Travis Konecny back in Flyers’ lineup after clearing COVID-19 protocol

After being sidelined by the COVID-19 protocol and missing five games, right winger Travis Konecny returned to the Flyers’ lineup Tuesday in Pittsburgh.

Konecny started the game on the fourth line, with Connor Bunnaman and Michael Raffl as his linemates. Nic Aube-Kubel, one of the Flyers’ most physical players, was surprisingly taken out of the lineup to make room for Konecny.

Coach Alain Vigneault said it was difficult benching Aube-Kubel (five points in 18 games) and it was not a reflection on his play, “but TK is one of our top players and he’s given me the thumbs-up that he’s ready to go,” he said after the morning skate. “I trust in all the players who have come back. They’ve all told me [when] they felt ready to play, so he’s going to play.”

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Vigneault could have taken Bunnaman out of the lineup and moved Nolan Patrick down to the fourth-line center spot. But Bunnaman has also played well, and the coach wanted to keep Patrick as the second-line right winger.

Konecny, who has scored 24 goals in each of his last three seasons, got off to an outstanding start with five goals in five games before cooling off; he was goal-less in his last seven games entering Tuesday.

With Konecny back in the lineup, the Flyers had all their regulars available for the first time since the second game of the season. In that game, Sean Couturier injured his ribs in the first period and missed the next 10 contests.

The Flyers are in the midst of playing six games in nine days, and Vigneault said he wants to conserve the players’ energy by spreading the ice time. Ideally, he would like the four lines to play in the 13-to-17-minute range, he said.

“We need that energy; we have a lot of hockey,” he said, adding “there’s a good chance there will be some moving parts, cap issues permitting us.”

In other words, don’t be surprised if different players get a rest during this stretch to keep everyone as fresh as possible.

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Defenseman Phil Myers has played the last two games after being a healthy scratch Saturday against Buffalo.

Vigneault said there were “a couple little parts” in Myers’ game he “wanted to reset and he did, and he played well [Sunday] in Buffalo.”

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The Penguins were without Flyers-killer Sidney Crosby, who went on the COVID protocol list Tuesday. In 72 career games against the Flyers, Crosby has 45 goals and 107 points. His 45 goals are his most against any team, and no active player has more points against the Flyers than Crosby. ... The Flyers entered the night having outshot their last three opponents by a combined 116-78, a shot differential of plus-38. In the first 15 games, they were outshot, 500-349, for a shot differential of minus-151.