The Flyers beat Utah 6-3 on Sunday with Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett back in the lineup. Konecny had missed ten games and Tippett six. Rick Tocchet said having them back would help "calm the waters down." It was Philadelphia's fifth win of the season. The Flyers are 4-8-4.
Two good wingers returning is a real boost. The problem is how far there is to climb. Through Saturday, Philadelphia was last in the league in five-on-five chances, last in creating them, and last in finishing them.
How bad has it been?
As bad as any team in the league. Before Sunday, Philadelphia had 39 per cent of the five-on-five expected goals, created 1.92 per 60 minutes, and was shooting 6.2 per cent. All three ranked 32nd. It had been outscored 35-16 at five-on-five, and its finishing was 7.1 goals below what its chances were worth.
In early October we wrote that the Flyers fixed the crease and everything in front of it broke. Both halves still hold. Joseph Woll is 3.4 goals above expected. The skaters in front of him have been the worst five-on-five group in the league.
Who is struggling most?
The middle of the lineup. Trevor Zegras is at 37 per cent of the five-on-five expected goals and Sean Couturier at 36. Travis Sanheim, who plays 25.4 minutes a night, the most on the team, is at 42 per cent and the Flyers have been outscored 18-8 with him on the ice.
| Philadelphia, five-on-five, 2026-27 | Expected goals share | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Michkov, Cates, Martone line | 61% | the best line on the team |
| Travis Sanheim | 42% | outscored 18-8 |
| Trevor Zegras | 37% | |
| Sean Couturier | 36% |
Is anything working?
Matvei Michkov is. He has nine goals, on chances worth 5.0, and his line with Noah Cates and Porter Martone has 61 per cent of the expected goals. It is the line the numbers like most, and the most encouraging thing about this team.
Michkov's finishing will come down. His chances will not, and he is creating them in a lineup that has almost nobody else doing it.
What do Konecny and Tippett change?
They give Tocchet two more forwards who can shoot, which this team needs more than anything. Philadelphia's shooting percentage at five-on-five was last in the league, and Konecny and Tippett are two of its most proven scorers. Their return should push Zegras and Couturier into smaller roles, and it gives Michkov's line some company.
What they will not change on their own is the chances against. Philadelphia allowed 35 goals at five-on-five in 15 games. The fix there is on the blue line, and Sanheim's numbers suggest the top pair is being asked to do too much.
The case for patience, stated fairly
The argument for patience is that this team has been unlucky as well as bad. Shooting 6.2 per cent at five-on-five is far below normal, Woll is giving them good goaltending, and two of their best scorers missed a big part of October. Sunday's six goals are a glimpse of what the lineup looks like healthy, and the Metropolitan is not so strong that 16 games decides it.
The other side is that the chances, not the shooting, are the main problem. A 39 per cent share is the worst in the league, and finishing luck only accounts for about seven of the 19-goal gap at five-on-five. Healthy wingers will add goals. They will not turn the worst five-on-five team in the league into an average one.
Our view is that Tocchet should build the lineup around the Michkov line, give Konecny and Tippett the minutes Zegras and Couturier have been losing, and find Sanheim a lighter load. The next ten games, with everybody healthy, will show whether October was bad luck or bad hockey.
What to watch
Minnesota visits on Tuesday and the Flyers are in New York on Thursday. Watch who plays with Konecny and Tippett, and whether the five-on-five share moves at all. Every Flyers number is on the team stats page, and the Metropolitan race is on the standings.