Four takeaways from the Flyers’ 2-1 OT loss to the Kraken: ‘Power kill’ strikes again

SEATTLE — Just breathe.

Yes, the Flyers held the lead for a good chunk of the game — 29 minutes and 24 seconds to be exact — and were unable to skate away with the win in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Seattle Kraken. But the team wasn’t all apologies after the game because they did get a point, and three of four to start a four-game western road trip, and the bench boss was pleased.

“Both teams, there wasn’t much going on for a lot of the game,” coach John Tortorella said. “They ended up generating a little bit more as the game went on. But, yeah, we just grind away, find a way to get a point, and always want to get the other one, but I have no [expletive] about the effort to start our trip.”

Here are four takeaways.

The Flyers penalty kill is not only one of the best in the NHL — it ranks No. 4 at 85.5% — it is a legit offensive threat. After the pairing of Garnet Hathaway and Ryan Poehling buried one on the power kill Thursday night in the Flyers 4-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks, the dynamic duo of Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton kept the streak alive.

» READ MORE: Flyers skate out of Seattle still streaking, but not how they wanted

Konecny and Laughton combined for, what turned into, the Flyers’ lone goal. Off pressure by Konecny and a stretch pass by Travis Sanheim, Laughton found his buddy by the Kraken net and Konecny was able to score — albeit off of Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn.

“We’ve penalty killed now for two years or a year and a half and read well off each other,” Laughton said. “I feel like when we play 5-on-5 we usually have pretty good chemistry and just try and read off each other. A lot of communication and our D do a great job of moving pucks up when we get going and found a way to get on there shorthanded.”

Of Konecny’s four shorthanded goals this season, Laughton has the primary assist on two and the secondary assist on one.

“They work well reading off each other and it makes it pretty easy when you know where each other is going to be,” Sanheim said. “They seem to be finding each other a lot and credit to them, and they’ve been putting up a lot of points on the penalties.”

The Flyers power play went 0-for-3 but there were some bright spots.

Although the first two power plays had eight shot attempts — and just one actual shot on goal — the third power play, which came with the game tied in the third, was outstanding. They just couldn’t score.

They finished with one shot blocked, two missed shots, and four shots on goal.

“More downhill, more directness as far as the puck to the net,” Tortorella said. “I like [Egor Zamula] again tonight [on the point]. On the last one, it was basically the one group [the first power play]; they had the puck most of the time. But Z has shown us a little bit more each power play he plays so we keep trying to work at it and see where it goes.”

Watching Carter Hart play goal, you’re quick to forget that he missed a considerable amount of time due to illness and only started five of the team’s 12 games in December. He’s now started two of the last three and on Friday he allowed two goals on 29 shots, with 11 of those shots coming in the third period when the Kraken were pressing.

“It was a good effort. Got a point [and] obviously, you want two but coming on a back-to-back with travel, I think we played hard and and played well,” Hart said. “Last goal is obviously one I went back, just made a bad read; it was a righty on the goal line there, didn’t think he was going to shoot. Made a bad play, learn from it, and move on.”

Across the game, the Kraken got 12 high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. His teammates also blocked 21 shots and the Kraken missed the net on another 16.

“Yeah, we did a good job at tying up sticks, blocking shots,” Hart noted. “TK with a big block in the second, [Nick Seeler] with a couple of big blocks. I think we did a good job of boxing guys out if pucks did get through and not letting them get second opportunities.”

And it was also a special night for Hart, who played his junior hockey in nearby Everett, Washington. In attendance was his billet, Parker Fowlds, whom he calls his American Grandpa, and Connor Parkkila, the reason Hart wears No. 79.

Parkilla, who has autism, grew up watching Hart play with the Everett Silvertips and bought a No. 79 Hart jersey back in 2016 after Hart’s first development camp. Hart had been given the unusual number, customary for rookies and players not expected to make the team, only temporarily for the camp. The goaltender later spotted Parkkila wearing the jersey when he returned to junior to play for the Silvertips.

“I didn’t want to disappoint him, and that’s the first Flyers jersey I ever saw anyone wear with my name on the back,” Hart said in 2016. “I was like, ‘Maybe I should just stick with 79. I don’t want his parents to be too mad and have to buy him another jersey if I switched numbers.’ I wanted to just honor that.”

Tortorella doesn’t want to talk much about himself but you have to give stick taps when stick taps are due.

The Massachusetts native hit the 1,500th NHL game milestone on Friday, becoming the eighth coach and first American-born coach to do so. It comes one day after he won his 723rd game, passing former Flyers coach Alain Vigneault for 10th all-time.

“I am fortunate that I’ve been given some opportunities. There were so many that, whether it be American-born, Canadian-born, European, coaches from there that are really good coaches — much better than some of the coaches that are coaching teams in this league right now in the National Hockey League — the timing wasn’t right or they didn’t have someone crack the door for them,” Tortorella said when asked about his message to coaches wanting to follow in his footsteps.

“My thought is just keep working at it and you just need that break. ... And that’s where I’m humbled that I’ve been given some opportunities to run some hockey clubs, where some coaches may never get that chance and they’re twice the coach that I am. ... I just hope they keep plugging along and someone finds them and they get an opportunity and that’s when they have to make it happen for themselves to keep on going.”

Tortorella credits everything to Rick Dudley, who hired him as an assistant coach for the AHL’s New Haven Nighthawks during the 1998-99 season. Dudley brought him along to the Buffalo Sabres the following year and in 2000, as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s general manager, hired Tortorella to run the bench.

“I don’t have a sniff of being able to coach in this league if it wasn’t for Rick Dudley giving me an opportunity,” Tortorella said. “That’s what I’m saying — some people just don’t get that opportunity. And it’s unfair, but it is what it is. So that’s where I feel so fortunate.”

Konecny was a little banged up in this one. He blocked a shot by Alexander Wennberg in the second period that seemed to sting him pretty good. He stumbled to the bench, slammed his stick as he got there and seemed to be in quite a bit of pain. Tortorella confirmed “he got beat up a little bit” along with Sean Couturier.