the alternate captain was determined and focused on ending the losing streak. In the end, he led the way with a pair of goals, each scored off turnovers by the Golden Knights.

    His first goal came off a Hertl turnover just inside the Flyers blue line as the Czech center tried to pass to Vegas defenseman Kaedan Korczak. Konecny poked the puck away from Korczak and took off. He skated in one-on-one with goalie Adin Hill and beat him glove side to open the scoring 3:46 into the game.

    “I wanted to make sure I had a good start, our line had a good start, because that had been something that was creeping into our game that we were struggling with,” Konecny said.

    In the third period, he picked off an errant pass by Eichel during a Vegas power play and took off again. This time he went blocker side because he was “just trying to mess with [Hill’s] head a little bit.” Konecny knows Hill, who was also his teammate at 4 Nations, and his father, as the Flyers forward spends his summers in Calgary, where the Golden Knights goalie grew up.

    “Yeah, he’s a great player,” Couturier said. “That’s what he does, he scores goals, uses his speed well. And what I love about it is, his two breakaway goals he’s in the right spot defensively and jumps on loose pucks and reads and reacts the right way and gets rewarded.”

    1. Sam Ersson

    Nine days ago, after allowing seven goals on 23 shots to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ersson spoke to The Inquirer. He called his season tough and the loss to Tampa Bay embarrassing. Nineteen games into the season, he was 6-8-4 with a bloated 3.43 goals-against average and an NHL-worst .855 save percentage among goalies who played in at least 15 games.

    With Dan Vladař on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, Ersson got a chance to right the ship on Monday. And it was evident from the jump that this night would be different.

    Vegas defenseman Jeremy Lauzon skates with the puck ahead of the Flyers’ Matvei Michkov.

    In the first minute of play, he made a confident save on defenseman Noah Hanifin before stopping a Stone tip-in from seven feet out.

    “It’s a nice way to get in the game, get in a groove and a flow of the game, getting some shots early, and obviously nice to come up with some big stops,” Ersson said. “So it definitely helps [with confidence].”

    The Swedish netminder moved well, tracking the puck and positioning his body well in advance of shots. According to Natural Stat Trick, he stopped 12 of 13 high-danger shots. He finished with 24 saves.

    “Awesome. Again, we know it. He just proved us all right,” Konecny said. “He’s an unbelievable guy, unbelievable goalie, and, guys that work hard like him, who are just like the most likable guys, you really want to push for those guys, and I’m just really happy for him. Awesome teammate and stud goalie.”

    Ersson earned a lot of praise from his coach postgame.

    “Nobody’s going to feel sorry for Sam. He doesn’t have that attitude,” Tocchet said. “It’s almost like he’s got that closer mentality. I’ve given up a bunch of home runs, but I want the ball again. And he took the ball and closed the game for us.”

  • Travis Konecny scores twice, Flyers snap six-game losing streak with 2-1 win at Vegas

    Travis Konecny scores twice, Flyers snap six-game losing streak with 2-1 win at Vegas

    LAS VEGAS ― The Flyers put all their chips in.

    And it paid off.

    The Flyers snapped their losing streak at six games with a 2-1 victory on Monday against the Vegas Golden Knights. They ended the Golden Knights’ seven-game winning streak in the process.

    After allowing at least five goals in the past five games, the Flyers were stingy, allowing just one goal for the first time since Sam Ersson stopped 20 of 21 shots against the Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 23.

    Vegas gave it their all to tie it up during a gut-wrenching end as Owen Tippett was called for delay of game with 1 minute, 33 seconds left in regulation. But Nick Seeler made a big block on Shea Theodore, and Sam Ersson stopped a slap shot by Jack Eichel with 23 seconds left on the clock. Golden Knights forward Pavel Dorofeyev was blocked twice, by Cam York and Travis Sanheim, as Vegas had six shot attempts in a final flurry.

    Travis Konecny played his cards right and scored both Flyers goals. He gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead 3:46 into the game

    Bobby Brink to return Monday; Dan Vladař placed on injured reserve

    Skating just inside the Flyers’ blue line, Vegas forward Tomáš Hertl was getting pressured by York and tried to feed a pass to his defenseman as he crossed in front of him.

    The Flyers winger poked the puck away from Kaedan Korczak and took off. He skated in one-on-one with goalie Adin Hill and beat him glove side.

    Konecny then gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead in the third period on a similar play — this time while shorthanded.

    Eichel carried the puck across the Flyers’ blue line and passed it backward, thinking the Knights had numbers. Instead, it went right to Konecny, who outraced the defense for a breakaway. After beating Hill glove side, he went blocker side this time for the Flyers’ fourth shorthanded goal this season.

    Asked postgame if he went blocker side on the second goal to switch it up, Konecny said with a smile, “No, that’s just more about, I’m just trying to mess with his head a little bit,” he said. Konecny knows Hill and his dad, as the Flyers forward spends his summers in Calgary, where the Golden Knights’ goalie grew up. The two also won gold at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February together.

    Konecny now has 17 goals and 43 points in 47 games this season. He missed one game with an upper-body injury.

    The first goal by Konecny came 42 seconds after Ersson made a spectacular save on Alexander Holtz. Ersson’s Swedish countryman got behind Sean Couturier and Emil Andrae for a tip-in chance off a centering pass by Cole Reinhardt.

    It was one of several big-time saves by Ersson in the first period as Philly was outshot 11-4. He also read the play perfectly and stopped Hertl from the bumper during a Vegas power play. In his 18th start, it was the fifth first period this season that he did not allow a goal.

    In the second period, he got some help when Seeler made a fantastic play on a two-on-one. Skating alone after Noah Juulsen pinched, Seeler stayed up as Mark Stone tried to go back to Ivan Barbashev and knocked the puck away.

    The Flyers’ penalty kill, which allowed eight goals in 21 opportunities during the six-game losing streak, looked good across the first three power plays for Vegas. But if you keep giving the NHL’s fourth-best power play (26.5%) chance after chance, it is going to strike.

    So on the fourth one, they did. Hertl, making up for his mistake earlier, glided through the slot and deflected in the shot-pass by Eichel past Ersson.

    Ersson stopped 24 of 25 shots to earn his first win since Dec. 23.

    Breakaways

    The Flyers’ penalty kill went 6-for-7, and the power play went 0-for-2. … Konecny had his first multi-goal game of the season. … Center Lane Pederson made his Flyers debut after being recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Sunday. He played 8:38. … Winger Bobby Brink returned after missing six games with an upper-body injury. He played 13:28 and had one shot, two missed shots, and blocked two more. …

    Up next

    The Flyers head to Utah to take on the up-and-coming Mammoth on Wednesday (9 p.m., NBCSP+).

  • Bobby Brink to return Monday; Dan Vladař placed on injured reserve

    Bobby Brink to return Monday; Dan Vladař placed on injured reserve

    LAS VEGAS ― The Flyers’ chips are down right now, but do they have a wild card up their sleeve?

    Bobby Brink is hopeful to return Monday night when the Flyers take on the Vegas Golden Knights (8 p.m., NBCSP+). The Flyers activated Brink from injured reserve about an hour before puck drop.

    “Bobby’s got a good shot to get in,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said during his pregame availability. “He had a good day today, so [it] looks like he’s going to go in for us.”

    Flyers lose their sixth straight to the lowly Rangers amid boos. Can they keep their season from slipping away?

    The forward missed the entire six-game losing streak due to an upper-body injury suffered in the Flyers’ last win, a 5-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 6. In the first period of the game, Brink was blindsided by Jansen Harkins and did not return.

    While Brink did not travel on the Flyers’ last road trip to Buffalo and Pittsburgh, he did practice on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena. At practice, he was back on a line with Matvei Michkov and Noah Cates.

    “Having Bobby back, he’s a pretty smart kid,” Tocchet said. “He’s a quick kid. He adds more speed through the lineup for a forward position, which is good. [It] helps us there. I think he’s anxious, excited to play. It’s been a while.”

    In a corresponding move, Dan Vladař was placed on injured reserve. There was no update on the goalie, who was injured in the Flyers’ loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday. The move is retroactive to Jan. 14, so he is eligible to be activated seven days after that date.

    On a positive note, Vladař did make the trip to Nevada after Tocchet said that if he wasn’t going to play at all on the three-game road trip, then he wouldn’t travel.

    “At this point, I’d say day to day,” Tocchet said Saturday regarding the goaltender’s status. “It depends [on] how he feels after therapy. So it’s like, one of those things every 24 hours … you get better or not? What percentage? So it’s hard to really pinpoint things exactly.”

    The coach said that the game against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday (9 p.m., NBCSP) was a possibility. The Flyers also play the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday (9 p.m., NBCSP).

    “He was on the ice today,” said Tocchet, updating his status on Monday. “He had a good day. So that’s good, that’s a good [one] for us. So, we’ll see the next couple of days how it reacts. But seemed like he had a good day today.”

    Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar was moved to injured reserve. He is eligible to be activated beginning on Wednesday.

    The reinsertion of Brink should help boost the forward lines — after all, the losing streak started when he got hurt. Brink works well with Cates, and the duo has a natural, connected chemistry on the ice.

    It should help a Flyers team that, as defenseman Travis Sanheim said, needs to get back to fundamentals. It is something Cates and Brink have showcased since last season. And coupled with Michkov, the line has brought offense. According to Natural Stat Trick, across the nine games the two Minnesotans played with the Russian winger, beginning Dec. 16 in Montreal, the Flyers scored five goals and allowed one with a 64.63% expected goal share.

    Flyers place Rodrigo Ābols on injured reserve, recall Lane Pederson from Lehigh Valley

    Brink has 11 goals and 20 points in 41 games this season. The 24-year-old is one goal away from tying his career high set last season in 79 games and is shooting a career-best 15.5%.

    “He’s definitely a guy that you can count on,” Tocchet said. “He’s a consistent player for us. You lose guys like that, and then your depth gets challenged. But that’s where guys have that opportunity to shine. … But having Bobby back, he does settle things down for us.”

    Breakaways

    Rodrigo Ābols has been replaced on Latvia’s Olympic roster. The Flyers forward was one of the first players named to the squad, but he suffered a lower-body injury on Saturday against the New York Rangers. He was placed on injured reserve on Sunday. No timeline was provided for his potential return. … Sam Ersson (6-8-4, .855 save percentage) will get the start against the Golden Knights, while Lane Pederson, who was called up Sunday, is in Vegas and is “a possibility” to play, Tocchet said.