Three players who have thrived since John Tortorella’s firing

While many believe that every win the Flyers earn from here on out is ruining their draft position, the way they are playing together must be noted.

Since Brad Shaw took over as interim head coach, the Flyers are 5-1-0, scoring 28 goals after giving up 14 in the final two games of John Tortorella’s tenure.

Did the Flyers check out on John Tortorella? Did he check out on them? We may never know exactly what happened. But Shaw is taking the most of his opportunity to show the organization that he can be their next head coach.

It’s not just the impressive record that’s on his side. The Flyers are seeing key pieces to their future stepping up in the last two weeks. No one has been better than Tyson Foerster, who is entering the offseason as an RFA and is making a case to earn a bit more money than he may have been getting previously.

In the six games since Tortorella was fired, Foerster has eight goals and nine points. He’s coming off two goals against the Islanders after recording his first career hat trick against Montreal. He’s scored a goal in all but one of those games. Foerster has also earned more power play time and has two points in the last three games on the man advantage after registering five in 72 games.

Foerster is now tied with Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny for the team lead in goals with 24. It’s the second straight season he’s hit the 20-goal mark. He had gone 14 games without a goal prior to this stretch.

Speaking of Michkov, he also has nine points in the last six games. He started off a Tortorella-less team with a bang, scoring two goals in back-to-back games. He narrowly missed out on his first career hat trick, prompting this hilarious reaction from Shaw on the bench. Can you tell they’re having fun?

Like Foerster, Michkov has a point in all but one of the last six games. He’s seen an increase in ice time in certain occasions, playing a season high 23:04 in the recent game against Montreal. And funny enough, that’s the game he didn’t register a point.

Michkov has played over 20 minutes in three of the last six after reaching that mark in just six of his first 71 games. While Michkov’s spot on this roster is solidified, one player is earning himself more of a role next season after not getting much of a chance in the beginning.

Jakob Pelletier was stapled to the fourth line when he first arrived in Philadelphia. And while Tortorella wanted to see more from him, he wasn’t being given a chance to do more. He played fewer than 10 minutes nine times in his first 13 games. It’s hard to show a coach anything when you’re minutes are limited and you’re playing with non-offensive linemates.

When Shaw took over, he immediately put Pelletier with Ryan Poehling and Owen Tippett. That has been the Flyers best line since. Pelletier has three goals and five points since the line has been put together. Those are his only goals since joining the Flyers, a sign that he has the offensive potential if given the chance.

The Flyers own 64.32 percent of the expected goals when Pelletier is on the ice, second to linemate Tippett who a 64.73 percentage. And guess who’s third? Poehling with a 64.09 percentage. Shaw has clearly found something with this trio and it’s helped Pelletier find his footing in Philadelphia.

In a time where the Flyers are hoping to build themselves into a group that can be a legitimate contender, getting this type of play from their younger players is key. It’s a group that could help form the next core of this team. The real test will be next season with whomever the new coach is. But for now, the results are promising.