Another game, another big goal from Travis Konecny.

His tally with just 1:12 gone in the third period of Tuesday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes turned out to be the winner:

That goal, his eighth of the season, was no fluke. Konecny is off to the best start of his career, leading the team in goals (8), assists (7), and points (15). You don’t have to be a mathematician to figure out that those fifteen points in fourteen games puts him in the impressive group of players averaging more than a point per game. In fact, Konecny’s 1.07 PPG is good for 19th in the entire NHL. Were he to continue at this rate for the entire season – an admittedly tough task – he would become just the third Flyer since the 2009-10 season to eclipse the point-per-game threshold, joining Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek.

I asked head coach Alain Vigneault if he’s been surprised by the winger’s productivity thus far:

I didn’t know him coming into this year. I had heard a lot of things about him, about the potential that was there. I think you’ve gotta give credit where credit is due, and that’s him. He knew coming into the season there were a couple of things about his game – especially his puck decisions – that he had to improve. He came into this season knowing that he had to make some adjustments, and he did.

A Line Needs a Name

It should come as no surprise that linemates have reaped the rewards of TK’s excellent production. Oskar Lindblom and Sean Couturier are tied for second on the team with eleven points on 7g/4a and 4g/7a respectively. That line of Lindblom-Couturier-Konecny has been an absolute revelation for Vigneault, who said of the trio:

When I put that line together, they seemed to have some pretty good chemistry and they seem to be building, so I have no intention at this time of breaking them up.

Any great line needs a name and the Flyers have had a few. There was the:

  • Legion of Doom (John LeClair, Eric Lindros, Mikael Renberg)
  • LCB Line (Reggie Leach, Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber)
  • The Dan Line (Dan Kordic, Daniel Lacroix, Scott Daniels)
  • Deuces Wild (#22 Mike Knuble, #21 Peter Forsberg, #12 Simon Gagne)
  • Hi Speed Line (Ray Allison, Ron Flockhart, Brian Propp)
  • Crazy Eights (#8 Mark Recchi, #88 Eric Lindros, #18 Brent Fedyk)
  • Redemption Line (Scott Hartnell, Danny Briere, Ville Leino).

I asked Konecny if he and his linemates have come up with anything yet:

I dunno, I think a funny one is “Coots and The Kids”. I mean, he always jokes about having the kids beside him. I’ll let the fans take care of the names.

The Next Danny Briere?

A couple of weeks ago on Snow The Goalie, Anthony wondered aloud whether TK is becoming the next Danny Briere before our eyes:

I asked Konecny about the comparison and he seemed floored:

I mean… that’s a huge step. I mean, I don’t think I deserve that. He’s a huge player for this franchise and any franchise he played in. I got a long ways to go to be on his level, but it’s an honor to be mentioned.

There’s a pretty clear comparison to make just based on stature alone, but I wanted to know if he ever set out to emulate Briere’s game:

I definitely watched him growing up. He’s such a crucial player. He shows up at the right time for big goals. You just see when he comes back and talks to the fans, they love him here. He obviously was a special player and I’m sure that’s the way it was everywhere he went.

It remains to be seen if TK and his line can keep up this pace, but it’s encouraging to see the fan favorite remaining humble despite the fantastic start.

For more Flyers coverage, check out Snow The Goalie Radio Mondays from 5-6PM on 610 ESPN Philadelphia and subscribe to Snow The Goalie: A Flyers Podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, GooglePlay, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and wherever else you get your podcasts. Also be sure to tune into The Press Row Show as Anthony and Russ live stream during pregame and the first and second intermission breaks of every Flyers home game live from press row of the Wells Fargo Center via the Crossing Broad Facebook page and Twitter.

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