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  • Flyers takeaways: Travis Konecny is ‘tired’ of losing, Sam Ersson’s struggles, and one bright spot from Boston

    Flyers takeaways: Travis Konecny is ‘tired’ of losing, Sam Ersson’s struggles, and one bright spot from Boston

    BOSTON ― Last week’s seemingly galvanizing trip west, which resulted in the Flyers grabbing five of a possible six points against some of the NHL’s best, looks to have been just another false dawn, as the sinking Orange and Black dropped their third straight game at TD Garden on Thursday.

    Here are three takeaways from the Flyers’ 6-3 loss to the Bruins, which marked the team’s 10th defeat in the last 12 games.

    Flyers fall 6-3 to Bruins in a game that felt doomed from the start

    ‘It’s frustrating’

    Travis Konecny leads the Flyers in goals (21), assists (29), and points (50), and is second behind Noah Cates (plus-15) among the team’s forwards with a plus-eight rating. The veteran sniper fired a hat trick in Columbus on Wednesday and followed it up with a goal and an assist in Boston a night later.

    But while Konecny has played like an All-Star and led from the front of late, the alternate captain’s raw emotion after Thursday’s game made it clear that he’s only concerned with stacking wins.

    “Yeah, it’s frustrating because I’ve been through this so many times. I’m tired of missing the playoffs,” said Konecny, who has seen recent Flyers seasons slip away at this time of the year. “That is kind of all I look at right now, just want to get points for the team, and we need to figure something out.”

    The answer was a painfully honest one from a player who has endured a lot of losing in recent seasons and is desperate to return to the playoffs after a five-year hiatus. Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet has talked about wanting guys who care and aren’t going to “accept” losing, and Konecny, who has matured and grown immensely as a leader in recent seasons, is clearly one of those guys who wants to be part of turning things around.

    “Some guys spoke after the game, I think everyone knows where we’re at,” said Konecny. “We just got to execute. And like I said, there’s mistakes all over the ice, but you ask any of the leaders, it starts with us. Their second goal, I made a mistake there, and [we] can’t be doing that game after game. I think we all need to look in the mirror.”

    There has been much social media debate about the 28-year-old Konecny, who has played 22 career playoff games but none since the 2020 COVID-19 bubble, but the Flyers could use more guys like him, and it’s concerning to think where this team might be without him.

    Flyers right wing Travis Konecny has been red-hot with 16 goals and 31 points over his past 28 games.

    Sam’s struggles

    Sam Ersson’s struggles are well-documented, as the Swede’s .856 save percentage is the lowest among the 56 NHL goalies who have played at least 15 games this season. The analytics are no better, as according to Money Puck, Ersson’s minus-18.1 goals saved above expected is the third-worst mark in the NHL and 25 goals worse than his partner, Dan Vladař.

    But Thursday provided a perfect snapshot of the enigma Ersson has been, as his performance showcased why fans have grown so frustrated with the backup netminder, but also featured some flashes of why the Flyers have stood by Ersson for so long despite his struggles.

    Ersson started the game brilliantly, shutting down Marat Khusnutdinov from in close just 14 seconds in, followed by a couple of 10-bell saves on Sean Kuraly from point-blank range that showcased the netminder’s athleticism. Ersson, who was always going to need to have a big game given the Flyers’ tired legs on a road back-to-back, was keeping the Flyers in it.

    Flyers takeaways: Sam Ersson is ‘in the mud’ and needs to get out; Garnet Hathaway finally breaks through “I don’t know if the sarcastic che

    But then the Mr. Hyde side of Ersson reared its ugly head as it has so often over the past two seasons. Ersson was in good position to stop Viktor Arvidsson’s one-timer from 25 feet out, but the shot from the right faceoff circle, which Arvidsson didn’t get all of, snuck through the goalie’s five-hole for Boston’s opener.

    The script soon repeated itself, as after Ersson made a few big saves to close the first period, he allowed another soft goal early in the second period. Fraser Minten was the beneficiary this time, as just like on Arvidsson’s tally, his shot beat Ersson five-hole on the ice. The goal served as a backbreaker as the Flyers had begun the second period strongly and were close to halving the deficit.

    Ersson’s talent was on display minutes later, as down 3-1, he made a miraculous, toe save on Andrew Peeke, albeit right before Casey Mittelstadt flipped home the rebound.

    “I don’t know, it’s not just [Ersson], just some of the goals, weakside stuff that we are giving up, that’s a tough one for any goalie when you give weakside goals up,” said Tocchet.

    Ersson, who did not speak with the media post-game after leaving the contest after two periods with a lower-body injury, allowed five goals on 20 shots and was culpable for two tough goals against.

    While Ersson has shown flashes and stretches of being an NHL goalie, he has been far too sporadic and unreliable the past two seasons for a Flyers team that needs a steady backup. A restricted free agent at season’s end, his days in Philly look to be numbered.

    Grebenkin’s growth

    If there was a silver lining from Thursday’s loss, it was the effort of winger Nikita Grebenkin.

    The 22-year-old, who has been in and out of Tocchet’s good graces over the course of the season, had one of his best games since being acquired by the Flyers last March in the Scott Laughton trade.

    Elevated to the top line for the game alongside Konecny and Christian Dvorak, Grebenkin, who Rasmus Ristolainen said “brings energy every day,” seemed to be directly involved in most of the Flyers’ best moments offensively.

    Flyers winger Nikita Grebenkin is starting to play the type of game that Rick Tocchet is looking for from the power forward.

    With 12 minutes gone in the first period, Grebenkin pounced on a puck in the neutral zone with speed and carried into the Boston zone. As Tocchet has so often pleaded with the Russian to do, Grebenkin used his 6-foot-2, 210-pound frame to strongly shield the puck from Jonathan Aspirot before shifting it quickly from his backhand to forehand to try and jam one by Jeremy Swayman.

    Swayman stopped the initial shot, but a crashing Dvorak slammed home the rebound. While the goal was ultimately disallowed as Grebenkin was ruled to have interfered with the goaltender, it was the kind of power forward-type play teammates enjoy seeing from the youngster.

    “I just love how hard he works,” Konecny said of Grebenkin. “He’s trying to learn the details of how to play the right way and he’s a great guy, too, so I love working with him. ”He’s got a lot of skill, too. So I think the more opportunity he gets, he’ll just keep running with it.”

    Grebenkin was also involved in the Flyers’ first goal that stood, as directly after he fired a shot on goal, he delivered a big hit on Mark Kastelic that knocked the Bruins’ tough guy off his skates and prevented him from retrieving the puck. Seconds later, Dvorak deflected a clearing attempt from Kuraly into the slot for a wide-open Konecny to score.

    Grebenkin would be rewarded for his efforts with a goal at the end of the second period, as he was first on the scene to bury a rebound after Konecny’s breakaway and follow-up attempt were both stopped by Swayman. In 13 minutes, 43 seconds of ice time, Grebenkin registered a goal, five shots, and one hit, while leading the team with four scoring chances at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

    It remains to be seen if Grebenkin retains his spot on the top line come Saturday, but his encouraging performance in Boston suggests he’s earned more ice time and deserves a longer look there.

  • Flyers’ skid reaches five games as penalty kill falters, Sam Ersson pulled in 6-3 loss to the Penguins

    Flyers’ skid reaches five games as penalty kill falters, Sam Ersson pulled in 6-3 loss to the Penguins

    The Flyers are free fallin’. And not in a fun Tom Petty way, although they may want to leave this world for a while.

    Skating on the second night of a back-to-back, the Flyers were handed a 6-3 loss by their Keystone State rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins. It is the Flyers’ fifth straight loss, in which they have been outscored 25-9. They lost 5-2 to the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday in Western New York.

    Yikes.

    A lot of the blame falls at the feet of special teams. The power play went 0-for-4 and had 12 shot attempts, with five shots on goal. But it’s the penalty kill that has struggled, and add some extra emphasis when you say struggled.

    Flyers recall goalie Aleksei Kolosov from Lehigh Valley and move Bobby Brink to injured reserve

    Between Wednesday and Dec. 31, when they allowed two goals on three chances to the Calgary Flames, the Flyers’ penalty kill was brutal at 59.1%. It ranked second-worst, with nine goals allowed in 22 opportunities across seven games. In the 38 games before that, the Flyers ranked sixth-best (83.1%).

    So you’d think when facing the third-best power play in the NHL (27.9%), they’d be more disciplined. Instead, by the 13-minute mark of the game, the Flyers had already taken three penalties and were trailing 2-0 via power-play goals.

    The first tally came off the stick of Pittsburgh’s Justin Brazeau after Cam York was called for hooking Rickard Rakell on the hands right after he walked in front and got a shot on goal. Before Brazeau scored, the Flyers actually had two shots on goal during the Penguins’ power play; however, with seven seconds left of their man advantage, Brazeau was left alone in front to tap in the puck past Sam Ersson.

    Philly then killed off a high-sticking penalty to Travis Sanheim, taken 3 minutes, 53 seconds into the game. But 12:11 into the first period, Garnet Hathaway was called for tripping Kris Letang behind the play. Hathaway didn’t sit long in the box, as nine seconds in, Bryan Rust scored to make it 2-0.

    Sean Couturier won the faceoff, but the Penguins recovered the puck, and Rust eventually got it in the left circle. He curled at the top before sending the puck past Ersson’s glove. It looked like York may have been used as a screen.

    Early in the second period, after Jamie Drysdale got a shot on goal, the Penguins got the puck, and Thomas Novak sent a stretch pass up to Evgeni Malkin at the Flyers’ blue line. The future Hockey Hall of Famer sent a pass over to Egor Chinakhov, who got past the defense and scored short side past Ersson to make it 3-0.

    According to Natural Stat Trick, although they were outscored 2-1 in the second period, the Flyers dominated in shot attempts 34-19. Sixty-one seconds after Chinakov’s goal, Rodrigo Ābols scored his third of the season. After Carl Grundström got the puck along the boards, he sent it to an open York, and Ābols tipped in the point shot as he cut across the crease to make it 3-1.

    It was Ābols’ third goal of the season and eighth point (two goals, six assists) in the past 13 games. The Flyers had one goal on 17 shots in the middle frame.

    Flyers goaltender Aleksei Kolosov replaced Sam Ersson in the second period and allowed three goals.

    Then came an interesting move: coach Rick Tocchet decided to pull Ersson after the Flyers scored. Aleksei Kolosov, who was recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League on Thursday after Dan Vladař was injured on Wednesday, entered after Ersson allowed three goals on 14 shots.

    Kolosov allowed three goals on 16 shots in his first NHL appearance since he started in a 2-1 loss to the Flames on Nov. 2.

    He did make two big saves, one on Brazeu from 12 feet out and another on Anthony Mantha’s quick shot from the right circle, to keep it close. But with less than two minutes to go in the second period, Pittsburgh’s Blake Lizotte stole the puck from Travis Konecny deep in the Flyers’ end. Noel Acciari got it and crashed the net, putting two whacks on the puck. It popped up, and Lizotte knocked in the floating puck past Kolosov to make it 4-1 Pittsburgh.

    In the third period, Sidney Crosby added yet another power-play goal for the Penguins to extend their lead to 5-1. He was sitting all alone on the right side and got a cross-crease pass from Malkin for his 60th goal and 138th point in 93 games against the Flyers.

    Connor Dewar made it a touchdown after getting a cross-crease saucer pass from Novak 77 seconds later.

    Jamie Drysdale returns but Flyers lose Rasmus Ristolainen before Sabres game to an upper-body injury

    The Flyers did get two more goals in the final frame.

    Nick Seeler made it 6-2 with his second goal of the year and his second in the past seven games. Denver Barkey, who was a healthy scratch on Wednesday for the first time in his short NHL career, responded with a pair of assists, beginning with the setup to Seeler.

    Barkey took a touch pass off the skate from Noah Cates and fed the Flyers defenseman above the left circle. Seeler skated in and sent a sharp wrister past the glove of Penguins goalie Stuart Skinner.

    Later in the period, Barkey set up Matvei Michkov for his 10th goal of the season. Couturier started the play when he got the puck along the boards and attracted two Penguins. It allowed the Flyers to have some space in the neutral zone, and the captain sent a backhand pass to Barkey, who skated into the Penguins’ end with Michkov and just Parker Wotherspoon back. Barkey sent a perfect pass over to the 21-year-old, and Michkov shot the puck off the pass for his first goal past a goalie since Nov. 30. He had an empty-netter against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 22.

    Breakaways

    Michkov dropped the gloves in the second period when he went after Lizotte for a hard, high hit on Barkey. He earned an extra for roughing on the play, and Crosby scored his goal on the ensuing power play. Michkov also had four shots on goal, with three coming in short succession atop the crease in the second period. … Owen Tippett had a game-high five shots on goal and nine shot attempts. He also had two hits. … Grundström had a team-high seven hits. His season-high of eight was set on Jan. 8 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. … Forward Nic Deslauriers was a healthy scratch with Barkey back in the lineup.

    Up next

    The good news for the Flyers is that they face a New York Rangers team spiraling on Saturday (1 p.m., NBCSP). New York has also lost five straight, getting outscored 27-10 in the last four since No. 1 goalie Igor Shesterkin went down with a lower-body injury.

  • Dan Vladař injured, Flyers’ skid reaches four after 5-2 loss to Sabres

    Dan Vladař injured, Flyers’ skid reaches four after 5-2 loss to Sabres

    BUFFALO ― They say when it rains, it pours.

    And while it was raining and sleeting outside the KeyBank Center in Western New York for most of the game, it was stormy inside for the Flyers, too.

    Handed a 5-2 loss by the Buffalo Sabres, extending their losing streak to a season-high four games, the Flyers also lost two key players in the process — although Jamie Drysdale returned after missing three games with an upper-body injury.

    Rasmus Ristolainen didn’t even make it onto the ice for warmups. The defenseman was a full participant and was on the point for one of the power-play units during morning skate, but did not dress for the game. He is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

    Jamie Drysdale returns but Flyers lose Rasmus Ristolainen before Sabres game to an upper-body injury

    Goalie Dan Vladař got the start but did not return after the first period with an undisclosed injury. According to the Flyers, he will be re-evaluated after the game. Coach Rick Tocchet did not have an update when he spoke postgame.

    On the first Sabres goal in the first period, during a power play, it appeared that Vladař moved awkwardly when he wasn’t sure where a missed shot by Josh Doan went. He was slow to get up and was able to reset, but Rasmus Dahlin beat him from the point with Jason Zucker setting a screen.

    It was just the second shot of the game for the Sabres. Buffalo then scored on its fourth shot. Mattias Samuelsson, the son of former Flyers defenseman Kjell Samuelsson, made it 2-0 with a sweeping snap shot from the inside of the right circle. The goal came after Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras had a two-on-one but lost the puck in the neutral zone to Doan.

    “I think right from the start, I think we maybe respected them a bit too much,” forward Owen Tippett said. “Few of those guys, you kind of have to play hard and take their time and space away. I think some penalties crept in that might have ended up hurting us, too. But, yeah, at the end of the day, I think we just need to be ready to play right from the start.”

    Vladař allowed two goals on five shots. Sam Ersson entered at the start of the second period and allowed two goals on six shots in the middle frame.

    Buffalo’s Jack Quinn made it 3-0 when he was left alone in front as the Flyers’ defense collapsed. Ryan McLeod got the puck behind the net and fed the open Quinn for a quick shot past Ersson.

    Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson replaced Dan Vladar in the second period and allowed two goals.

    The Sabres’ power play, which entered the game ranked 22nd in the NHL and had one goal in the last 21 opportunities dating back to Dec. 21, got its second on the man advantage off the stick of Dahlin, too.

    Dahlin got the puck above the circles, walked down, and sent a wrister past Ersson with Zucker atop the crease again. The Flyers’ penalty kill fell into the box setup, which allowed Dahlin the time and space to skate down the middle to make it 4-1.

    “Yeah, just really disappointed, like, I’m pretty disappointed,” said Tocchet. “I’m a PK guy, and the reads that we gave them weren’t good. They’re just unacceptable for me, so we’re going to have to tidy that up.”

    The penalty kill went 4-for-6. The Flyers’ power play had chances, too, but only capitalized on one of five opportunities.

    Philly got an early power play when Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen wrapped his arms around Christian Dvorak as he tried to corral the puck and do a wraparound. But the Flyers’ power play is struggling, and entered the night 31st in the NHL (15.3%).

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

    On the first power play, they did have two shot attempts, with Zegras’ shot forcing Luokkonen to stop it. A positive was that it looked better than Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning when it went 0-for-2 with two shot attempts, zero shots on goal, and an icing.

    After going 0-for-3, the power play finally cashed in with Zegras scoring — albeit off his skate in the third period. With the Sabres focusing on the other side of the ice, the forward crashed the net with Konecny’s pass going off his skate and past Luukkonen.

    The goal, to make it 4-2, was Zegras’ 18th of the year and seventh on the power play. Konecny now has 39 points in 44 games.

    In the second period, Tippett got the Flyers on the board to make it 3-1 with a pull-and-shoot.

    The forward started the play when he deflected a pass by Dahlin near his own blue line that was intended for Tage Thompson diagonally at the Flyers’ blue line. The puck bounced to Noah Cates, who sent it up to Tippett, and he used Samuelsson as a screen.

    Flyers right wing Owen Tippett scored his 15th goal of the season against the Sabres on Wednesday night.

    The goal is Tippett’s sixth in the past 12 games. Postgame, he gave Nikita Grebenkin — who was on his line for the first time this season — credit for driving through the defense and creating a bit of a distraction on his goal.

    “I think if you have that guy going to the net, it kind of switches things up,” Tippett said. “At that point, you just want to try and create as much as you can and try and impact the game and crawl back. So, yeah, obviously, whenever I have a chance, I’m going to try and shoot. But that one worked out being a good opportunity.”

    It’s hard to gauge when things went off the rails, as the Flyers put up shots quickly. And things would have probably gone differently if Luukkonen hadn’t committed highway robbery on Grebenkin 6 minutes, 5 seconds into the game.

    Tippett drew the attention of the Sabres’ goalie and sent a backhand pass over to a wide-open Grebenkin at the right post. A left-handed shot, Grebenkin attempted a shot off the pass, but Luukkonen flashed the leather and stole a sure goal.

    Rick Tocchet wants the scuffling Flyers to simplify: ‘We’re going to have to really dummy it down a little bit’

    The Flyers had a six-on-four power play chance with 2:15 left in the game with Ersson pulled, but were unable to score. McLeod added a short-handed empty-net goal.

    “I don’t know,” Zegras said when asked what went wrong. “I just think maybe we’ve got to get like, our spark, our mojo back a little bit. We just got to, I guess, reboot our brains a little bit, and know that it’s a hard league, and that you’re going to go through these tough stretches, and that’s part of it.

    “And we’re a pretty young team, and I know we have played well up to this point, but we haven’t really accomplished a whole lot. Got to keep the foot on the pedal and just keep going.”

    Breakaways

    The Flyers had 22 shots on goal and allowed 14. … Noah Juulsen had a shot go off the post with 9:58 left in the third period. … Forward Denver Barkey was a healthy scratch for the first time in his NHL career.

    Up next

    The Flyers get right back to it on Thursday in Pittsburgh, facing the Penguins (7 p.m., ESPN), who have lost three straight.

  • Flyers takeaways: Sam Ersson is ‘in the mud’ and needs to get out; Garnet Hathaway finally breaks through

    Flyers takeaways: Sam Ersson is ‘in the mud’ and needs to get out; Garnet Hathaway finally breaks through

    Typically, our second-day stories on games include two positives sandwiched around a negative. It’s built that way to soften the blow of the negative.

    But while coach Rick Tocchet said he liked parts of the Flyers’ game, after a 7-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, it’s hard to focus on positives. So, this is a reverse. Here are two negatives with a big positive in the middle.

    Negative: Sloppy play

    As Garnet Hathaway said, the team is going to have to watch a lot of tape on Sunday because, in an odd twist of the schedule, the Flyers get another crack at the Lightning on Monday.

    “We’re maybe making plays at the blue line that we shouldn’t make,” Hathaway said. “Their east-west game is a lot of their offense. They know when they have time and space, and they’ve got elite skill to make those passes through guys. So, some self-inflicted, some tip your cap. Either way, it doesn’t matter.”

    Pretty much every single goal the Lightning scored came off a breakdown by the Flyers. Whether it was a turnover at the Tampa Bay blue line that sent the puck the other way — i.e., Matvei Michkov’s turnover that led to Gage Goncalves’ first goal of the night, or Trevor Zegras’ that led to Yanni Gourde’s tally — or backing up in the defensive zone, or leaving guys all alone to have their way with Sam Ersson, the Flyers struggled on Saturday.

    Depleted Flyers fall hard at home against Tampa Bay, snapping a three-game point streak

    While Tocchet had no problem with his team’s effort through the first 30 minutes, he thought some of his players lost focus and “half-hustled.” He noted that several players made mistakes backchecking and let the Lightning get inside.

    You can only put so much blame on not having three of your best players, but the Flyers fell apart, notably in the third period. They were outshot 8-4 and, according to Natural Stat Trick, they had 30% of the shot attempts at five-on-five. The Lightning scored four times.

    “Just an awful third period,” captain Sean Couturier said. “We’ll just move on. It’s one of those games you’ve got to forget quick.”

    Flyers right wing Garnet Hathaway notched his first point of the season in Saturday’s loss to the Lightning.

    Positive: Garnet Hathaway

    Although the majority of players struggled, guys like Nikita Grebenkin, Owen Tippett, who scored his 14th goal on the season, and Hathaway stood out.

    For Hathaway, it was a moment 36 games in the making, because in Game 37, he notched his first goal of the season. It was also his first point.

    “A little overdue,” he said. “I keep thinking about, I can’t go back and change anything that’s happened so far. It doesn’t help me to think about. It doesn’t help me look back and wish I, you know, woulda, coulda, shoulda. It’s nice to get one. It’s nice to help the team on the score sheet.”

    The goal was a deserved one with how he and Rodrigo Ābols played along the end boards — actually being the ones to create the turnover as they stole the puck from Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak. Hathaway then went right to the slot and deflected in the point shot. It is the gritty, blue-collar style of game that Hathaway needs to play to be successful.

    Negative: Sam Ersson

    Through 16 starts this season, Ersson is 6-6-4 with a 3.33 goals-against average and .858 save percentage. According to Money Puck, he is fifth-worst in goals saved above average (-9.5), and among goalies who have played at least 12 games, he ranks sixth in percentage of expected goals (-21.01).

    On Saturday, Ersson allowed seven goals on 23 shots, giving him his worst save percentage of the season (.696).

    Flyers goaltender Sam Ersson allowed four goals on eight third-period shots.

    Was every goal his fault? No. The first goal saw the Flyers completely ignore Nikita Kucherov — something you should never do — allowing him to sit all alone in front for a slam-dunk goal.

    “We’ve got to be better in front of him. Those are tough games to play. Obviously, I think he deserved better,” Tippett said. “And I don’t know if the sarcastic cheers [are] really appreciated, but we’ve got to do a better job in front of him and not put him in some of those situations.” Ersson was on the receiving end of sarcastic cheers after his saves throughout the night, including on his first save after allowing two goals on the first three shots of the third period.

    “Keep his head up,” Hathaway said about the message to Ersson. “Yeah, I don’t think we played as defensively sound as we needed to against a very offensive-minded team, and that’s not on him. He’s played great all year, so forget it, it’s in the past” ”

    According to Natural Stat Trick, Ersson faced seven high-danger shots and allowed four goals. But he did allow two from mid-range and one low-danger goal. Is he a goalie struggling with confidence?

    “Yeah, he’s struggling a little bit,” Tocchet said when asked. “… You’re going to have tough nights. It’s a tough night. To have an NHL career, sometimes you’re going to be in the mud, and you’ve got to get yourself out of it, got to work harder.

    “You’ve got to analyze things, not just him, anybody, when you’re having a tough, tough night or something, or tough couple of weeks or something, whatever you’re having, you’ve got to really just dig down and then get the support of the team too. That helps too.”

  • Rasmus Ristolainen makes Finland’s Olympic roster; Sam Ersson not on Sweden’s team

    Rasmus Ristolainen makes Finland’s Olympic roster; Sam Ersson not on Sweden’s team

    EDMONTON, Alberta — Rasmus Ristolainen is heading to Italy.

    On Friday, the Flyers defenseman was named to Finland’s roster for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, next month.

    “Obviously, very special,” Ristolainen said over Zoom on Friday about receiving the call to represent Finland. “Obviously missed the last two Olympics [as the] NHL didn’t go. And obviously you never know what happens in four years. So could be once a lifetime opportunity. So very excited.”

    Ristolainen joins Travis Sanheim, who was named to Canada’s roster on New Year’s Eve, and Rodrigo Ābols, who was one of Latvia’s original six players named. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet is an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff for Canada.Czechia has not released its roster yet but the expectation is that Dan Vladař will be on it.

    Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim makes Canada’s Olympic roster for Milan

    The Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 6 to 22.

    A native of Turku, Finland, Ristolainen, now 31, last played for his country at the 2016 World Cup. At the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship, he scored the golden goal against rival Sweden. It gave the Finns their first gold since 1998. Ristolainen was also named that tournament’s top defenseman.

    The blueliner was on the initial roster for Finland at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off but was unable to play due to an upper-body injury. The hulking defenseman did return to play a handful of NHL games after the tournament break, but did not play for the Flyers after March 11.

    “So basically, three surgeries in the same elbow,” he disclosed of the injuries that also cut short his 2023-24 season. “Obviously started with a pretty bad infection, which I played with for multiple weeks until I couldn’t anymore. And then we found out there is some infection and a torn triceps tendon. So obviously, did those two things separately, and then tried to get back.”

    He played just 31 games in 2023-24 and 63 last season.

    “Probably the schedule was pretty too quick, looking at it now, after doing two” procedures in 2024, he said. “So came back pretty quick, played some decent hockey for 50, 60 games, and then it suddenly snapped, and not sure when or where it happened again.

    Rasmus Ristolainen will bring some physicality to the Finns’ blueline.

    “Obviously, second time the same tendon [was] torn. So saw a different doctor this time, and his timeline and recovery were a lot longer, which I think was the key and helped. And, yeah, right now I’m here and feel pretty good.”

    Ristolainen said he had making it back for the Olympics “circled on the calendar” as he was rehabbing his latest injury, before adding that the honor is extra rewarding given all he has been through the past few seasons.

    “Injuries happen when you play a long time and you, obviously, you can’t, can’t do anything about that. And obviously, was very excited to go to 4 Nations, too … so obviously, obviously, kind of [stunk] that I couldn’t join the team,” Ristolainen said of missing the 4 Nations. But then obviously knew about the Olympics, an even bigger tournament. And … been working my [butt] off for nine months to rehab and get healthy.”

    A source had told The Inquirer in mid-December that Ristolainen was on the radar for Finland despite only recently getting back to the Flyers’ lineup.

    Ristolainen returned Dec. 16 and has looked like his old reliable self while playing physical, throwing down monster hits — like the one that sent Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovský to the ice in his season debut — and skating over 20 minutes a night.

    “Guys got to keep their heads up, because he is a good hitter, open-ice hitter,” Tocchet said after his debut. “It’s always good to have guys like that. Just a long stick in the corners, squashing plays, squashing a cycle, cutting off a reset.

    “Those are big plays. They’re unnoticed plays, but they go a long way. Instead of defending 20 times a game, you’re only defending 14, because he’s squashing a player and gets his stick on a puck or something like that.”

    The Flyers defenseman also believes the experience and style of play could benefit him with his NHL team when he returns from Italy.

    “That time of year in the regular season, the games get even harder,” Ristolainen said. “Obviously, a lot to play for, especially you look at the East right now. So hopefully have a really good tournament, and I bet the games have a lot of speed and playoff-type hockey, so should be coming back feeling pretty good about myself and hopefully [we are] able to get into playoffs with Flyers. And that’s obviously a big goal for myself and for the team.”

    Ristolainen joins a stacked roster for Finland, which has one only player, Mikko Lehtonen, who doesn’t play for an NHL team. Notable names include forwards Mikko Rantanen, Anton Lundell, and Sebastian Aho, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, and goalie Juuse Saros.

    Florida’s Aleksander Barkov was not named to the team as he continues to recover from knee surgery, which repaired the ACL and MCL in his right knee.

    Sweden also announced its roster on Friday, but Sam Ersson did not make the cut. The Flyers netminder, who has struggled at times this season with a .867 save percentage, was beaten out by Jacob Markström, Filip Gustavsson, and Jesper Wallstedt for the team’s three goalie slots.

  • Flyers hold off the Chicago Blackhawks for a 3-1 road win heading into NHL’s holiday break

    Flyers hold off the Chicago Blackhawks for a 3-1 road win heading into NHL’s holiday break

    CHICAGO ― It’s 760 miles to Chicago from Philly. Despite playing Monday night, the Flyers had a full tank. It was dark, and by the end, they were wearing sunglasses because things are looking bright.

    The Flyers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1, giving them a two-game winning streak heading into the NHL’s holiday break. It is the Flyers’ third win in five games and fifth in December.

    And they now sit two points back of the Metropolitan Division’s top team, the Carolina Hurricanes. Add in that they have the sixth-best points percentage in the NHL (.625), and things are looking good 36 games in.

    But the win may have come with a cost. Forward Denver Barkey did not return for the third period. He was called for boarding and was hit hard in the ensuing scrum behind the Blackhawks’ net. According to coach Rick Tocchet, “He got hit from behind on that penalty. Just get reevaluated from the doctors.”

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    Defenseman Travis Sanheim, the Flyers’ top minute muncher, was clipped by Alex Vlasic in the third period. Per Tocchet, he did not play the final 12 minutes, 33 seconds, as he was pulled by the NHL’s concussion spotters. “I think he’s fine, though,” Tocchet said.

    Travis Konecny gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with, fittingly, his 11th goal of the season 10:17 into the first period.

    After the Flyers killed off a tripping penalty on Trevor Zegras, he stayed on the ice, and Konency tried to find him as Zegras tried to get open near the right post. Zegras was covered by Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser so it didn’t connect, but he stayed with it and picked up the puck behind the net.

    Skating untouched, Zegras carried the puck around the net and curled before finding Konecny. The alternate captain evaded detection before cutting to the net to receive the pass.

    Zegras has 13 points in 12 games in December and 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 36 games this season. The New York native is riding a career-high nine-game point streak, with five goals and six assists.

    Konecny wasn’t done collecting points, and in the second period, he helped the Flyers double their total with a power-play goal off Noah Cates’ stick.

    Handed a gift when the Blackhawks got called for too many men in the second period, the Flyers’ five-man unit of Konecny, Zegras, Cates, Bobby Brink, and Jamie Drysdale hopped onto the ice after the other unit got a chance. Set up in the offensive zone, they worked it around the perimeter, going from Zegras on the right flank to Brink at the point to Drysdale on the left flank.

    Konecny, with Drysdale in his spot, glided down to the left post and received the puck from his defenseman. The forward turned his back net-front, drawing in Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, giving him the ability to send a no-look pass under his lifted right leg to Cates in front.

    Despite having Vlasic all over him, Cates banged in the puck for his ninth of the year and second power-play goal of the season. His career high on the man advantage is three, set in 2022-23. Cates is riding a four-game point streak (two goals, two assists) while the assist was the 300th of Konency’s career in 682 games.

    Konecny now has 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 36 games this season. In December, he has six goals and 14 points — spearheaded by four multipoint games — across 12 games.

    Flyers left wing Noah Cates, shown on Dec. 11 against Las Vegas, scored his second power-play goal of the season against the Blackhawks.

    Through two periods, Sam Ersson allowed one goal on 14 shots, with Natural Stat Trick noting that he faced just one high-danger shot. For the most part, he saw the puck well — the goal by Chicago’s Ryan Donato from the high slot during four-on-four action looked like it was screened by up to three members of the Flyers — and played his angles.

    Ersson didn’t face his first shot of the night until 7:57 into the opening frame, making a glove save on Ilya Mikheyev. He later stopped a Murphy slap shot and robbed Donato on a two-on-one that also saw the Boston native try to bury the rebound.

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    In the second period, the Swedish netminder moved well to make a save on a Matt Grzelcyk point shot with Oliver Moore standing in front. He stopped Donato from the right circle and then again when he went to the front of the net and tipped a shot.

    And in the third period, with the Flyers up by one, he made a nifty glove save on a wide-open shot by Louis Crevier. Ersson made 20 saves on 21 shots for his best save percentage (.952) of the season. He snapped a four-game losing streak — losing two in a shootout — to earn his sixth win of the season.

    Breakaways

    Carl Grundström scored an empty-netter to seal the win. … Defenseman Noah Juulsen and forwards Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway were healthy scratches. … Drysdale has two points on the power play this season, coming in the past three games.

    Up next

    After the NHL’s three-day holiday break, the Flyers return to the ice on Saturday for a practice in Seattle before taking on the Kraken on Sunday (8 p.m., NBCSP, NHLN).

  • Flyers takeaways: Sam Ersson a rare bright spot in a listless offensive showing vs. the Lightning

    Flyers takeaways: Sam Ersson a rare bright spot in a listless offensive showing vs. the Lightning

    TAMPA, Fla. — After a six-goal outburst on Saturday night against a division opponent, the Flyers put up a goose egg Monday for the first time this season.

    Here are three things to know from the 3-0 shutout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning:

    Flyers shut out for the first time this season in 3-0 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning

    Sam Ersson played well

    Tending goal for the first time in 10 days, and after goalie Dan Vladař had started three straight, Sam Ersson got back between the pipes on Monday. If you look at the stats, you’ll see he allowed two goals on 17 shots, and produced another sub-.900 save percentage outing.

    But peer beyond the box score and you’ll see a goalie who played his game.

    The Swedish netminder has always been strong at tracking pucks and playing angles. Just 93 seconds into the game, and on the first shot he faced, Ersson made a save on a tricky tipped shot by Dominic James. He kicked out the left pad to rob him on a rebound shot from the slot later in the period. Ersson later tracked the puck well after Jake Guentzel threw it on net from the right wing.

    In the third period, he stopped Brandon Hagel — who easily was the Lightning’s best player in the game — as he danced through the defense and fired a shot off Ersson’s shoulder. And late in the game, as the Flyers started to press, he stopped James again on a two-on-one.

    Ersson likes to see a high volume of shots. This game did not have that, and, to be fair, neither have most of his games this season. Ersson has the lowest shots against per 60 minutes in the NHL (20.9) while not getting much run support. He ranks second in the league, behind Nashville’s Juuse Saros, with the fewest goals for (2.18) among goalies who have played at least seven games.

    “I can’t make them manufacture shots,” Ersson said. “They get chances. I know the puck is going to come my way. I think I’ve got to do some stuff different on those goals, from my perspective, and do a better job [and] come up with some saves in those situations.”

    The goals he allowed came on a tipped shot by Hagel in the first period, when it looked like there was a double screen, and another in the second by Anthony Cirelli, who was left alone in front for an easy redirect off the rush.

    Flyers coach Rick Tocchet prefers his team to keep opponents’ shots to the outside, but the Lightning clearly had a game plan to drive to the middle of the ice in the offensive zone. Ersson saved all nine mid-danger chances but allowed two goals on five high-danger chances.

    Diving in

    Coach Rick Tocchet thought Ersson played well and didn’t lay any of the blame on his shoulders. He didn’t lay any of the blame on his defensemen, either.

    “It was too many odd-man rushes. That’s not on the D. The second period, we had eight odd-man rushes, that’s on the forwards. So that’s not on the D,” Tocchet said. “We have to have some guys commit to being above [the puck]. You have those types of talented players on the ice, you have to be above. You stand up when you have numbers; we didn’t have numbers because a couple of guys were diving in.”

    The speedy Lightning, despite a rash of injuries, have players like Hagel, Nikita Kucherov, Guentzel, and Cirelli, who can make you pay.

    Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae, who has been playing well, had a tough game Monday in Tampa, Fla.

    “They came with speed right from the gate and definitely pushed us back a little bit, for sure,” said defenseman Jamie Drysdale, who was on the ice for all three Lightning goals and was out there with defensive partner Emil Andrae for the first two. “A few odd-man rushes here and there, and, yeah, they played faster than us, and they were the better team tonight.”

    Tocchet mentioned two terms: “stay above” and “diving in.” In layman’s terms, his forwards were not playing smart defensively and were attacking at the wrong moments.

    On the first goal, the forwards just got stuck not skating. Hagel easily went around Bobby Brink in the neutral zone as he tried to attack after being at a complete stop. Cirelli’s goal came after the three forwards got trapped deep in the offensive zone, with Sean Couturier “diving in” on Hagel, who made a cross-ice pass to Kucherov at center ice before getting it back as he drove down the right side.

    “I’ll take the blame for this one; our line wasn’t good without the puck,” Couturier said. “They had some odd-man rushes on us. But other than that, I thought the other lines were going.

    “It was a tight check game, not much going on both sides. Those are the games that you’ve got to find a way to win, and sometimes they go your way and sometimes they don’t.”

    Sean Couturier (bottom left in white) tried to create a turnover by “diving in,” but it was too much with Bobby Brink and Matvei Michkov already deep in the offensive zone.

    Chances were there

    Truth be told, according to Natural Stat Trick, the line of Couturier, Brink, and Matvei Michkov was the Flyers’ best when it came to trying to get them on the board. The trio generated 13 shot attempts to eight for the Lightning and created eight scoring chances compared to five against. The only problem was that the Lightning scored on two of them.

    Couturier led the line in scoring chances created with five, while Tyson Foerster, who skated with Travis Konecny and Noah Cates, had six individual chances. One of his chances was on a two-on-one with Konecny, but unlike his quick strike on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils, he waited a second, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made the save.

    In the second period, the Flyers and Lightning traded chances, with the Flyers winning the chance battle, 14-9, in the third. Drysdale had several good looks Monday, and in the second period, he skated down the middle of the ice to fire a shot that Vasilevskiy saved. And although he was credited with one shot on goal and two missed shots, Michkov set up chances and had a shot on goal straight down the gullet.

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    The problem? “The Big Cat” saw everything all the way and didn’t have to move much. To beat the Russian netminder, you need bodies in front and to make him move.

    “There were plays to be made, we just didn’t make them,” Tocchet said.

    “We’ll learn; we’ll build,” Drysdale said. “We’ll be better and come back against Florida and play a good game.” The Flyers take on the Panthers on Wednesday in Sunrise, Fla. (7 p.m., NBCSP).

    Nesbitt suspended

    Flyers prospect Jack Nesbitt has been suspended three games by the Ontario Hockey League after receiving a match penalty on Nov. 22 against Saginaw. The match penalty came after he was called for roughing, after throwing a punch in a scrum. Nesbitt has 19 points in 18 games, including eight on the power play, for Windsor. The Spitfires are the top team in the OHL’s Western Conference (17-5-2-1).

    The Flyers created too few chances in Monday’s 3-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.