Cam Atkinson finding early chemistry with new linemate Owen Tippett

Cam Atkinson is off to one of the hottest starts of his career with five goals and eight points through the Flyers’ first nine games.

In fact, Atkinson’s current point total matches his production through the first nine games of his 2018-19 season, long before he ever struggled with the neck injury that sidelined him all of last year. That season, Atkinson went on to log career highs with 41 goals and 69 points for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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For Flyers coach John Tortorella, who has known Atkinson since his Columbus days, a key part of the winger’s game is his hockey IQ, and his ability to anticipate a play before it unfolds.

“Cam Atkinson is so good at it, leaving the zone when he knows we’re gonna get first touch in the corner,” Tortorella said. “He’s at the red line by the time we get the first touch.”

According to Tortorella, that innate anticipation allows the Flyers to spread out the ice, and ultimately play at a quicker pace offensively.

“[Owen Tippett] playing the left side, he knows I’m taking off every time,” Atkinson said. “And he has an ability where he could get the puck, especially on his off wing, and come back into the zone, create space for himself. That kind of allows me to almost run a route.”

Atkinson said a lot of it is trusting his instincts. He’ll try to talk the other wingers through his thought process, especially Bobby Brink and Travis Konecny, who he sees as playing a similar style to him. The key, as both Tortorella and Atkinson noted, is not to over-rely on anticipation, or it can turn into cheating.

“If it starts going off the rails and we forget about the other side of the puck, and not be anticipating, but just kind of leaving and cheating, that’s what I have to coach,” Tortorella said.

Right now, though, it seems to be working. Atkinson and Tippett have demonstrated an intrinsic chemistry as linemates — Tippett has recorded the primary assist on four out of Atkinson’s five goals.

Atkinson compared playing alongside Tippett to playing with Artemi Panarin back in Columbus. In both cases, Atkinson said, opposing players tend to keep their eyes on them, which allows Atkinson to get free.

“Speed kills,” Atkinson said. “Just with Tippie, he’s so skilled and so fast that you have to respect that, and that allows me to kind of get lost.”

On Monday night against Carolina, the Flyers squandered at least a point late in the third period after Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teräväinen capitalized on a failed clear by Noah Cates, beating Carter Hart and taking along with him a point in the standings. It was a similar story days before against Vegas, when a Cam York turnover led to the Golden Knights pulling ahead with 33 seconds remaining in the game .

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Part of that, Tortorella said, is just growing pains.

“I think it’s just players feel uncomfortable in those situations. Sometimes you have to fail to learn from it,” Tortorella said. “In the first 10 games, yeah, we’ve gone through it a couple of times. Hopefully, it just gives you an opportunity to learn from it. It’s not that they’re lazy, it’s just trying to do too much, instead of just simplifying.”

Both of these narrow defeats came against teams with realistic Stanley Cup aspirations. And while it might sting more to see a hard-fought point or potentially two against a quality team slip away at the last minute, there are also lessons to be gleaned from the opponent.

“I think it’s something we’re gonna have to learn throughout the year. Starts of periods, ends of periods, when can you get away with forcing a play, and when can you not?” winger Garnet Hathaway said. ”That’s something that I think we’ll win more games, when we start learning that.”

Hart will start in net against the Sabres on Wednesday night (4-3, .921 save percentage) … Morgan Frost remains in the Flyers’ lineup on Wednesday night for the second straight game, after being scratched for six in a row. … Center Ryan Poehling is a healthy scratch.