Flyers leading scorer Travis Konecny ruled out against the Montreal Canadiens with an upper-body injury

MONTREAL — Following the Flyers’ loss to the Boston Bruins on Thursday, coach John Tortorella noted that it has been challenging to pin down the team’s identity because of the sheer quantity of key players missing from the lineup because of injury.

That feat will remain increasingly difficult for a team struggling to find its footing amid a five-game losing streak. General manager Chuck Fletcher announced on Saturday afternoon that top-line winger Travis Konecny has an “upper-body” injury and will not play against the Montreal Canadiens, the final opponent of a three-game road trip. He has returned to Philadelphia to undergo further evaluation.

“It’s a monstrous hole for us,” Tortorella said. “But it is what it is. We’re going to have other guys take some of his ice time.”

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Konecny, the team’s leading scorer with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists), appeared to injure his right hand in the second period against the Bruins. He went back to the dressing room and did not return to the game.

His absence is the latest blow to the Flyers’ forward corps, which has been lacking veteran talent since the preseason. The Flyers already are missing center Sean Couturier (back), winger James van Riemsdyk (broken finger), and winger Cam Atkinson (undisclosed upper body). On Nov. 12, the Flyers lost winger Wade Allison to an oblique muscle strain and hip pointer.

“Even from last year, we’ve kind of learned to deal with it,” forward Morgan Frost said. “It’s obviously a huge blow. But I think if everyone comes together and works as hard as they can and does the little things and tries to fill the void of the missing players, then I think we can win some hockey games here and prove some people wrong.”

After an underwhelming 2021-22 season saw Konecny score on just 7.3% of his shots, he has appeared to rediscover his scoring touch this year (12.5% shooting). Tortorella has utilized Konecny in key situations for the Flyers at five-on-five and on special teams. For the first time in his career, Konecny has been a key contributor to the Flyers’ penalty kill. As a result, Konecny is averaging a career-high 19 minutes, 25 seconds of ice time, which ranks second among Flyers forwards.

Before Thursday night’s game, Konecny was on a seven-game point streak (three goals, seven assists), which tied the career high he set from Feb. 1 through Feb. 22 last season (one goal, six assists). With his blend of effort and execution, Konecny has become a go-to player for Tortorella.

“I’ve told you guys right from the get-go,” Tortorella said. “When I’m looking for someone, no matter what the situation is, I’m looking for TK. And I think he deserves that. So we have a major hole there, but I look at it another way and we’re trying to build a team that gives guys other opportunities to see what they can do in those situations.”

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With Konecny out, winger Kieffer Bellows will check back into the lineup. Bellows, whom the Flyers claimed on waivers from the New York Islanders on Oct. 27, was a healthy scratch against the Bruins. Through five games in the bottom six, Bellows is still looking for his first point as a Flyer and is minus-one.

“He’s a smart player,” Frost said. “He kind of has that knack for for scoring goals. If he’s given the opportunity, I think he can thrive in it. Even being out of the lineup for a couple games, his attitude hasn’t changed at all.”

Goalie Carter Hart (.925 save percentage, 2.55 goals against average, 6-3-3) will start against the Canadiens. He is looking for his first win since Nov. 5 against the Ottawa Senators. ... With Konecny out of the lineup, Tortorella is looking for Frost to step up and make plays on a line with wingers Joel Farabee and Owen Tippett. “For me to believe in him as an offensive guy, that needs to be who he is,” Tortorella said of Frost. “And that is being it consistently every night. Teams win in this league when their offensive guys are their offensive guys.”