Travis Konecny’s hat trick carries Flyers to 5-3 win over Capitals

As the Flyers moved up and down the ice, they did so as a unit, helping them to jump out to a strong lead and hold off a third-period push from the Washington Capitals, leading to a 5-3 win Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Travis Konecny posted a hat trick in the Flyers’ sixth win in their last seven games. The Caps also went into the game on a hot streak, having won eight of their last 11.

Coach John Tortorella preached “connectivity” early in the season. He wanted his players to be aware of each other, adjust to each other and work with each other across the ice. Forty-two games in, the Flyers looked like they were playing with one mind for longer minutes than usual.

There were mishaps and miscommunications at times, especially early on. But as they got rolling, the results showed how much they can benefit from playing as one.

The Flyers responded with a display of that connectivity after a Garnet Hathaway goal offset Scott Laughton’s power-play goal to tie the game at 1-1 in the first period. Cam York made a good pass to move the puck into the offensive zone. Konecny won the wall battle and then went straight to the front of the net, where Joel Farabee found him with a simple pass to put the Flyers back in the lead.

Hard work in the defensive zone led to the next two goals. James van Riemsdyk won a battle to pass the puck to Owen Tippett in the neutral zone. Tippett scored on the rush. Then a quick series of passes from Ivan Provorov to Laughton to Konecny got Konecny his second goal and Laughton his second point.

Flyers mistakes helped fuel a Capitals comeback with half of the third left. However, a Capitals penalty in the final two minutes helped squash the momentum and secure the win with an empty-net goal by Konecny, whose hat trick consisted of shorthanded, even-strength, and power-play goals.

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Halfway through the season, Konecny has already tied his career-high for goals. Fueled by his second career hat trick, he upped his season total to 24 goals.

Konecny came into the game as a top player for the Capitals to watch. He was on a nine-game scoring streak and has averaged more than a point per game this season. He was also top 15 in the league in goals per game.

Even with the attention focused on him, Konecny managed to extend the streak to 10 games with his goal late in the first, the longest active streak in the NHL.

“He’s taken over games, to be honest,” Laughton said. “He’s been one of our best players. ... I think he’s got a good role here with Torts, and he’s taken off with it.”

But Konecny didn’t stop there. He barraged the goal with shots, racking up a team-high seven shots on goal. And he was rewarded again in the third with a goal on the rush. He rounded it out with the empty-net goal to seal the win. While it was just his fourth multi-goal game of the season, it was his 15th multi-point performance. He now has 46 points in 36 games.

On Jan. 5, the Flyers scored on two of their three power plays against the Coyotes for an impressive 66% success rate. They proceeded to go goal-less over the next seven power plays in the following two games. Beyond failing to score, the power-play units couldn’t create entries, opportunities or momentum.

The power play that took the ice Wednesday looked like an entirely different team’s. Off the first faceoff, Tony DeAngelo passed the puck from the point to Scott Laughton. As Laughton surveyed his options, he drifted toward the point and DeAngelo shifted. Meanwhile, their teammates worked to create traffic in the front. Laughton looked like he might pass but when he noticed Joel Farabee’s screen, he took a quick shot for the first goal of the game.

While the Flyers didn’t score on their following power play, they created momentum, extending their time in the offensive zone long after the power play ended and creating more scoring opportunities.

Between Konecny and Tippett, Capitals goalie Darcy Kuemper barely had a break.

In addition to Konecny, the Capitals planned to keep an eye on his whole line. But the Flyers’ other top line caused them trouble, as well. Tippett, along with van Riemsdyk and Morgan Frost, created multiple opportunities, with Tippett coming in second with six shots on goal. Tippett turned one into a goal early in the third when he beat Kuemper from just above the right faceoff circle.

“He should have had three before the third period,” Tortorella said. “And you can see he’s just about to bust out. And not just the offensive part. He’s been more consistently a powerful forward.”

Tippett also drew three tripping calls, two of which were on the rush, to give the Flyers three of their four power plays. The power plays were critical in creating momentum.

With both Tippett and Konecny attacking, the Flyers had more than one line rolling, which is an important step for the team. Opponents can’t afford to focus on one line when multiple players chip in like they did Wednesday.

The Flyers head to the nation’s capital to play the Capitals at 7 p.m. Saturday.