97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Roundup: Scott Laughton’s 4-Goal Explosion
An attempted Matvei Michkov lacrosse goal, another debatable healthy scratch decision from John Tortorella, and an admirable fight from Nick Seeler have all made the rounds in Philadelphia Flyers conversations in recent days.
However, Scott Laughton scored four goals to dramatically steal the headlines in a timely victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
- Saturday 12/7 (at TD Garden): Boston Bruins 4, Flyers 3 (OT)
- Sunday 12/8 (at the Wells Fargo Center): Utah Hockey Club 4, Flyers 2
- Tuesday 12/10 (at Nationwide Arena): Flyers 5, Columbus Blue Jackets 3
- Thursday 12/12 (at the Wells Fargo Center): Flyers 4, Detroit Red Wings 1
A Career Night For Scott Laughton
Laughton entered the 30th game of the regular season with three goals and seven assists. He scored all four goals in a 4-1 victory on Thursday. The hats came flying down at the Wells Fargo Center after his (first) empty-net goal in the final minutes.
Laughton broke a scoreless tie just over the midway point of the game. He skated on a breakaway and sent a laser past Cam Talbot to reverse the Flyers’ recent breakaway slump.
He added a shorthanded goal early in the third period to lift a struggling penalty kill that hasn’t replicated its 2023-24 performance. Travis Konecny fed Laughton on a 2-on-1 rush for what turned out to be the game-winner. It was his 100th career NHL goal.
The 12-year NHL veteran added not one but two empty-net goals to become the first Flyer since John LeClair in 2002 to score four in one game.
His teammates held an elated celebration in the Philadelphia locker room immediately after the final horn.
Not many people inside or outside the organization have a bad word to say about Scott Laughton. He commands respect for withstanding the ups and downs of his professional career since the Flyers selected him in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft.
The collective feeling of a deserved reward (regardless of padded stats) spread throughout the postgame locker room.
Flyers Sticking To Team Identity
The standard set by a hard-nosed head coach like John Tortorella is supposed to add substance to the subjective concept of culture the Flyers have prioritized so heavily during their organizational rebuild.
The Flyers believe an integral part of their developing identity is standing up for teammates on the ice.
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Joel Farabee stood up for Travis Sanheim in the final minutes of a tie game against the Florida Panthers on December 5. The defending Stanley Cup champs scored the game-winner on their resulting power play.
Tortorella didn’t scold his young winger for going after Sam Bennett for what Farabee considered a dirty hit. However, the veteran head coach did comment on the time and place Farabee chose to take exception.
“Sometimes, being a team that’s strong is to be able to take hits, to be able to handle those types of situations. In such a long year, there are other opportunities if you think you need retribution.” -John Tortorella
Nick Seeler chose a more opportune time five days later. Mathieu Olivier, a 226-pound Blue Jackets winger with a reputation as one of the top fighters in the NHL, threw an elbow at Emil Andrae in the second period on Tuesday and earned a two-minute minor.
The Flyers stayed true to their identity. Seeler dropped the gloves with Olivier just 31 seconds after the initial penalty ended.
Tim Saunders shared a story that was nearly lost in a Columbus tv timeout. He described “The Seeler Moment” when his teammates each skated to the penalty box and fist-bumped him before the broadcast commercial ended.
The Flyers have been guilty of overvaluing hockey cliches at certain points in the past. Seeler’s fearless will to move up a weight class with Nicolas Deslauriers out of the lineup, however, had a clear impact on the collective attitude toward an aggressive hit that a veteran opponent threw at a Philadelphia rookie.
Tortorella’s hesitancy to correct players for standing up for their teammates kept the door open for appropriately-timed retribution less than a week later.
Flyers culture worked for at least one game in a convincing 5-3 victory in Columbus that overshadowed any cannon blasts the Blue Jackets had planned.
Emil Andrae: The Latest Healthy Scratch
Another high-profile rookie took a seat as a healthy scratch on Thursday.
Emil Andrae took advantage of early-season injuries on the Philadelphia blue line. He used the timely call-up from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to leap through the organization’s depth chart for defensemen.
However, Tortorella has noticed sagging tendencies from him in recent games.
“I think Andrae’s fought it. It’s been a little bit of a struggle with the puck. It’s been a struggle without the puck. We’ve got to be careful when we’re developing a guy like that.” -John Tortorella
The veteran head coach also scratched rookie sensation Matvei Michkov after only 13 games despite a prolific start on the scoresheet. Tortorella believes young players benefit by watching games from the press box in the best interest of their overall development even if they’ve shown promise in some areas of the game.
“It’s such a small sample that we have to be careful that we don’t hurt his development as we keep on working (on) our team.” -John Tortorella
While the head coach intends to tread lightly handling a 22-year-old defenseman’s NHL development, Andrae has performed about as well as anyone could’ve reasonably expected entering the 2024-25 season.
The Swedish blueliner has scored one goal and added four assists in 19 games. He’s helped the Flyers drive play by pushing the puck up ice from the back end, and the advanced metrics reflect his success.
Andrae ranks sixth out of 165 NHL defensemen (96th percentile) with over 300 minutes of ice time this season with 59.59% of the expected goal share. He ranks in the 85th percentile in shot attempt share and the 89th percentile in the share of high-danger scoring chances.
NHL rookies, especially defensemen, can always afford to improve areas of their game. Michkov has excelled in 15 games since Tortorella’s unconventional decision to scratch him, regardless of how much the time out of the lineup has factored in.
Time will tell if Andrae benefits from the unconventional player development strategy.
Upcoming Schedule
- Saturday 12/14 @ Minnesota Wild, 2pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Wednesday 12/18 @ Detroit Red Wings, 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Thursday 12/19 vs. Los Angeles Kings, 7:30pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
All advanced stats at 5-on-5, courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted
