FOUR KEYS TO THE GAME
Monday, 4 p.m., Wells Fargo Center, Sportsnet, Sportsnet 650
1 Believe in Markstrom
If you’re waiting for that other skate to drop — for Jacob Markstrom to revert to that guy who gave up early goals and let it get to him — don’t hold your breath. Whether it’s maturity, working in concert with goalie coach Ian Clark, or finding understanding what it takes physically and mentally to be the go-to guy, he is silencing his critics. A 34-save performance Saturday certainly helped.
2 Chemistry class
Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser have developed that I-know-you’re-there chemistry for precision passes that are often of the no-look variety. And while Pettersson was limited to 13:46 of ice time against the Avs because of line-matching and just two power plays, the Calder Trophy front-runner didn’t disappoint. In the opening period he froze defenceman Ian Cole by first faking a forehand and putting the puck between his own skates and then spinning to feed Goldobin for a scoring chance.
3 Flyers got Hart
Through injuries, indifferent play and some odd goalie management, the Flyers have used seven netminders this season — which ties an NHL record — but they may have finally found their guy in Carter Hart. The 20-year-old Sherwood Park, Alta., native, who had stellar WHL numbers with Everett, Wash., was named NHL rookie-of-the-month for January. He went 6-2-1 with a 2.33 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in nine appearances. Five of those victories came against teams either in, or on the fringe, of the playoff race.
4 Konecny connection
Bo Horvat gets up for every game. That’s the way the future captain is wired. However, facing second cousin Travis Konecny should take the rivalry to another level. The Flyers are the league’s hottest club with a seven-game win streak and in Konecny’s last five games the winger has six points (3-3) to remain fourth in club scoring with 30 (14-16). Horvat had an assist Saturday and is second in club scoring with 42 points (18-24) and well on his way to topping his career season of 52 points (20-32) in the 2016-17 season.