Flyers vs. Rangers preseason recap: Different night, different Travis

Travis Konecny took his turn in the spotlight, burying an overtime goal that propelled the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-3 win over the Rangers.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before- the Philadelphia Flyers, led by a player named Travis, outplay the Rangers, but ultimately end up needing overtime to decide a winner.

Indeed, there was definitely a strong sense of deja vu in Tuesday night’s preseason match. But unlike the first leg of the preseason back-to-back with the Rangers, the Flyers were able to emerge victorious. With 1:38 left in the OT period, Travis Konecny took a feed from Claude Giroux and slipped the puck past Rangers goalie Ondrej Pavelec, sending the Flyers’ fans home with a warm sensation in the hearts.

Konecny’s game-winner was the perfect way to cap off a standout performance from the second-year forward. Hewas arguably the best forward on the ice, showcasing the speed, shiftiness, and offensive creativity that made him such a tantalizing prospect. If Konecny can bring this level of play on a consistent basis, there’s no telling how productive he can be this season.

Game observations

The Flyers outshot the Rangers 38-28 and went 0-5 on the powerplay. The deja vu is real.

Not to beat a dead horse, but

Sean Couturier

simply does not belong in the Giroux role of the PP2 unit. His zone entries and passes remain sloppy, and the handedness issue hasn’t helped things. Something has to change, especially when his linemates (especially Konecny and

Jordan Weal

) are creating such excellent opportunities.

More from Broad Street Buzz

Tonight in young defensemen: Samuel Morin and Travis Sanheim continued to impress, while Robert Hagg had his second straight shaky performance. Morin scored the Flyers’ second goal of the night on a quick wrister, and Sanheim had a few nice dekes that created scoring chances. But Hagg appeared indecisive with the puck, giving up multiple turnovers. If the rosters were named right now, Hagg would likely be the odd man out.

Brian Elliott didn’t have a great statistical night, but he looked generally solid in his first preseason showing.

Nolan Patrick’s game is so subtly effective. His offensive awareness is incredibly advanced for his age, evidenced by the numerous cross-ice and drop passes he made that directly led to Flyers chances.

Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek seemed a little more consistent. Giroux in particular appeared much more comfortable in his second game on the wing.

Most Fly

Konecny, Weal, and Morin are all deserving candidates, but I’ll give the honor to Oskar Lindblom, who scored his first NHL (preseason) goal by deflecting an Andrew MacDonald wrist shot. Lindblom’s strengths were evident all night, as he was able to win board battles and crash the net with great success.

Least Fly

Sorry, Cooter- you just weren’t “fly” at all tonight. In addition to the above observations, Couturier also gave a disappointing effort on a shorthanded breakaway attempt, firing the puck straight into Pavelec’s pads. It was near the end of a long shift, but you’d still like to see him challenge the goalie more on a chance like that.

Next: Is Claude Giroux getting moved to the wing?

One-Sentence Takeaway

It’s time for the Flyers to start building an entire roster of Travises, considering how good Sanheim and Konecny have looked in two games against the Rangers.

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