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It was a classic rivalry game between the Flyers and the New York Rangers, complete with the best fight hockey fans have seen in some time between Nic Deslauriers and Matt Rempe, and the kind of temperaments that can only be found between two storied, bitter rivals. It didn’t go the Flyers way, but it did give them a lot to consider going into another division rivalry game on Sunday.
Missing: Travis Konecny…If Found, Please Return to the Philadelphia Flyers
Konecny left Flyers practice early on Friday after making some contact with Marc Staal. While the contact wasn’t particularly brutal, and was likely not the sole cause of Konecny’s discomfort, it still remained to be seen exactly what No. 11’s injury status was. With no morning skate or media availability prior to the game, it wasn’t until right before the contest started that it was confirmed that Konecny would not be in the lineup.
Even though they stayed competitive and showcased that signature fight-to-the-finish mentality, Konecny’s absence was noticeable. No one can pester and be a thorn in the opposition’s side quite like Konecny, and while the Flyers managed to get plenty of time in the Rangers zone and test their defense, they were missing Konecny’s adeptness at irritating, distracting, then punishing his opposition.
That being said, it is pretty encouraging to see that the team can still generate fast, intense, and dangerous offense without their star forward. There isn’t any timeline for how long Konecny could possibly be out for, so to see the team immediately step up—especially Tyson Foerster on his return to the lineup after an injury of his own—and put up a great fight is a great thing to see.
Leveling Up
The Flyers had nearly twice as many shots as the Rangers, but not a whole lot to show for it. It’s been one of the most frustrating storylines of the season, especially when they can’t provide Sam Ersson with a comfortable goal cushion when he’s standing on his head to keep them in the game. Despite acknowledging that it was disappointing to lose, Ersson remained optimistic about how his team played overall.
“We played to the level we want to be at…we played our game,” he said after the game. “They’re a skilled team, and we respect them for it, but not too much. We know what we need to do and we can battle and play with any team in the league.”
As John Tortorella likes to say, this is the point of the season when teams start playing “playoff hockey,” and while the Flyers didn’t get the win, both the players and their head coach are choosing to focus on the positives to take away from this game.
“We’ve really stepped up a level,” Ersson said. “We’ve shown here that we can play with all the good teams. It gives us more confidence and we’ve just gotta keep building here. We’ve just got to keep pushing our level.”
“We played hard,” Tortorella stated. “We played a good game.”
All Eyes on Pittsburgh
Tortorella was clearly frustrated with the loss, but still said he believes they played a good game and aren’t using this game as any kind of “measuring stick” for their abilities to continue pushing for the rest of the season. The message is clear, as it’s been all season—the Flyers will learn from their losses, but they won’t dwell on them, especially not when there’s an away game against the Penguins less than 24 hours away.
The mentality is there, the ability is there, and the desire to be successful is there. There are still finishing touches that need to be consistently applied, but the Flyers are taking everything in stride and not letting any team get in their heads too much. They’ve got a playoff berth to protect.
Bonus Takeaway: Deslauriers’ Fight
Just in case you needed an excuse to watch a perfect old-school donnybrook.
“He’s tall,” Deslauriers quipped after the game, speaking to 6’7″ Matt Rempe.
“That kind of stuff goes through the room,” Scott Laughton said of Deslauriers’ fight and how it got the rest of the team fired up. “He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve ever played with. Him and [Wayne Simmonds] are neck and neck there. I have so much respect for him.”
Sam Ersson laughed when asked about his teammate having no hesitation to go after the big guys and lay the heavy hits—”I wouldn’t want to fight him!”
The Flyers next outing will be an away game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 25 at 3:30 p.m. EST.
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