PITTSBURGH — Christian Dvorak did not know Travis Konecny earlier than signing with the Flyers final summer time.
And as Konecny’s opponent, that normally means one factor.
“I mean, if you don’t know him, you probably don’t like him,” Dvorak mentioned with amusing two days in the past. “That’s kind of how it goes, that’s his game. Once I met him, he became a good friend of mine and he’s a great teammate, too.”
No doubt, Konecny can agitate with one of the best of them. But teammates love him. You need him in your aspect.
Dvorak, extra of a stoic, laid-back sort, has seen Konecny’s worth up shut. And the Flyers have seen why Dvorak was such a helpful man on a playoff crew final season in Montreal. This season, it’s extremely attainable the Flyers would have missed the playoffs for a sixth straight yr in the event that they did not purchase Dvorak.
“He has fit in seamlessly here with our group,” Nick Seeler mentioned Friday. “He’s such a good teammate, but he’s a heck of a player. He’s kind of a jack of all trades, he’s a good 200-foot player and he can put the puck in the net.”
The 30-year-old middle had a profession yr with the Flyers, placing up 51 factors (18 targets, 33 assists) in 80 regular-season video games. He had a plus-11 ranking and a 54.5 faceoff win share in 18:28 minutes per sport. He additionally recorded solely 27 penalty minutes.
In the Flyers’ playoff opener Saturday night time, a 3-2 win over the Penguins, Dvorak had an help, a plus-2 mark and performed essentially the most minutes of any ahead on the crew.
Last season, Dvorak played all 82 games for the Canadiens and scored a pair of targets in the playoffs.
He has was one of many extra common teammates in the Flyers’ locker room.
“He’s just a great guy, he’s a guy that wants to be at the team dinners, he wants to be involved in the card game,” Konecny mentioned Saturday. “He’s just involved in everything. He’s friends with everybody. It’s a great thing for a leader, he’s great to the young guys. He fits in everywhere.”
Before signing a five-year extension in January, Dvorak joined the rebuilding Flyers on a one-year deal. He believed the crew might win.
“I did, yeah,” Dvorak mentioned. “When I assumed I’d come right here, I assumed we might make the playoffs or else I most likely would not have signed right here. That’s part of it. I knew there was numerous expertise on this roster and we believed the entire time. There had been ups and downs by way of all of it, however we at all times knew we had an opportunity. Made a great run after the Olympics and put ourselves in place right here to be in the playoffs, which is nice.”
Dvorak has performed on a line with Konecny and lately the 19-year-old Porter Martone. Dvorak and Konecny have made one another higher this season.
“He has become one of my good buddies,” Konecny mentioned. “And it’s not often you get to play with one of your good buddies. We enjoy every game, we laugh about a lot of things and it helps to get through some of the swings of momentum throughout the games. You kind of just shake it off. He has done a great job, he kind of helps me a lot, too, on the ice, he’s calming when he’s out there. It just helps you relax and get into a game.”
When the sequence shifts to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4, the Flyers may have their first dwelling playoff video games since 2018. With Konecny again in the postseason for the primary time since 2020, Dvorak is aware of that is the place his good friend belongs — in the center of issues, when the video games matter most.
“I think his style of play is meant for playoff hockey, so I’m excited for him,” Dvorak mentioned. “I know it has been a while, especially with fans in attendance for the playoffs, it has been a while here. I’m excited to see him out there and enjoy it.”
