Travis Konecny has been a productive player for the Philadelphia Flyers for a long time. At the same time, he's also been miscast as a top-line scorer for much of his career due to the organization's inability to put enough offensive talent around him. Things are changing for the Flyers thanks to a wave of new talent, but the reliance on Konecny and expectation for him to contribute remains, such as when he had the puck on his stick in overtime of Game 2 of the team's series against Carolina.
Sprung on a breakaway after a rare defensive lapse by the Hurricanes, Konecny had all the time in the world coming in against goaltender Frederik Andersen, but he whistled the shot wide and off the glass. About three minutes later, the Flyers were losers, and a potentially tied series is now a grim proposition for the team as they head back to Philadelphia down two games to none.
Travis Konecny missed a big chance in overtime of Game 2, and he feels appropriately responsible for the loss
Missed opportunities happen in hockey and in every sport. But when you're a team playing with a slim margin for error against a superior opponent on paper, you don't get to squander too many chances. Konecny's failed breakaway was just the icing on the cake in Game 2 for the Flyers, whose power play scored on its first opportunity. It was then downright bad for the rest of the night, going 1 for 7 overall, including a wasted man advantage earlier in the overtime period.
Coincidentally, or maybe not, Konecny led the team with 8:05 of ice time on the power play in the game. That's par for the course, as he has been either first or second on the team in power-play ice time during the regular season for each of the last four years, a time period where the team's PP has been nothing short of abysmal. Miscast much?
Not to lay multi-year struggles entirely at the feet of one of the team's better players, who actually does contribute regularly, but it's disheartening to get to this point of the season and see a veteran player come up small in a critical spot. Konecny is a fiery competitor who has spoken about his desire to get back to the big postseason stage after sitting on the sidelines for too long, but so far this spring, the results have been sorely lacking. In fact, he has just 2 goals and 10 assists in 30 career playoff games. Will this be his legacy as a Flyer, perfectly encapsulated by his Game 2 overtime miss?
Travis Konecny had the game on his stick here. pic.twitter.com/1xRiIiCRMZ
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) May 5, 2026
To his credit, Konecny took full blame for the loss, saying that it should have been game over at that point. Truthfully, it shouldn't have even gotten that far, with the Flyers jumping out to the early 2-0 lead and carrying all the momentum early in the game. But he'll have to wear it, try to be better for it, and be ready for Game 3. The team can only rely on Dan Vladar for so long, and they need Konency, along with Trevor Zegras, Tyson Foerster, and others, to step up their game. On this night, it could have been any of the Flyers who cruised in all alone and missed a golden opportunity, but Konecny just happened to have the most glaringly obvious fail among many for the team.
The series isn't over, and Game 2 at least showed that the Flyers can hang with Carolina and put them on the ropes in their own building. That bodes well for the team's confidence and provides a valuable learning experience, especially for the younger players. Travis Konency isn't one of those younger players, but hopefully, he learned something, as well. His growth as an NHL player was stunted because the team has been subpar for most of his career, but he's now being counted on to lead in multiple ways.
He didn't point any fingers after the loss, except at himself, and that's the way it should be. Now, he needs to find a way to put the puck in the net or set up his teammates to do it, or his offseason will arrive in short order. It's as basic as that.
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