The Flyers are tougher to shake away, but still need to learn how to make that next push

Travis Konecny wanted to move past the "measuring stick" games.

The Flyers fell a goal short against the NHL-best Colorado Avalanche this past Sunday, but skated right there with them and even had the ice going downhill against them in the 3-2 loss' latter half. Then they bounced right back against the San Jose Sharks a couple of nights later, taking a 4-1 win in a game that they could win, while preventing any bad from piling up.

It's what they've been doing all season so far, with more tangible results on the ice and more consistent, positive steps forward.

They're learning. They're growing up. They're getting better, and they're getting a whole lot tougher to deal with, regardless of who's across from them.

"Like, we've shown we can compete with the best teams," Konecny said after the Colorado game last weekend. "So why not start believing that we should be right there with them?"

Maybe they're not fully there yet, but they're getting closer…They just have to be a bit more careful with the puck…

The Flyers got another one of the NHL's juggernauts in the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday evening at Xfinity Mobile Arena, and kept up with every stride and matched every board battle against the perennial playoff contender into overtime.

But then Konecny flubbed a pass in his own zone, while moving toward his own net in the extra frame, which allowed Vegas' Jack Eichel to pick up the puck and wait for teammate Mark Stone to coast in and score the backdoor winner, 3-2, for the Knights.

The Flyers still picked up a point with their record now standing at 16-9-4, and gave Vegas everything it could handle, but still need to figure out that last step to get that full two.

Trevor Zegras, on a backdoor pass across the ice from Travis Sanheim that slipped through everyone, answered Zach Whitecloud's opening goal with a tap-in to tie it 1-1 late in the first period.

TAPE TO TAPE. 😮‍💨#VGKvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/mONyO72HLu

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 12, 2025

Noah Juulsen, after Christian Dvorak wheeled around the right circle with every Vegas skater puck-watching to create an opening, dropped down and hammered a one-time pass that Knights goaltender Akira Schmid never had a prayer of stopping for the 2-2 tie late in the second – all after Stone knocked a lucky bounce through Dan Vladar in front of the Philadelphia net a few minutes earlier.

BLAST OFF! 🚀#VGKvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/dO3WVkIyxb

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 12, 2025

Through the third, no one broke, in a low-event stalemate that Vladar remained stellar in, especially as he moved laterally on cross-ice passes that Vegas tried to beat him and the Flyers with.

We've got a guy there. #VGKvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/gyFjns6hng

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) December 12, 2025

Then in overtime…yeah…

KONECNY FLUBS IT AND THEN EICHEL FINDS STONE TO WIN IT 😵🚨 pic.twitter.com/92gEzPOJ3e

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 12, 2025

Leave a puck behind like that, and a star like Eichel will make you pay every time.

They're better, and they're tougher to fight off now, but they need to figure out that next step to fully get ahead of the league's best.

Plus, not turn the puck over that badly, too.

Saturday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, another yearly playoff squad, will be the Flyers' next shot at it as they wrap up a six-game homestand.

Hart faces the Philly crowd

Carter Hart didn't get the start in net for the Golden Knights and was kept away from the media during Thursday's morning skate, but eventually, he was going to have to stand in front of the Philly crowd when Vegas took the ice for warmups.

When the former Flyers goaltender emerged from the tunnel, there was a certain weight in the air surrounding the glass at the Golden Knights' end of the rink.

Hart took a leave of absence from the Flyers almost two years ago to face a charge in the 2018 Hockey Canada sexual assault case. He was found not guilty this past summer, joined the Golden Knights in October, and was reinstated into the NHL by the start of December, but Vegas' ensuing trip to Philadelphia immediately loomed large and was always going to come with some highly sensitive opinions regarding sexual assault.

There were some "welcome back" signs propped up along the boards for Hart.

But then there was one Flyers fan holding up a sign across from Hart and the Vegas bench, making sure it stayed square to the goaltender as he went through his stretches. It read "Don't worry, Carter. What happens in Canada stays in Canada," and was very clearly not pleased to see him back in the building.

The fan, whose name is withheld, explained that he had family members who were sexually assaulted, and as a season-ticket member for all 41 home games going back several years, he wanted to show up and stand up as a voice for them and other victims.

Across the way, two other Flyers fans, Jaycie and Julianna, held up their own in support of sexual assault victims.

Jaycie's sign read: "Donating $20 to W.O.A.R. for every Flyers goal tonight." Juilianna's read: "Believe Women, 1 in 6."

W.O.A.R., the acronym for Women Organized Against Rape, which now goes officially by WOAR-Philadelphia Center Against Sexual Violence, is the city's only rape crisis center.

"1 in 6" refers to the ratio of women in the U.S. who have been victims of sexual assault.

A couple of Flyers fans were holding up these signs in warmups on the Vegas side.
They're not thrilled to see Carter Hart in an NHL uniform again, and the kind of message that sends.
But they do hope donations and awareness toward @WOARphila is their way to at least help. pic.twitter.com/BYo7eA6spD

— Nick Tricome (@itssnick) December 12, 2025

Jaycie and Julianna's signs and promise to donate to W.O.A.R. for every Flyers goal were their ways of trying to do good within a situation they disagree with but realize they can't control.

"The thing is, being a hockey fan sometimes sucks when you have differing opinions from the majority of the league," Jaycie said. "I can't really do anything about the league signing people that I don't think should have a position of power and a position of playing, but I can do what I can."

"It's the man that played on our team for years, right? I don't really love the situation," Jaycie continued about Hart returning to the arena and, in the greater picture, the NHL. "But I want to be able to do good where I can."

Ultimately, she added, to shift hockey culture toward preventing victims from getting hurt in the first place.

"I love hockey. I love the sport. I love the Philly sports community, and that's not going to change whether or not there's players that I have strong feelings against or not," Jaycie said. "I think if I want to see a change in hockey culture, from the ground up, I have to be willing to put up with it how it is now, but then be local and help be that change."

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