At a Glance
- Travis Konecny left practice after a shot struck a nerve in his knee
- The winger had just returned from missing Saturday’s game with an upper-body injury
- Philadelphia already lost 7-2 to Tampa Bay while missing four regulars
- Why it matters: The Flyers’ playoff push could falter if their leading scorer is sidelined again
Travis Konecny’s return to the ice lasted only minutes Sunday, derailed when a puck hit a nerve in his knee and left the Flyers’ top scorer grimacing and limping.
Konecny Injury Update
The 28-year-old alternate captain had been cleared to skate after sitting out Philadelphia’s 7-2 loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday with an upper-body injury. During drills, a shot struck the peroneal nerve around his knee, causing immediate numbness.
“Hopefully it wakes up a little bit,” head coach Rick Tocchet said. “It was like a dead-leg type of thing, so we’ll see about tomorrow.”
Assistant athletic trainers Alex Ambrose and Joe Mele attended to Konecny as he limped between the bench and the locker-room doors. He briefly rejoined practice to test the leg before retreating to the dressing room.
Impact on Flyers Lineup
Konecny leads the Flyers with 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 42 games and owns a plus-14 rating. His ironman streak ended at 143 games when he missed Saturday night.
“He’s a huge piece of our team,” center Christian Dvorak said. “He’s an emotional guy out there and he drags us into the fight. We were certainly missing him last game.”
Last season, defenseman Nick Seeler missed five contests after a similar nerve injury.
“I’ve never experienced something like that-leg just kind of shut off for a while,” Seeler recalled.
Injury Cascade
Philadelphia played without four regulars against the Lightning and surrendered seven goals. The team could get winger Bobby Brink back Monday; the 24-year-old practiced without a non-contact jersey.
“He looks pretty good to go,” Tocchet said, “but we’ll see.”
The Flyers host Tampa Bay again Monday at 7 p.m.
Key Takeaways
- Konecny’s immediate status for Monday is uncertain
- Philadelphia has dropped three of its last four and sits just inside the wild-card picture
- Any extended absence for Konecny would intensify pressure on a thinning forward group
