Manifesting another surprise Nolan Patrick appearance at this game.
The Flyers are officially back home after the All-Star break, high on a win against the Florida Panthers, and looking like a team that's had ample rest and time to collect themselves after a marathon month of January.
Travis Konecny and Noah Cates got on the scoreboard for the Flyers—much-needed for both players—while Sam Ersson largely kept his team in the game against a pushy and relentless Panthers offense. Aside from the first period, the Flyers showed that their success in the first part of the season wasn't a fluke, and that they still are very much making their playoff push.
Head coach John Tortorella was in a good mood during his morning skate press conference, acknowledging that the win against Florida was just what the team needed to feel like they were getting back on track.
He did, however, state that there are still plenty of aspects where the Flyers need improvement if they want to continue playing. He highlighted Cates as needing to be more consistent across "his whole game," saying, "I think he's been inconsistent. It's been a different year for him. He gets a ton of ice time last year in a different lineup, gets a major injury this year...I believe he'll come around because he's just that conscientious, but it's been a little bit of an up-and-down type season for him."
The Jets won't be an easy team to beat, although the Flyers did get the win last time the teams faced each other in Winnipeg. The keys to another victory for the Flyers lie where they have for most of the season—making use of the intelligent, creative offense generated by players Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee, giving Sam Ersson ample goal security, and maintaining a level head across all three periods, even in the face of hurdles like being scored on first early in the game.
One week off doesn't get them completely out of the woods with all of the mentally exhausting sagas taking place off the ice, but it can't be overstated just how strong this team's chemistry is and how much of a positive impact it's had on their game this season.
Just one recent example comes from Jamie Drysdale, who said that he originally was planning on just going home to Toronto for the All-Star break, but was persuaded to come on vacation to Mexico with a group of teammates that had been planned before he got traded, saying, "I literally didn't have to do anything. They booked the ticket for me, set up the hotel, everything. I literally just had to show up."
Resilience, slumping stars finding their scoring hands again, and consistently great vibes could be the recipe that helps them win against a very good Jets team, and can maybe even carry them over the next 32 games (and hopefully a long playoff run!)
Flyers Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Tippett - Couturier - Atkinson
Farabee - Frost - Konecny
Foerster - Poehling - Cates
Hathaway - Laughton
Defense:
Sanheim - Drysdale
Seeler - Walker
York - Ristolainen
Zamula
Ersson
Jets Projected Lines:
Forwards:
Connor - Scheifele - Vilardi
Perfetti - Monahan - Ehlers
Niederreiter - Lowry - Appleton
Barron - Namestnikov - Iafallo
Defense:
Morrissey - DeMelo
Dillon - Pionk
Samberg - Schmidt
Hellebuyck