Fans’ skepticism, a strong second line, and other observations from the Flyers’ 4-2 win over the Sharks | Mike Sielski

It was still an odd sight to see. There were the Flyers on Tuesday night, beating the San Jose Sharks, 4-2, to solidify their standing as a likely playoff team in the Eastern Conference, and at the Wells Fargo Center, there were plenty of empty seats.

This was not the first time this season that such a scene presented itself. In fact, it has become common, and it’s fair to start to wonder why. Are ticket prices that high? Is skepticism about the team’s fortunes, in light of his rebuilding process and mediocrity over the last several years, still high? Do people need to seem more before they start believing?

Once upon a time, the Flyers were every bit as popular among local sports fans as the 76ers were. Even more popular. Once upon a time, the Flyers sold out all their games, and the Sixers couldn’t sell out playoff games. It’s clear now that the Flyers have to earn back that popularity, that respect. They’re 12-4-1 in their last 17 games. They’re apparently trying.

Flyers coach Alain Vigneault sure seems to have found something in the Flyers’ second line: Kevin Hayes, Travis Konecny, and Scott Laughton. The trio had three goals Tuesday, and given each player’s style and profile, you can see why Vigneault thought they might work well together.

Konecny, though he has been better defensively this season, is a pure scorer and playmaker. He gives the line some much-needed speed. Laughton is smart and tenacious; he knows what he can and cannot do on the ice and rarely makes a wrong-headed play. And at his best, Hayes, at 6-foot-5 and with arms like a squid’s tentacles, can be creative at one end of the ice and conscientious at the other. It will be interesting to see how long Vigneault keeps that line together. At the moment, he has no reason to break it up.

The Sharks’ Brent Burns has been one of the NHL’s most dynamic defensemen for the last decade, winning the Norris Trophy in 2017, scoring 22 goals or more three times in his career, reaching the 60-point mark each of his last five seasons. But the Flyers’ third goal Tuesday night demonstrated the perils that can accompany having a defenseman who is always willing, and sometimes too willing, to push the play.

In an attempt to pinch at the Flyers’ blue line and carry the puck into the offensive zone, Burns collided with a teammate along the right-wing boards. The puck scooted behind him, and Hayes picked it up and started a 2-on-1 break, which Konecny finished with his 22nd goal of the season. Dynamism giveth, and dynamism taketh away.

The Islanders, who entered Tuesday one point behind the Flyers in the Metropolitan Division, made a big move at Monday’s trade deadline, acquiring center Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the Ottawa Senators. The deal represented a missed opportunity for the Flyers, who could have had Pageau play between James van Riemsdyk and Nic Aube-Kubel. That would have put JGP, JVR, and NAK together. They could have called it The Agency Line. Or The Bureaucracy Line. Or The New Deal. Oh, well.