Travii Take Over in Flyers 4-3 Shootout Win vs. Devils

Would it shock you if I told you the Flyers’ third win of the preseason was also their third shootout victory? Well, the Philadelphia Flyers end the preseason with a record of 3-4-0 — each win coming from the shootout.

Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim, the Travii, took over for the Flyers in Saturday’s win. 

It started with a Sanheim wrist shot late in the first period to even the score at 1 a piece, matching the Kevin Rooney score for the Devils. Jett Luchanko and Nikita Grebenkin each picked up an assist on the goal.

The Devils quickly made it 2-1 40 seconds into the second period while on the man-advantage. Seven minutes later, Konecny would make it 2-2 with a power-play goal, assisted by Michkov and Drysdale.

The third period was another period with a pair of goals scored, one by each team.

New Jersey picked up the 3-2 lead with just over eight minutes to play, thanks to Paul Cotter’s third of the preseason.

The Flyers were starting to hit do-or-die time. With less than two minutes to go, Konecny comes up with a big score in the clutch. With the extra attacker on the ice, Konecny buried his second of the afternoon from the top of the left-side dot.

The five-minute 3-on-3 would not be enough — a growing theme for the Flyers this preseason. The finale went to the shootout.

Trevor Zegras would score first in the shootout, beating Jake Allen with a patient attack, then quickly sending the puck to the low left side of the net.

Konecny would follow Zegras with a shootout goal, beating Allen to the upper-right side of the net.

New Jersey would not score in the shootout, giving Zegras the game-winner, and Konecny shutting the door.

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Takeaways From the Game

It’s starting to feel like a “breakout” season is coming for both Travis Konecny and Sanheim. I say that with quotation marks because obviously, both players have already broken out. Now, it feels like each player is set to take their game to a whole new level.

Sanheim seems much more aggressive in all the right ways. He’s got some added physicality, he looks much more comfortable on offense, and he has looked sharp defensively, too. With the Olympics coming up, he might be ready to put on a show for a chance to represent Canada in the Olympics.

The same goes for Konecny. He looks dialed in, already playing in midseason form. For me, I’d love to see him find more consistency. He always starts out hot. Nonetheless, the Flyers’ star looks locked in and ready for the regular season.

Jett Luchanko also had his best game of the preseason, by far. He notched the primary assist on Sanheim’s score. Luchanko just had an all-around solid game. Although it may not matter too much, as it seems the roster battle has been decided.

Dennis Gilbert was placed on waivers Saturday, leaving the active roster at 23, meaning no more cuts needed. It looks like Luchanko and Rodrigo Abols are making the 23-man roster.

What’s Next for the Flyers

Now that preseason is over, all focus shifts to the regular season. The Flyers have just a few practices left before they open the season on October 9th in Florida, taking on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.

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