Backed by their fourth line, the Flyers continue to stick together even in tough times
While the Flyers were blown out 6-0 by Boston on Monday, the team stuck together even in the toughest of situations. That camaraderie has been a hallmark of this team all year, said John Tortorella.
Monday’s game against the Boston Bruins might have been out of hand by the third period, but there was still one thing the Flyers could control: the way they stuck together.
Down 4-0, then 5-0, then the final score of 6-0, the Flyers didn’t roll over. They stood up for each other by checking, blocking shots, and when it came down to it, dropping the gloves.
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“We were pressuring,” forward Scott Laughton said. “They made some good plays, back of our net, and that’s the game. Kind of falls off from there. But you know what, we stick together, a couple little scrums there where we stick together, and that’s what it’s all about.”
That’s been the team’s biggest strength, coach John Tortorella said. Not Travis Konecny’s goal scoring or Carter Hart and Samuel Ersson’s goaltending. The camaraderie.
“No matter what happens, in those types of situations on the ice, I feel very comfortable with our club handling itself the right way,” Tortorella said.
When it comes to toughness and sticking up for each other, the tone is set by the fourth line. With 6-foot-1 Patrick Brown and Nicolas Deslauriers and 6-3 Zack MacEwen, each of whom weighs in at more than 200 pounds, it’s a physically imposing line.
The fact that Deslauriers and MacEwen don’t mind dropping the gloves — Deslauriers leads the NHL with eight fights while MacEwen has four — adds another element of toughness. While they haven’t had an official fight in a while, both MacEwen and Deslauriers both ended up in the penalty box against the Bruins for “roughing.”
However, they’ve also been more than just tough guys for the Flyers. They’ve been bringing it on the forecheck in the past few games. Against Boston, a skilled opponent, and Washington, a physical opponent, they wreaked havoc on the forecheck and limited their foes’ ability to build offensive momentum. They’ve even added some offense of their own in recent games with Deslauriers scoring on Jan. 8 against Toronto and MacEwen the following night against Buffalo.
“For a while, a few weeks ago, I thought they were inconsistent, but I think they’ve found their game,” Tortorella said. “They’re hunting.”
Making his case
By pulling goalie Carter Hart halfway through Monday’s game, Tortorella kept Hart’s legs fresh for the second game of the back-to-back. Tortorella was adamant that the 6-0 loss wasn’t on Hart, although it went on his record.
But Tuesday before the Flyers game against the Anaheim Ducks, Tortorella announced that Ersson would start in goal. Ersson played the second half Monday and let in two goals on 13 shots. Tortorella did not elaborate on his decision.
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If management hasn’t already made up its mind, Tuesday’s game figured to be Ersson’s last chance to convince the Flyers decision-makers to keep him up once Felix Sandström’s conditioning stint with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ends Thursday. Sandström started the season as Hart’s backup while Ersson was in the AHL.
Ersson, 23, was called up just before the holiday break when Sandström was sick. He’s played in six games and has posted a 4-0-0 record, a .917 save percentage and one shutout.
Meanwhile, Sandström has played five games since joining the Phantoms and has gone 2-1-2 with an .894 save percentage. The 26-year-old was 1-6-1 with a .888 save percentage with the Flyers before beginning his conditioning stint. Tortorella said he’s had no updates on Sandström.
While Ersson has outplayed Sandström at the NHL level, the situation is complicated because Ersson is exempt from waivers while Sandström is not. That means that Sandström would need to clear waivers to continue playing with the Phantoms while the Flyers can send down the younger Ersson to get regular playing time with no such risk.
Breakaways
The Flyers face the Ducks at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. ... Tortorella said he thinks people talk themselves into being tired in a back-to-back when it actually can energize you and give you a chance to make up for the game before. ... The lineup remains the same with Justin Braun sitting out as the extra defenseman.