The Flyers look to avoid elimination in Game 4, but need more from Travis Konecny
After leading the team in scoring for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, Konecny has one goal and four points in nine postseason games. But it’s not for lack of trying.
Travis Konecny walked into the Flyers’ press room in Voorhees with his head held high and shoulders back on Saturday morning.
So it’s no surprise that when he was asked about the team’s mindset heading into Game 4 of their Eastern Conference second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, a game they could potentially be eliminated in, the alternate captain quickly responded: “Great. We’re having a blast. Hanging out. Another opportunity tonight.”
It echoed what coach Rick Tocchet had said less than 30 minutes prior, when he called it an exciting game.
“I know we’ve got to climb up a mountain and all that stuff. But somebody told me you can’t climb Mount Everest without getting to the first [base] camp, right?” the bench boss said. “We’re trying to find that [base] camp and get some oxygen, refuel, and get to the second [base] camp. That’s what you’ve got to think.”
The Flyers are going to need a bit more from Konecny to make that climb.
After leading the team in scoring for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, and the fifth straight, the winger has one goal and four points in nine postseason games.
“Obviously, I think there’s more there,” Konecny said. “You spend a lot of time trying to do the right things, and make sure you’re not giving up opportunities the other way.
“There’s so many little things to think of on the other side of shutting a team down, and positionally, where to be and how to play certain guys. And I think I just need to free myself up a little bit and just go play, take over five-on-five as a line, and just get back to having fun.”
It’s not for lack of trying, as, according to Natural Stat Trick, he is tied for fourth on the Flyers in individual shot attempts (32), and is tied for third in scoring chances (17) and high-danger chances (seven).
Part of his low scoring can certainly be attributed to the anemic power play. Part of it is that he has spent a ton of time in the penalty box — he is tied with Trevor Zegras for the fourth-most penalty minutes in the postseason at 26 — and part of that is execution, as he has missed the net 12 times, tied for the eighth-most in the playoffs. (It should be noted that, while hard to see in person or on TV, his Grade-A chance to win Game 2 in overtime was indeed on goal.)
“I think for him, he’s a guy that when he doesn’t score, he’s not contributing, he gets a little bit frustrated, and I think it affects his five-on-five play. I get [that] at the end of the game, he was trying to send a message. I think he has to play on an edge, he’s just got to find that edge,” Tocchet told The Inquirer on Friday, mentioning the 14 penalty minutes, including a 10-minute misconduct, Konecny took toward the end of Game 3.
“When you’re not scoring, you get frustrated, and that’s the one thing as an athlete, you can’t be frustrated.”
But while Konecny has taken nine penalties, the most entering Saturday among players still in the playoffs, he also leads the NHL in penalties drawn with 12 — his good buddy Travis Sanheim is No. 2 at six. That’s who Konecny is.
He walks the tightrope, but he usually adds some offense behind it. In the end, this is all part of the curriculum for Philly because, while Tocchet stresses that playoff games provide valuable lessons for the kids skating in the high-pace, high-intensity environment for the first time, there are also teachable moments for grizzled veterans like the 29-year-old Konecny.
“For sure. I’ve never really been in the position I’m in on the team in the playoffs. I was there quite a while ago, in a different role, and I’ve had the opportunity the last month or two to try to get comfortable,” said Konecny, who last appeared in a playoff game in 2020 when he was 23.
“Like Tocc said, there’s young guys learning, there’s old guys learning, and it’s all new for us. And I think we’ve put ourselves in a good spot other than, you look at the series, it’s not great. But, I mean, overall, we got ourselves into the playoffs. We’ve pushed, we played some good games, like we know what we’ve got to do. We just got to execute.”
Breakaways
Forward Owen Tippett did participate in the team’s optional morning skate in New Jersey, but has been ruled out again. He has not played since the series-clincher against the Penguins. ... Asked if there would be any lineup changes, Tocchet said, “We’re still discussing it now. We’re trying to think of the best lineup.” And when asked specifically about Oliver Bonk, Tocchet said, “He’s in the mix to look at. We’ve been talking yesterday and today, and we’ll probably have a final decision here [soon as to] who’s going to be in the lineup tonight. There’s a possibility.” ... Rodrigo Ābols participated in morning skate in a yellow jersey. It is the first time he has been involved in any practices or skates with the Flyers since suffering a lower-body injury. The injury, which occurred in the first period against the New York Rangers on Jan. 17, caused him to miss the remainder of the season and the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. One of the first six players named to Latvia’s roster last June, it would have been his second Olympics after representing his country at the 2022 Beijing Games.