Flyers coach John Tortorella opting to use 11 forwards to get Owen Tippett more ice time

TAMPA, Fla. — Don’t expect to see defenseman Justin Braun get another stint playing on the right wing anytime soon, as he did Feb. 24 against the Montreal Canadiens.

Coach John Tortorella has been rolling with 11 forwards and seven defensemen in the Flyers’ last two games, but 13-year NHL veteran Braun has resumed his standard defensive duties. Rather, with one less forward, Tortorella is aiming to give more playing time to some of his forwards to help with his evaluations as the season nears its end. For now, one of those players is 24-year-old winger Owen Tippett, who is running with the opportunity. Tippett has scored three goals in the last five games.

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In their March 1 overtime loss to the New York Rangers, Tippett racked up 27 minutes and 40 seconds of ice time, the team high that night and a career high.

“It was one of those ones where I didn’t even think about it until after I got off, I was just kind of running on adrenaline,” Tippett said.

The following game on Sunday against the Detroit Red Wings, Tippett posted 24:09 of ice time, just 17 seconds shy of defenseman Ivan Provorov’s workload. While Tippett didn’t score a goal, he had five shot attempts, three scoring chances, a takeaway, and three blocks at five-on-five, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Tippett will continue to get looks on the penalty kill as the season winds down, a new responsibility that he hasn’t undertaken since late in his junior career. But Tortorella’s biggest emphasis with Tippett down the stretch will be his power game, from bringing pucks to the net to taking on defenders one-on-one. Tortorella has already seen some of that from Tippett, but he said he thinks there is more there.

“I want to see him stick his leg out occasionally and bring things to the paint,” Tortorella said. “And I haven’t seen a lot of that. I think he’s had opportunities to do that. So I think that’s the next progression.”

To take that next step, Tippett will need to break an old habit. Tippett said he’s accustomed to shooting the puck the moment it lands on his blade in certain situations. Now, he’s trying to focus on taking the puck to the far post and getting a shot off, whether it’s on net or in the vicinity of it.

As Tippett navigates the remaining 19 games of the season, Tortorella won’t constantly be in his ear with suggestions. Instead, he wants to get out of Tippett’s way and let him play his game, a strategy that varies case by case.

“I think we overcoach,” Tortorella said. “I think you need to leave it alone and let him experience it. That’s a decision I have to make. Did he understand what I said? And if you think he did, then leave him alone. And let him figure it out. I think you learn more by making some mistakes and taking some thoughts and trying to correct it.”

No amount of snow could stop Craig and Bonnie Laughton from getting to Philadelphia for Sunday’s game against the Red Wings.

Their son Scott, the Flyers’ pick at No. 20 in the 2012 draft, was set to play his 500th NHL game that night. Despite seeing their flight from Toronto canceled due to the weather, Laughton’s parents made it to the Wells Fargo Center to watch their son reach a prestigious milestone and notch an empty-net goal in the Flyers’ 3-1 victory over the Red Wings.

“That’s kind of what it’s all about,” Laughton said. “You think about all the people that have affected you. They gave me so much opportunity as a kid. So think about those people and my wife and everything. I enjoyed that, and nice to get a win, too.”

In his 10th year with the Flyers, Laughton is having the most productive season of his career. He’s racked up a career-high 36 points (15 goals and 21 assists) while averaging a career-high 19:00 of ice time.

“Right from the start of the year, just the opportunity that has been given to me, I think, has been different from previous years,” Laughton said. “A little bit more of an offensive role. When you’re playing that much, you’re in the game, and you’re always involved.”

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Goalie Carter Hart (17-19-10, .908 save percentage) will start against the Lightning. ... Tortorella said that there are no changes to the lineup from Sunday, so forward Kieffer Bellows is expected to be a healthy scratch. ... The Flyers signed former Bemidji State defenseman Will Zmolek to a one-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2023-24 season on Tuesday. The 6-foot-3, 194-pound defenseman will report to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the remainder of this season. Zmolek, 23, registered four goals and 17 assists in 36 games this season and was a Hobey Baker Award nominee. He is the son of Doug Zmolek, who played for the San Jose Sharks, the Dallas Stars, the Los Angeles Kings, and the Chicago Blackhawks. ... Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman will not play against the Flyers. He was injured on Sunday against the Carolina Hurricanes and is considered day-to-day.

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