The Philadelphia Flyers only came away with one point in their weekend back-to-back but it was the play of a few key forwards that really stood out.
John Tortorella has been tinkering with the Flyers lines since the trade deadline. Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov are both typically more comfortable on the right side, but the head coach put his two most-talented players back on a line with Sean Couturier this weekend.
Tortorella gave that line a brief look earlier in the season before splitting up Konecny and Michkov. But with the Flyers out of contention and the focus on the future (while also not completely giving up on the season), building some chemistry between the Flyers’ top wingers seems like a great choice.
And it paid immediate dividends.
Konecny broke his 13-game goal drought by scoring in both games while also picking up an assist on Sunday. He had just two goals in his previous 29 games.
Michkov also got off the schneid after going pointless in his previous six games. He had a nice primary assist on Saturday in Dallas before adding two helpers on Sunday.
The feed from Mich. The patience from Poehls. 🔥#PHIvsDAL | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/HjpT0fzBi5
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 22, 2025
It makes sense to put a team’s best players together on one line and it sounds like Tortorella is going to keep rolling with that trio for the Flyers.
“I think TK’s settled in that he’s going to play left wing. I think him and Mich are dangerous when they play together. I think they’re even talking more on the bench and I think are more comfortable playing with one another,” Tortorella said after Sunday’s game. “So I’m going to keep that together. I think it’s helped Mich and I certainly think it’s helped TK. And Coots has been playing pretty well.”
The trio of Konecny, Couturier, and Michkov has now played 104 minutes together at 5-on-5, according to MoneyPuck, with an Expected Goal differential of 6-4.8 (55.6%). They’ve outscored the opposition 8-7 in those minutes.
The Flyers don’t exactly have a wealth of options up front since trading away a few roster players ahead of the deadline. With the Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink line locked in, getting a longer look at Michkov and Konecny together on a line can hopefully go a long way heading into next season.
