On Feb. 22, the Philadelphia Flyers extended their winning streak to four games, defeating the Arizona Coyotes 5-3. The Flyers, 29-19-6, moved to within one point of second place in the Metropolitan Division and eight points ahead of the closest team for third place. What were some takeaways from the victory?
Laughton Finally Producing
The 2023-24 season has not been a great one for Scott Laughton, but he has really started to turn it around recently. In this game, he had a primary assist to Travis Konecny (who had three points himself) and the game-winning goal, making it back-to-back contests with a tally. For reference, he had just five in his previous 52 matches. If that production is what the Flyers can expect moving forward, it would be difficult to trade him like the current rumors are suggesting might happen.
Laughton had a very solid game aside from just the results, so that’s good for him moving forward. As long as he is improving at this time of year, what comes before it doesn’t really matter. Now after the All-Star Break, this is where the biggest and most important stretch of the season is. If players step up now, that’s when they are the most valuable.
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It might seem a bit unfair to treat the second half of the season so highly, especially for those who might be the opposite of Laughton, but it is objectively better to have good play during the playoff push than before it. This is the stretch where the games get tighter and teams play tougher. If you can come to play now, that can likely translate to the postseason. It not only makes him more valuable to the Flyers but to contenders looking to add depth at the trade deadline as well.
Frost Is Playing His Best Hockey
In one of the more surprising revelations, Morgan Frost has been crushing it recently. He got a goal on a penalty shot in this one, continuing his stint of excellence in 2024. Since Jan. 1, he is third on the team in points with 15 and first in primary assists with nine. Since Jan. 8, he is tied for first in points with 13 and has eight primary assists. Not only do the stats back up his excellence, but the eye test does, too. He has arguably been the best player on the team recently and has only gotten better in February.
Early in the season, Frost was playing pretty well but didn’t get the ice time he really deserved. As time went on, he was getting the ice time but wasn’t as good as he was at the beginning of the season. Now, he is getting both the time of day and the results. He is now a legitimate second-line center and actually helping his teammates be better. His goal in this game didn’t really indicate that, but the primary assist totals speak for themselves — he’s setting players up with the best of them.
Just off of the eye test alone, Frost has been buzzing. He drew plenty of penalties in this game, created offense for his teammates like he usually does, and was good in his own end. He should remain a prominent member of the team moving forward, as he has been an immensely valuable piece in their four-game winning streak.
Resilience Once Again Leads the Flyers
In a match that the Flyers trailed almost the entire way through, they still found a way to win. They trailed 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2, yet it didn’t matter. They came through in the biggest moment, outscoring the Coyotes 3-0 in the third period. That was easily their best period, and an uninspiring first couple from goaltender Sam Ersson was followed up with a flawless one for him.
The three goals he allowed can’t fully be blamed on him, but to be able to bounce back from giving up three tallies on a few shots is a very hard thing to do for a goaltender. The whole team found a way to get results after facing an entire game of adversity.
Now, it’s not like the Flyers deserved to win after their first two periods, but they were arguably the better team. It’s not like it was blasphemous that they were losing or anything. But still, they played well enough to win. Sometimes that isn’t enough, and instead of sulking or changing their strategies drastically, they kept pressing and were responsible at the same time. Some of the defensive miscues early on hurt Ersson and the Flyers, but they all but eliminated that in the third.
In the sport of hockey, sometimes it’s just not your night. Even if one team plays better, that doesn’t mean they’ll win. That was feeling like the case almost all night for the Flyers, but their resilience pushed them through. It’s something they’ve shown all season long, and that’s huge for a team that needs all the points they can get.
The Flyers will take on the Toronto Maple Leafs next on Feb. 15, and that’ll be a tough road contest for them. With a chance to get to the 30-win threshold, they will really have to work for it. With a superstar like Auston Matthews on the schedule and against an Eastern Conference foe, a win would mean so much for them. The Orange and Black can really start to cement themselves as a playoff team when facing the better clubs in their conference. That’s what most of their games moving forward will consist of.