The Flyers can at least feel a lot better about themselves heading into the All-Star break compared to where they were not even five days ago.
With a 3-1 win Tuesday night over the Jets at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers picked up back-to-back victories for the first time in 2022.
They entered last Saturday on a franchise-worst 13-game losing streak.
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"I think guys have done a good job of sticking together," Scott Laughton said. "No one’s pointing fingers in our room and everyone’s doing a good job. So we'll continue to do that and try to dig ourselves out of this hole."
James van Riemsdyk scored the game-winner Tuesday night on a rebound with under five minutes left in regulation. Oskar Lindblom sealed the win with an empty-netter.
Travis Konecny joined van Riemsdyk and Lindblom as the other Flyer in the goal column.
The listed attendance was 13,433. Not good, especially considering there were more fans in attendance for Saturday's game. The Flyers drew 13,763 for a 1 p.m. ET puck drop as a snowstorm rolled through the Delaware Valley. The team went on to snap its 13-game skid with a 4-3 OT decision over the Kings.
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On Tuesday night, the Flyers (15-22-8) recorded their first regulation win since Dec. 14, a span of 17 games without one.
"I've been saying this for a while that it sounds crazy that we were losing all these games but I could feel improvement in our game," Flyers interim head coach Mike Yeo. "Certainly by no means are we there yet. We’re still missing some key pieces, but I do feel that we’re building confidence in the type of game that we want to play."
The Flyers played the Jets (18-17-7) for the first time since Feb. 22, 2020. Matt Niskanen was Ivan Provorov's top-pair defensive partner, Tyler Pitlick scored a goal and Alain Vigneault was in his first season en route to being a finalist for the Jack Adams Award.
• Since starting 6-2-2 in their opening 10 games, the Flyers have gone 9-20-6 over the following 35 games.
The last two games have marked solid progress. Overall, they've played better in six of the last seven.
But they've scored more than three goals only once in 2022.
General manager Chuck Fletcher and the front office will have plenty to evaluate over the All-Star break. The trade deadline is March 21 and changes are in store.
"Everything's on the table," Fletcher said last Wednesday. "We’re going to try to aggressively retool here.
"The math is daunting, so in view of that, if this continues, then clearly we’re going to look to do what we can at the trade deadline to improve this team going forward."
• The Flyers were caught sleeping badly at the start when the Jets broke them down for a goal 48 seconds into the game.
Kyle Connor did the honors for Winnipeg and the Flyers took that 1-0 deficit into first intermission.
Konecny drew the Flyers even on an impressive shot in the second period. He jumped on a turnover and whipped it bar down.
The 24-year-old winger turned up his agitation tactics as the game wore on. His linemate Laughton was good all game, drawing two penalties and assisting van Riemsdyk's goal.
The Flyers went 0 for 4 on the power play but found a way at even strength.
"Any success is good," Konecny said. "We realize the wins are good, we’re obviously doing some things right, but we’re not satisfied. We’ve got to keep pushing and keep instilling winning habits into everyday routines. I don’t think this group’s satisfied with the two wins. We’re pleased with the outcomes, but we all want to do better and we’re all competitors. We’ve just got to keep working."
• After picking up his first win since Dec. 14, Carter Hart made it two in a row.
The 23-year-old has allowed more than three goals in a game only once since Dec. 8. He's 4-7-2 with a 2.64 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in that stretch.
Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck, the 2019-20 Vezina Trophy winner, denied 33 of the Flyers' 35 shots.
• After practicing with tightened reins throughout last weekend, Derick Brassard practiced in full Monday and was on the ice for morning skate Tuesday.
The 34-year-old center is on the cusp of returning from a nagging hip injury that has kept him out for 26 of the team's last 28 games.
With a weeklong stretch between games, the Flyers logically decided to not force him into action Tuesday night. But Brassard should be just about there when the Flyers get back from the break.
"That was by far the most activity that he's had with us for a long time," Yeo said Monday of Brassard's practice. "He said he was feeling it after practice. That was a pretty intense practice, a lot of up and down, a lot of stops and starts and battles, so that was great.
"He's going to have the opportunity to skate a little bit more now over the break, come back, have another good practice and then hopefully he's ready to go."
The Flyers are still without Joel Farabee (upper body), Kevin Hayes (abdominal), Sean Couturier (upper body), Ryan Ellis (lower body), Patrick Brown (MCL sprain), Wade Allison (MCL sprain) and Nate Thompson (shoulder).
Farabee, Couturier and Brown have been rehab skating. Hayes has been on the ice periodically in his rehab.
• John Torchetti was behind the Flyers' bench for his first game as the club's new assistant coach.
"He’s technically very savvy, he’s run power plays, he’s run PKs, he’s been an interim head coach, he’s coached in the American League, coached in the ECHL, coached in Russia. He’s done everything," Fletcher said last Wednesday. "I think he’ll really help Mike and the coaching staff and the players."
• The All-Star festivities are Friday and Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Claude Giroux will represent the Flyers for the seventh time in his career.
The Flyers don't play again until next Wednesday when they host the Red Wings (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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