Owen Tippett’s momentum starting to ‘snowball’ in a positive way for the Flyers

When James van Riemsdyk was placed on a line with Owen Tippett, he was surprised by the younger winger’s legs.

It’s clear from looking at the 6-foot-1, 207-pound Tippett that he’s big and strong, and the highlights have shown that he can shoot the puck with great velocity and accuracy. But skating alongside him, van Riemsdyk realized just how fast Tippett is.

“For me, playing on his line, that’s the most impressive thing about him,” van Riemsdyk said. “He’s such a big, strong guy, but he flies out there.”

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All of Tippett’s physical tools highlighted his potential to become a good hockey player one day. But having so many skills at his disposal let Tippett coast through the lower levels of hockey. Now, the 23-year-old’s learning there needs to be more to his game than speed and a hard shot.

A few years of NHL experience has made a difference, but having van Riemsdyk on his line really gave Tippett a boost. Coach John Tortorella has spoken highly of the way van Riemsdyk has taken his young linemates, Tippett and Morgan Frost, under his wing. Van Riemsdyk said it’s been a big point of emphasis that the three of them talk after shifts. Under his tutelage, Tippett and Frost have learned to be more situationally aware and what to do — and what not to do — according to the time, score, and matchup.

“It’s taken me a while to kind of realize different areas and different times of the game on when I can do what,” Tippett said. “I think I’m finally starting to figure it out now on what kind of jump you can have and what plays to make where. It helps having that communication with your linemates for sure.”

Tippett, who is in his fourth NHL season, has put in the work, and now the opportunities are coming. With better linemates, more power-play time, and more responsibility, Tippett has been able to learn even more as he has earned more opportunities to produce. It’s starting to “snowball,” van Riemsdyk said.

While Tippett hasn’t gone on long scoring streaks, he’s quietly notched a goal here and an assist there; his 23 points rank fifth on the Flyers. He’s second on the team with 13 goals.

The key for him now is consistency, Tortorella said. And by consistency, he doesn’t mean consistently having multi-point games like he had Wednesday in a 5-3 win over the Washington Capitals.

“You just can’t fall off the cliff,” Tortorella said. “You may not be as good as you were the other game. But you can’t fall off the cliff. That’s important for Tip.”

In December, Tortorella praised the way van Riemsdyk would come back from a shift and, using the iPads on the bench, teach Frost and Tippett in real time what they did well and what they should think about next time.

Wednesday night, he announced he’d pulled all the iPads from the bench.

“We took the video, what do you call them? Lost my train of thought. The iPads. We took them off the bench. We don’t have them on the bench anymore because I just want them to be worried about the next shift,” Tortorella said.

Yes, they’re losing those teaching moments, but it’s a fine line, Tortorella acknowledged. When it comes down to it, he’s more worried about keeping the players engaged in the game and not overloading them with information.

“We have a major problem understanding flows of the game,” Tortorella said. “That’s the biggest reason for it.”

However, Tortorella wasn’t successful in pulling all screens from the bench. There’s a television built right into it, so players still can glance down at replays. They’re also allowed to go talk to the video coaches between periods. But they won’t be able to use the iPads anymore during game action.

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The Flyers ran the same lines as Wednesday night against the Capitals. They’re having success, and Tortorella likes how everyone fits together at the moment. However, he’s concerned about defenseman Justin Braun, who hasn’t played since Jan. 2. “I don’t think it’s really good for him to sit out a whole bunch,” Tortorella said. But he hasn’t found a solution for it yet. ... Some of the players are excited to be a game under .500, but their coach said he hasn’t paid any attention to that. ... After practice, Tony DeAngelo was yelling for people to vote for Travis Konecny to be an in the All-Star game. Konecny is the team’s scoring leader with 24 goals and 46 points and is averaging over a point per game (1.28 ppg). Kevin Hayes currently is the Flyers’ lone All-Star representative.