Flyers takeaways: Ty Murchison looks the part, while Christian Dvorak continues his career-best pace

The Flyers continue to build and grow.

They moved to 16-9-3 Tuesday with a 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks. It is their best start since the 2019-20 season, when the Flyers last made the playoffs.

Here are two big takeaways from a win that can help propel them forward.

» READ MORE: Travis Konecny reaches career milestone in Flyers’ 4-1 win over San Jose Sharks

Although he may have been nervous leading up to the game, and was thinking “don’t fall” when he went out for his solo rookie lap, Ty Murchison fit right in during his NHL debut.

But first, he sat in the stands.

“Yeah, taking it in, trying to do a little bit of mental preparation,” he said. “Yeah, I usually do that before every game, but it’s definitely crazy looking around and being in a rink like this, and kind of looking forward to it, and trying to settle the nerves.”

A fifth-round pick in 2021, the defenseman did not look nervous on the ice. He skated the majority of his 14 minutes, 56 seconds of ice time, including a minute on the penalty kill, alongside veteran Noah Juulsen.

Known for his physicality and edge, Murchison was credited with three hits and one blocked shot while playing tough and making smart decisions along the boards and in front.

“He played well, he didn’t look out of place at all,” winger Travis Konecny said. “He did his job tonight.”

The California native was spotted being physical and playing on the right side of forward Adam Gaudette in front of the net in the third period, and throughout the game with Sharks tough guy Ryan Reaves. The veteran enforcer Reaves, who is the same height as Murchison at 6-foot-2, is listed as 13 pounds heavier and was playing in his 937th NHL game.

“Yeah, it was fun. He’s heavy,” Murchison said with a laugh. “So yeah, that was definitely something for sure. ... I mean, that’s, that’s the type of hockey I want to play. So yeah, it was a fun game.”

He left another good impression on Flyers coach Rick Tocchet.

“He can skate really well, that’s what I like about him, and he’s competitive,” Tocchet said. “I thought he did a great job for us tonight. ... In your first game, I think he backed in a couple of times, but that’s normal, and we’ll work with that.

“But he’s a good skater, and he’s got some stiffness to him; that’s what I like. When you have defense that can skate and have stiffness to them — I think he went in the corner one time, not scared, and took a hit from Reaves, and kind of went at it with him — that’s a good luxury to have.”

Murchison did it all in front of about 20 family members and friends — and teammate Carson Bjarnason. The Phantoms goalie and Flyers prospect drove down from Allentown and was wearing Murchison’s Phantoms Christmas warm-up jersey.

Like with goalie Dan Vladař, who earned his 11th win on Tuesday, a lot of people questioned the signing of Christian Dvorak on July 1. Well, it’s paying off.

“He’s great,” said his linemate Trevor Zegras. “He’s great in the room. He’s a 10-year guy, which we love telling him, just a pro’s pro. So good doing the little things in the D-zone and creating space in the O-zone. I love playing with him. He’s been a lot of fun to be around.”

» READ MORE: The Flyers are playing well for the first time in what seems like forever. Let’s enjoy them and stop complaining.

With 19 points in 28 games, he is on pace for 56 points, which would shatter his career high of 38 set when he worked with Tocchet in Arizona. Dvorak scored his seventh goal of the season on a nifty breakaway move and added an assist while skating 19:01 on Tuesday, his highest total since Nov. 4.

“He was more in a defensive role in Montreal, more on the fourth line,” Tocchet said. “And I think he’s getting a chance. He saw the opportunity here with our situation, and I think that he’s grabbing it.”

“I think it’s just more about confidence,” Dvorak added. “And, obviously, I’m playing with some really good linemates. So that helps a lot, too. I think we read off each other very well, and they’re a big help for me.”

Skating between Travis Konecny — who earned his 500th NHL point on the goal by Dvorak before adding an empty-netter — and Zegras, Dvorak has become a utility player. Tocchet has trust in him to play against the opposition’s top line at five-on-five, which was Macklin Celebrini’s line on Tuesday, and across special teams.

And while many thought it would be Zegras in the middle, Dvorak is excelling as the line’s center. His faceoff percentage is now at 55.8% after winning 14 of 17 against the Sharks. Among players to take at least 300 draws this season, Dvorak ranks 15th in faceoff percentage.

When Dvorak’s line was on the ice, the Flyers had 16 shot attempts to the Sharks’ seven, outshot them, 11-3, and created five high-danger chances compared to one against. They scored one goal and allowed one, as Collin Graf gave the visitors a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the game.

“Unfortunately, sometimes when you’re playing with myself or ‘Z,’ we’re leaning offense sometimes, and he seems to be a guy that’s going to be in the right spots,” Konecny said.

“If there’s a mistake, we don’t want that, but he’s got the mindset of protecting and cleaning up a lot of errors that I’m making. He’s also got a lot of [offense] too, so I think he’s all around a really good player and I’ve enjoyed playing with him.”