Flyers takeaways: Signs of progress after flipping the switch late in sixth straight loss

WASHINGTON ― Reboot.

It’s what the person in IT tends to tell you to do when you bring them a computer issue. Just reboot it and it should work.

Well at some point, after once again looking dreadful and digging themselves into a 4-0 hole against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday, someone must have done just that because a Flyers team known for its speed, grit, and determination finally showed up.

The 6-3 score won’t tell the whole picture as two goals were empty-netters, and they mounted a comeback, but it was still the Flyers’ sixth straight loss.

Here are four reasons they got back into the game — and four things they should keep doing.

Everyone knows the annoying chorus to the LMFAO song, aptly titled, Shots, but literally — that’s what the Flyers needed to do.

In the first period, they could only muster three shots on goal, with the final one coming off the stick of Travis Konecny with 34 seconds to go. Woof. And it came after a game 24 hours earlier that saw them manage just eight shots across the final 40 minutes. Double woof.

But, as a famous Philadelphian said, hungry dogs run faster, and the Flyers started to get hungrier and hungrier. They put 17 shots on goal in the second period, the most since they poured 19 onto Calgary Flames goalie Dustin Wolf in the first period of the second game of the season — and that was 15 periods and a few ticks of overtime ago.

Part of the issue was puck possession but as the Flyers started to control things better they got more shots, more attempts, and spent more time driving to and controlling play around the Capitals’ net.

» READ MORE: The Flyers are struggling mightily at five-on-five. A lack of chemistry and line continuity is part of the problem.

They went from six shot attempts in the first period to 32 in the second and 19 in the final frame, according to Natural Stat Trick. They went from zero high-danger chances in the first period to creating 14 over the final 40 minutes. And they scored three times.

Konecny scored from a sharp angle on a power play. Owen Tippett curled and threw the puck on net — “It’s the one that you’re not expecting to go in that kind of breaks the seal,” he said — and Matvei Michkov put a shot on from above the circles that got through during a four-on-three action.

Morgan Frost almost tied the game on a wraparound with 7 minutes, 39 seconds left, but he didn’t turn his wrists over enough and the puck went off the skate of goalie Logan Thompson. Frost had a career-high seven shots on goal.

“[The] message kind of between periods was just fire everything at the net and see what happens,” said defenseman Jamie Drysdale. “They were doing it to us and getting chances. So, you know, can’t let him them off the hook with that.”

Ivan Fedotov does not play a pretty game, and maybe it will never look pretty for the 6-foot-8 goalie, but as the game wore on he did seem to settle down and find a rhythm.

Yes, he allowed four goals on the first 10 shots — with two from high-danger spots and two from mid-range — but he also didn’t get much help; two of the goals were redirects by guys not tied up and one was a breakaway. Should he have stopped the second goal of the game? Yeah, probably, but there was a slight screen by Frost as he tried to go down and block the shot.

In his last start, against the Seattle Kraken, he allowed two low-danger goals. This time, according to Natural Stat Trick, he stopped all six low-danger attempts. Part of that could be attributed to the Russian netminder appearing more comfortable looking around screens than over them in this game. This kept him with a lower center of gravity, making it easier to drop into a butterfly.

» READ MORE: Sielski: Yes, the Flyers are rebuilding. But John Tortorella’s team has to be more competitive than this.

Maybe that helped because after giving up goal No. 4, he stopped the next 13 shots, including back-to-back saves on Alex Ovechkin and Aliaksei Protas with under seven minutes to go. He then stopped his countryman, Ovechkin, from his power-play office with 3:22 left in regulation. Those three saves came when it was a one-goal game, giving the Flyers a chance.

“Made a couple [of] big saves there for us to keep us in it,” Tortorella said.

Sitting at a table during his introductory news conference in July, Michkov said through an interpreter: “I hope that I will, first of all, bring young blood, and the goals that everyone expects from me.”

Check that box off. Seven NHL games. Seven NHL points — six on the power play, which everyone hoped (prayed?) he’d improve.

The stat sheet credited Michkov with six shot attempts across all strengths, including three shots on goal. According to Natural Stat Trick, he helped the Flyers outchance the Capitals when he was on the ice.

Oh, and around 2½ minutes into the second period he tried “a Michigan” lacrosse-style scoop shot.

» READ MORE: Sielski: Matvei Michkov can change the Flyers’ complex history with Russian players

Although he started the night alongside Sean Couturier and Tyson Foerster, who was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch Tuesday, he ended it with Konecny as his opposite winger. That final trio spent 3:18 at five-on-five together in the game but had a Corsi For percentage of 70, according to Natural Stat Trick. With Foerster instead of Konecny, it was 33.33% in 6:25 of ice time.

The chemistry between Konecny and Michkov is undeniable, as once again seen by Michkov creating space and setting up Konecny’s power-play goal. But the dynamic duo also showed it off with Couturier and Travis Sanheim as time wound down in the middle frame. They combined for five shots on goal, and a shot by Couturier that got blocked, in a fast-and-furious 19-second span.

“He’s a pretty electric player when he has the puck,” said Drysdale, who had two power-play assists. “He really makes things happen out there; probably could have three goals tonight too. Heck of an offensive talent. [But] it can’t just be him. I think we’ll all just build off it.”

Michkov isn‘t one-dimensional. He struggled at times on defensive coverages, but he also showed his edge and got under the skin of the Capitals. In the second period, Michkov had to take a faceoff at center ice against rugged forward Brandon Duhaime after the pair got friendly awaiting the puck to be dropped following Tippett’s goal. Michkov won and Duhaime cross-checked him after.

It’s hard to say what exactly caused the switch to be flipped on the Flyers, but it didn’t come too long after Nick Seeler and Tortorella were spotted from the press box having a rowdy conversation during a TV timeout.

It came after the Capitals took a 3-0 lead on a breakaway where Seeler was trying to get back. The blueliner was pointing to the ice and yelling at Tortorella, who was giving it right back to him. Based on body language from across the way, it appeared as if the bench boss told Rocky Thompson, “You explain it because I’m done,” and the assistant coach did talk to Seeler — but in a toned-down manner.

“We have those once a game,” Tortorella said, trying to hold back a smile. “We’re discussing hockey plays, right? And certainly not going to tell you what we’re talking about, but that’s all part of it. You guys [the media] will probably make a big deal out of it, right? … All it is two men that care about what’s going on the ice. I love that guy, and that stuff is good for us.”

» READ MORE: Q&A: Dan Hilferty on the Flyers’ rebuild timeline, Matvei Michkov’s impact, free agency, and more

Seeler may have earned the Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award at the end of last season as the Flyer who best illustrates character, dignity, and respect for the sport on and off the ice, but the Minnesotan is also one of the most fiery competitors on the team.

And it showed there was still some fight left on the bench.

“That’s two guys who are passionate about winning, and kind of have the same mindset and mentality, and those things happen,” Seeler said. “So, it is what it is. It’s going to happen every game, whether it’s me or someone else. I think it’s productive. It shows you care and shows he cares.”