Sports Talk with Brodes: Laughton, Hayes, Konecny Step Up in Flyers 4th Straight Win
The Philadelphia Flyers win their fourth straight game as they beat the San Jose Sharks by a score of 4-2. This was their first game since the trade deadline so the lineup was tweaked by Alain Vigneault.
The line of Scott Laughton, Kevin Hayes, and Travis Konecny absolutely controlled this entire hockey game. Between the three of them, eight points were produced. Hayes scored two goals and recorded one assist. Konecny had one goal and two assists while Laughton registered two helpers.
Derek Grant, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks in a trade, centered the third line and I'm not going to crush him for one game, but it was clear he needs more time to get adjusted. He has 14 goals on the season so for a bottom 6 player, he can be a factor for this team.
The controversial move by Chuck Fletcher was moving Joel Farabee down to the AHL to allow Grant to play those minutes.
Nate Thompson also played, who was traded from the Montreal Canadiens for a fifth round pick, and he was spectacular in his fourth line role. He brings more of a veteran presence and he can be trusted in certain situations as a player with a ton of experience.
Carter Hart made some nice saves although he wasn't tested too much. He stopped 26 of 28 shots on net. The first goal allowed was a far-pad shot which was somewhat of a juicy rebound. I'm sure he would like that one back.
For the second goal, Claude Giroux gave the puck away in the defensive zone and a blistering one-timer by Noah Gregor flew by Hart.
With the playoff race this close, the Flyers NEED to continue to work this hard and grab points on a consistent basis!