Egor Zamula’s defensive exploits a good sign for the Flyers’ present and future

Trying to protect a Flyers one-goal lead in the third period on Tuesday night, Egor Zamula saw both his defensive partner, Nick Seeler, and goalie go down to block a shot, leaving a large expanse of empty net. Without a thought, he moved to fill it. Seeler, lying on the ice after blocking the initial shot, watched as the puck went straight into Zamula’s chest and then bounced away from the goal.

“I see just an open net, and I try to help my team,” Zamula said. “Block the shot. And I got to help us a lot tonight.”

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The bench greeted him with cheers, and after the 3-1 win over the Islanders, goalie Carter Hart said with a big smile that he owed Zamula dinner.

The highlight save came in a clutch moment toward the end of the game, but Zamula stepped up from the first shift he played. One of the major focuses coach John Tortorella identified was getting the 22-year-old to jump into games rather than “wade” into them.

Tortorella played Zamula with Seeler on the third pair, and the older defenseman encouraged Zamula to focus on his start and keep it simple. Just over 90 seconds into the game, the two took the ice together. It was Zamula’s first NHL game since Nov. 5. Together, they held down the fort, keeping the Islanders from building anything.

“That’s always important every game,” Seeler said. “Getting into it with a hit or a simple pass or feeling the puck; it’s nice to get the first one out of the way.”

Since training camp, Tortorella has praised Zamula, saying he thinks he has a bright future in the NHL. Zamula has a large frame at 6-foot-3, although he’s still trying to put on weight (he’s currently listed at 191 pounds), but the No. 1 thing Tortorella mentions is Zamula’s vision on the ice. He helps generate offense, but as he adjusts to the NHL, he has been prone to turnovers. Tuesday night, he kept it simple and finished without any giveaways.

“I thought he was steady,” Hart said. “He did a good job coming back up, just playing his game, keeping things simple. He was breaking the puck out well.”

Zamula was pleased with his performance after the game. Between his time with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Tuesday night, he has positives to build on.

“My confidence, I think right now, is pretty good because ... I played a lot with [the] Phantoms and tried to help my team over there,” Zamula said. “And my legs are feeling pretty good right now and my body. I feel great. And I think I played a good game tonight.”

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Along with Seeler, the veterans on defense have tried to take Zamula under their wing. That’s a major reason Tortorella wanted Zamula up with the team even if he wasn’t playing. He only sent him down because they also didn’t have practices, so he wasn’t skating at all.

Now that Zamula’s back, he’s not back just to practice. He’ll be playing, Tortorella said, so having him here will hopefully make both him and the veterans better.

“He’s going to push,” Tortorella said. “He’s going to push some people, because he’s going to play. I think it causes an inner competition within the team.”

The Flyers host the Tampa Bay Lightning (13-8-1) on Thursday at 7 p.m. ... Tortorella did not have an update on injured players Travis Konecny (upper body), Cam Atkinson (upper body), or Tony DeAngelo (lower body). Konecny and Atkinson practiced with the team but did not participate in the line rushes. They helped out on the penalty kill during the power-play drills. DeAngelo did not practice. ... Tortorella said he wasn’t paying attention to the 10-game losing streak or to the opponents ahead. He was focused on improving every day. “I can’t afford to. There’s too much to do.”