With a sequence that didn't even take 10 seconds on Saturday night, the Philadelphia Flyers captured everything they are – or at least what they're trying, working, to become.
Travis Sanheim stood in front of the Flyers' crease and ate a shot straight to the chest with time expiring on a 4-on-4.
He shrugged it off and watched the puck fall to his feet, immediately shifting his view up the ice to see a black jersey taking off over center, lofting a pass through everyone to leave rookie sensation Matvei Michkov streaking toward the net all alone.
The runway was all clear, but then Michkov tilted his head back and slowed down a bit so that linemate Travis Konecny could catch up.
The 19-year-old turned his eyes back to keep moving in, faked a shot to take the goalie's eyes away, then dropped the puck off for Konecny who had all the room he needed to score.
It was an excellent play to put the Wells Fargo Center crowd on its feet and the Flyers up 3-0 late in the second period of what went on to be a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
But then as the Flyers began to celebrate, Zach Benson swung around and tried to throw a late check at Michkov behind the net.
Konecny dropped his smile on the spot and went straight for the Buffalo forward, with the rest of the Flyers skaters right behind and quickly moving in as the pushing and shoving ensued.
On the game clock, that was all less than 10 seconds, but it defined everything the Flyers want to be.
They played off one another perfectly, they looked out for each other, and when an opponent tried to take a liberty, they didn't hesitate to start a scrum.
Mich with the feed, TK with the finish. 🤌#BUFvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/hVWdmxXKUO
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 17, 2024
The start of the season has been rough for this year's team, who came in as a group lifted by bullish optimism sparked from a surprise playoff push last season and then the early arrival of their young Russian star. But then the puck dropped for real, and they struggled. They couldn't score, their defending was out of sorts, and their goaltending plan quickly hit its road bumps.
But they might be turning it around now.
They strung together three straight wins; Michkov, after the unpopular decision from head coach John Tortorella to sit him down for a couple of nights, has two goals, an OT game-winner in Ottawa, and five points in the three games since he returned to the lineup; Konecny's also on a six-game point streak, adding three to his stat line with Saturday night's win; and Sanheim has quietly been the anchor of the Philadelphia blue line, taking on some monster first-pairing minutes night after night all while finding a way to add to the scoreboard with two goals, five points, and a plus-6 rating over the past two games.
There have been other bright spots, too.
Sam Ersson, even though he's down from injury for a bit, has looked the part of a legitimate No. 1 goaltender while backup Ivan Fedotov has rebounded and been a much sharper netminder himself over his past three starts after a highly uneven early going; The 22-year-old Emil Andrae has upped his game in a major way, adapting to the NHL speed with a pace and rate of decision-making that has him ready to be a regular part of the Flyers' defense – though he might have an injury concern now, too, from Saturday night's game; and down below, and in the bigger picture, Jett Luchanko has 11 points through eight games back with Guelph in the OHL and Denver Barkey is captaining the London Knights to further get a grasp on being "the guy."
It definitely isn't all perfect – the Flyers' center depth right now is lacking, Owen Tippett and Tyson Foerster haven't been able to take off offensively yet, Morgan Frost is cold again, and it's still clear that the team is in a deficit of goal-scoring, game-changing star power, even with Michkov – but they're getting there.
It's still likely going to take years for the plan to fully come together, and for them to become an actual Stanley Cup contender, but even 10-second flashes like on Saturday night can show that the pieces are getting laid out.
The Philadelphia Flyers are going to be all right. It may not show this season in the end, or next, but eventually.
They'll be all right.
"I always talk about our room, and that's a huge part of it," Tortorella said at the podium following the Buffalo game Saturday night, in what was maybe the Flyers' most complete win of the season so far. "That has just come together."
"If there's one thing that's come together in our rebuild here, it's that."
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