Travis Konecny Records Hat Trick Against Columbus, Flyers Still Find a Way to Lose
Jan 28, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Travis Konecny (11) celebrates his goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the first period at Nationwide Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell LaBounty-Imagn Images
The Flyers keep finding new ways to make things harder than they need to be, and tonight was another example of a team chasing its own mistakes. Against a Columbus team they should’ve handled cleaner, the Flyers spotted goals early, handed momentum away in chunks, and once again asked one player to drag them back into the fight. Travis Konecny answered with everything he had, but effort alone was not enough to cover up another sloppy, self-inflicted 5-3 loss.
The Flyers have been playing frustrating hockey lately. Not only are they 2-6-2 in their last 10, but they have looked incredible against very good teams, and absolutely dog walked the best team in the league so far this year, the Colorado Avalanche, but then they get shutout in their return home. Coach Rick Tocchet led a full-effort practice, including competitive 2-on-2 drills that worked on starting in the neutral zone and getting into scrums in the corners. Which makes sense due to the way the team is getting outworked in the corners. Tonight, this intense practice showed some fruit of that labor.
Both goalies, Elvis Merzļikins and Daniel Vladar, returned to the lineup after extended layoffs, and Columbus wasted no time in welcoming Vladar to the game. 37 seconds in, Charlie Coyle scored a goal which came from a Flyers miscue, when they failed to cleanly clear the puck with a lackluster pass that Zach Werenski picked off, and the puck was behind Vladar in the blink of an eye. Coyle’s goal came on the night the Blue Jackets honored his 1000th NHL game milestone, and sent the message early. Konecny answered with his first goal that came off a quick pass from Cam York.
Columbus answered back to close out the first period, on another self-inflicted wound by the Flyers. They had a power play, and on a shift change, they got called for a penalty for too many men on the ice, and in the ensuing 4-on-4, Kirill Marchenko slipped a goal by Vladar on an odd-man rush. Rasmus Ristolainen was back on the ice for the Flyers again tonight, but skated off the ice and left the Flyers bench after falling awkwardly in his second shift. This has the potential to deeply impact how the defensive pairings, who have been stretched thin over this bad 10-game stretch, will be.
The only scoring in the second period was on an Erik Gudbranson goal, which Vladar had no way of seeing, thanks to a scrum happening in front of him. In the third period, Konecny scored a pair of goals, including the game-tying goal, which was a great feeling until Sean Monahan caught Vladar cheating forward, and elevated it over the top shelf to break the tie. The Blue Jackets added an empty netter with two minutes left to ice the game 5-3.
Konecny Goes Nuclear
Tonight, Konecny really turned it up to another gear, which he almost always seems to do when he plays against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He had a hat trick tonight, essentially being the tip of the spear for the Flyers’ attack. With tonight’s hat trick, he has 20 goals now in 31 games against Columbus. He was all over the ice for those goals as well. All three were effort goals that came from his hustle and movement without the puck. That really stood out tonight and directly led to him getting his third career hat trick.
What was most impressive was that Konecny took a shot off his foot in the second, and it was questionable whether he would even be on the ice for the Flyers after that. He was in obvious pain, and still gutted out every shift. When he’d get to the bench, it looked more and more like he wasn’t coming back, but he kept coming back out on the ice. He had 21.5 minutes on the ice tonight, even though he was in obvious pain. TK never gave up, and when he scored his third goal to tie the game up late, the Flyers had life, and played like a team that was rejuvenated by not only his goal scoring tonight, but his grit to tough that out. His third goal was easily the most poetic of the night as well.
Couturier’s Scoring Has Evaporated in Recent Games
Flyers captain Sean Couturier has 5 assists since the year turned over into 2026, with his last goal coming all the way back on December 7th against the Avalanche, 25 games ago. Over his last 12, he is averaging roughly 17 minutes a night and about 23 shifts per game, which is real center usage on a team that still leans on him for matchups and draws. That makes his offensive disappearance harder to explain. The ice time is there, the responsibility is there, it’s just that the results have not come. We keep watching his shifts end the same way, with the puck dying on his stick or getting chipped deep without a second touch.
So where did the offense go, and why now? Some have suggested that there is a profound change in his role, with Couturier sliding deeper into defense-first minutes while others get the offensive looks. Others have focused on chemistry, especially after his best stretch came next to more dynamic wingers before those lines were shuffled. There is also the quiet question nobody wants to ask about wear and tear and whether the captain is still capable of driving this offense, or is he simply surviving shifts?
Though he is the captain, he hasn’t been the heart and soul of the team as he has in past seasons. This season, I would argue that he and Konecny should swap letters on their sweaters. Not as much of a punishment to Couturier, but more of a way to acknowledge that TK has been the heart of the team this season.
Vladar Comes Back Strong in His Return
One of the hardest things to watch over this 10-game stretch for the Flyers has been the play between the pipes, and when we have seen Vladar out there in this time, he hasn’t been himself. Tonight, despite giving up 4 goals, he truly showed what has been missing over this recent rough stretch: strong goalie play. Tonight, “The Great 8-0” lived up to that nickname, with some of the best saves of the season. He made 2 of the best glove saves that we’ve seen all season in the third period. This allowed the Flyers to fight back to get and tie the game up before Columbus scored late.
What Vladar brings to the team is a sense of calm and a swagger that the Flyers needed tonight, and though ultimately they fell short, the game never felt like the ice was tilted one way. The game never felt out of reach, and you don’t have to look any further than the play of the man who has been the Flyers’ most valuable player to this point. The way they stormed back to tie the game was truly on the broad shoulders of Vladar, and if the Flyers have any desires of pulling out of this malaise they have found themselves in lately, a healthy Vladar will have to be where this spark comes from.
At this point in the season, there are no morale victories, even less so when you are 2-6-2 in your last 10 games. This is the grind portion of the schedule, and it will show us who the Flyers are. Can they turn it around before the Olympic break, which is now four games away, or will they limp into the break looking to find magic after the Olympics? If they have any desire to finish this season strong, they have to turn this around fast. That can start tomorrow night in Boston.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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