Konecnys Two Breakaway Goals Snap Flyers Losing Streak In Vegas

The Philadelphia Flyers snapped their six-game losing streak in dramatic fashion Monday night, edging the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 at T-Mobile Arena. It was a contest that had all the makings of a classic: streaks on the line, high-stakes special teams play, and a pair of breakaway goals from Travis Konecny that electrified the visiting bench and silenced the Vegas crowd. The Flyers' victory not only halted their own skid but also ended Vegas’s impressive seven-game winning streak and eight-game point streak, making this a night to remember for both clubs.

From the opening puck drop, Vegas looked poised to extend their hot run. The home side dominated the early minutes, outshooting the Flyers 11-4 in the first period, generating 23 shot attempts, and racking up 13 scoring chances. Yet, despite all that pressure, it was Philadelphia who struck first—and in style. Just under four minutes into the game, Tomas Hertl, trying to thread a pass at the offensive blue line, saw his effort picked off by Konecny. The Flyers’ forward dashed down the ice on a breakaway and beat Adin Hill with a sharp wrist shot, giving Philadelphia a 1-0 lead at 3:46. That was Konecny’s 16th goal of the season and the only tally of the opening frame.

Vegas, undaunted by the early deficit, continued to push. Their power play, ranked fourth in the league, was handed plenty of opportunities as the Flyers struggled to stay out of the box. But the Golden Knights couldn’t find their rhythm with the man advantage, going just 1-for-7 on the night. Head coach Bruce Cassidy was candid about the power play’s struggles, stating, “I think early on we were casual, didn’t bear down. As it wore on, I thought [the Flyers] were doing a good job taking away some of the things we wanted to do. So we’re imploring the group to maybe get it to the net and crowd the net a little bit more. We end up scoring a goal going to the net. … I thought in the third period we’d be able to do a little more of that, but we didn’t. [Philadelphia] blocked a few, and we didn’t get enough to the blue paint.”

Despite their special teams woes, the Golden Knights finally broke through late in the second period. With just 32 seconds left before intermission and on their fourth power play of the game, Mark Stone found Jack Eichel, who zipped a pass to Tomas Hertl in front of the net. Hertl redirected the puck past Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson for his 20th goal of the season and 10th on the power play. The tally extended Stone’s career-best point streak to 12 games, tying the team record, and sent the teams to the locker room knotted at one apiece.

For Philadelphia, the tying goal could have been deflating, especially considering their recent defensive woes—they’d been outscored 31-12 during their six-game slide. But this night belonged to the Flyers’ penalty kill and their resurgent netminder. Ersson, mired in a personal 0-4-0 stretch and carrying a career-worst .855 save percentage into the contest, turned in his finest performance of the season. He stopped 24 of 25 shots, including a flurry of high-danger chances late in the third period, and looked every bit the confident backstop his team needed.

“The biggest positive for us was a competitive, low-scoring game, something that had totally eluded us the last five games,” said Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet after the win. “We badly needed to grind one out and found a way to do it.”

The pivotal moment came midway through the third period, with Vegas on their fifth power play. Instead of capitalizing, the Golden Knights coughed up the puck at the blue line. Jack Eichel’s no-look drop pass was intercepted by Konecny, who raced in alone on Hill for the second time that night. Konecny made no mistake, rifling a shorthanded wrist shot past Hill’s blocker at 7:22 to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead. That goal marked Konecny’s 11th career shorthanded tally and his 30th multi-goal game—the first such performance of his season. It was the kind of clutch, game-breaking play that has defined Konecny’s career in Philadelphia.

“Both goals, they’re basically gifts when you look at them,” Cassidy admitted. “Otherwise, I think our willingness to defend was pretty good. We didn’t open the floodgates, we tried to take care of the front of our net, all of those things. But we mismanaged a couple pucks that were breakaways. At the end of the night, they both went in. So if you’re not scoring, you’re going to need a save on one of them. … But we had plenty of opportunities to make up for those, and we didn’t on the power play. Those are your top guys; they just had an off night.”

The Flyers’ penalty kill, battered during the losing streak, stepped up in a big way. Despite allowing one power play goal, Philadelphia killed off six of seven Vegas opportunities and even produced the game-winning shorthanded marker. Nick Seeler’s defensive heroics—including a blocked shot in the final minute—were crucial as the Flyers clung to their slim lead. Bobby Brink, back in the lineup after missing six games with an upper-body injury, provided a spark, while Lane Pederson made his first NHL appearance in more than 1,000 days, centering the fourth line in place of the injured Rodrigo Abols.

Vegas pressed hard in the closing moments, pulling Hill for an extra attacker and earning a 6-on-4 advantage after Owen Tippett’s delay-of-game penalty. But Ersson stood tall, making three saves in the final minute, and Pavel Dorofeyev’s last-gasp shot clanged off the post as time expired. The Flyers, for the first time since December 10, 2021, left Las Vegas with a victory.

This was also the first game after Vegas acquired defenseman Rasmus Andersson from Calgary in exchange for Zach Whitecloud and other assets. Andersson, however, was unable to debut due to visa issues. The Golden Knights will look to regroup as they hit the road for back-to-back games against Atlantic Division foes Boston and Toronto, with the latter marking Mitch Marner’s much-anticipated return to the Maple Leafs lineup.

For the Flyers, this hard-fought win could be the catalyst they need as they continue their Western Conference road swing, next visiting the Colorado Mammoth. After a stretch where nothing seemed to go right, Monday’s gritty performance showed that with timely goaltending and opportunistic scoring, Philadelphia can still compete with the league’s best.

As the dust settles, both teams are left with plenty to ponder. Vegas must rediscover their power play magic, while Philadelphia will look to build on a much-needed jolt of confidence. If this game was any indication, the season promises plenty more twists and turns ahead.