Flyers Grades: Hart and Konecny Lead the Way vs Avalanche

Those pesky Philadelphia Flyers did it again, didn’t they?

Oh, and how did they. Coming off of an impressive road win against the Arizona Coyotes, Carter Hart and the Flyers racked up another one, making a mockery of the Colorado Avalanche and winning by a score of 5-2 at Ball Arena. The Avalanche were already coming into the game with leftover frustration from their previous loss to the Winnipeg Jets, and that boiled over in an uninspired performance against the Flyers on Saturday night.

Colorado went 0-for-2 on the power play, as Philadelphia’s penalty kill continues to rock and roll. Oh, and that Travis Konecny guy scored two goals again, just like he did on Thursday night against Arizona. Suddenly, Konecny has scored six points in his last three games, with two points in each.

Let’s talk grades.

Travis Konecny: A+

Travis Konecny loves to score goals. The 26-year-old beat Ivan Prosvetov twice on his glove side, though his penalty shot had quite a bit of luck involved. On that one, the puck hit Prosvetov’s pad and just bounced in before the Russian could recover. But for goal-scorers, luck is the name of the game.

Suddenly, Konecny is on pace for a 48-goal campaign. His career-high is 31, which he set in only 60 games last season.

If the Flyers can keep Konecny healthy, and linemates Sean Couturier and Tyson Foerster continue to play well, we can kiss that career-high goodbye. Hell, if we’re talking about luck, who says 50 goals is out of the question?

Travis Sanheim: A+

It may be something or it may be nothing, but the two Travises – who are also locker neighbors – were the two best players on the ice Saturday night.

Travis Sanheim had been going through the motions lately and was noticeably less effective than he had been previously, but the Flyers got the best of No. 6 against the Avalanche. Players like Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen were largely non-factors, and Sanheim had a lot to do with it.

The 27-year-old picked the corner on Prosvetov to give the Flyers the all-important two goal lead. After the Avs had answered, it was Sanheim who got the last laugh, bull rushing the crease and creating a scoring chance that allowed Bobby Brink to give Joel Farabee a slam dunk at the far post.

It was the latter that put the game on ice at 5-2, despite half the third period still remaining.

Bobby Brink: A

Speaking of Bobby Brink, this is another kid that just gets it.

We can hear the “BOB-BY” chants in these pics. 📸🐶#PHIvsCOL | @BobbyBrink19 pic.twitter.com/KULr00JWva

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 10, 2023

Brink seems to have found a home next to Morgan Frost and Owen Tippett on the second line, and despite playing just 12:10, the 22-year-old finished the night with two primary assists against one of the best teams in the NHL. The rookie is quietly on pace for nearly 50 points this season, and that’s the kind of depth the Flyers haven’t had in years.

Whatever head coach John Tortorella was benching him for doesn’t seem to be affecting Brink all that much. The 5-foot-8 winger is getting it done at both ends of the ice, and despite his small stature, Brink almost never gets knocked around. If Brink can keep this up, he’s got a very bright future with the Flyers.

Carter Hart: A+

I don’t mean to be too liberal with super positive grades, but it was truly one of those nights for the Philadelphia Flyers.

There’s not much to say about Carter Hart that hasn’t already been said, except for this: Vezina? Hart is 3-0-0 in his last three starts, allowing just four goals in total and averaging a save percentage of .959. The 25-year-old has always been good, but he’s been lights-out lately after the Flyers started to slip a little bit. Goaltending is all about being timely, being cool, and staying composed. Hart has been all three for this team when they needed it the most.

When Hart plays like he has and he gets the goal support that he’s gotten, the Flyers can win on any given night – that’s the fact of the matter.

Next stop, Nashville, TN.

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