'He's A Great Competitor': Flyers Highlight Travis Konecny's Importance In Playoff Push
Travis Konecny looks to be gaining confidence as he scores three goals in his last two games, a welcome departure from the six-game scoring drought he had been struggling with since coming back from injury on Mar. 7.
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports - 'He's A Great Competitor': Flyers Highlight Travis Konecny's Importance In Playoff PushTravis Konecny looks to be gaining confidence as he scores three goals in his last two games against the Carolina Hurricanes and Boston Bruins—a welcome departure from the six-game scoring drought he had been struggling with since coming back from injury on Mar. 7.
Celebrating with impassioned yells and a look of pure determination, no one had to guess how much those goals meant to the Flyers' points leader, who now has back-to-back 30-goal seasons.
It was clear that the goals were not just important for Konecny, but for the Flyers as a whole. Fans know the impact he has on the team—his energy and ability to agitate other teams can turn the tides of a game at the drop of a hat—but even his newer teammates are familiar with his reputation and what he means to the group
"With TK, I found that, from what I knew before, [he's a] great competitor, really good at getting under teams' skin," Erik Johnson, who became a Flyer on Mar. 8, said. "There's a fine line, right? You don't want to go over that line and hurt your team, but you want to play on the edge and be that thorn in the other team's side, so for TK, he's got that skill and that abrasiveness. It's really helped our group."
Head coach John Tortorella also weighed in on Konecny's responsibilities not just as a goalscorer, but as a leader for a team.
"He's been fighting [his injury] a little bit," Tortorella said. "I think he's been playing really well, but those guys need to score goals, they need to see the puck go in the net. He's had some chances that he's missed, and I think that kind of doubles up on him because he cares."
Tortorella also emphasized how Konecny's individuality is crucial to his playing and leadership style, and how now is the time for him to prove why he was trusted with an 'A' on his sweater this season.
"It's a really important time for him—for me, anyway—to lead the proper way," Tortorella said. "I think you need to be selfish as a player, and he is out of his mind on the ice half the time, but that's a big reason why he is the player he is. I think he's got to find a middle road here—not to blow it up too much in his head, because he's got other to take care of, and that's his team.
"When you're getting down to crunch time here, that's a really important time for him to understand that, that his actions can't hurt the team as far as being a distraction. I think he's done a pretty good job of that. He gets on the ledge sometimes, but I think he's brought himself back."
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