Dave Hakstol: ‘There Will Be a Change Or Two' Vs. Canucks

VOORHEES, N.J. - Another lifeless effort and another loss leads to more changes, but don't read too much into the lines and defensive pairs the Flyers showcased Wednesday.

At least according to head coach Dave Hakstol.

"Well, we didn't really have lines out there today," Hakstol said after the team's practice at Flyers Skate Zone. "We were just working on different things. There was kind of a mixture. I think we put seven forwards in each color and guys were just kind of mixing through. There will be a change or two to the lineup, yes."

If Wednesday's practice is indicative of the "change or two" Hakstol hinted at afterward, Travis Konecny might see time at right wing with Claude Giroux and Michael Raffl, and Nick Cousins could draw back in after being a healthy scratch for the last five games.

Konecny made the switch to left wing during training camp, a shift from right wing and center he played in junior and a move that helped his chances to make the Flyers. The 19-year-old has six goals and 20 points in 42 games thus far into his rookie season, playing in all but one game in which he was benched in San Jose on Dec. 30.

In five games since the benching, Konecny has two goals and 14 shots on goal. When Hakstol sat Konecny, the coach said it was for Konecny to "continue to develop." Konecny responded with his first goal in 22 games against Anaheim the next game on Jan. 1.

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Now, it appears Konecny could begin Thursday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks at the Wells Fargo Center alongside Giroux and Raffl on the Flyers' top line.

"Today, he took a couple shifts on the right side," Hakstol said of Konecny. "But that's not really inherent of anything. I don't have lines set for tomorrow yet. So what did I see out there today on the right wing? I wasn't really evaluating the play offensively. There were some things we were working on defensively in terms of our rush coverage.

"We weren't very good in that area during the second period (Tuesday), and we haven't had a lot of time to work on things like that. Took 10 minutes today to try to get a little bit of that detail back."

On Tuesday night, the Flyers' offensive continued to struggle to generate quality scoring chances, despite throwing 40 shots at Sabres backup goalie Anders Nilsson in a 4-1 loss in Buffalo. In the 11 games since seeing their 10-game winning streak was snapped Dec. 17 in Dallas, the orange and black are 2-6-3 and have averaged 1.73 goals.

Jakub Voracek, who has six points in his last 11 games, spent Wednesday's practice skating with Sean Couturier in the middle and Matt Read and Cousins at left wing. Pressed on if he was aware of any lineup changes for the Canucks' game, Voracek said it's Hakstol's decision and doesn't know what changes could be in store for Thursday.

"Everybody in the past played together," Voracek said. "We know what to expect. No matter what the lines are going to be tomorrow, or the next three games, we have to make sure we bear down. When we have the chances, we have to make sure we score."

Cousins has not been in the Flyers' lineup since Dec. 30 against the Sharks, a game where he played left wing with Couturier and Dale Weise. After winning a roster spot in training camp, Cousins has been in and out of the lineup this season.

He's been a healthy scratch nine games, and if he does sit out Thursday against Vancouver, that number will reach double digits. He's already matched his point total (10) in two fewer games this season than last, but has not been able to be a mainstay.

After practice Wednesday, Cousins said Hakstol has yet to address in detail what he wants Cousins to change in order for him to get back into the lineup.

"(Hakstol) hasn't said much to me, actually," Cousins said. "So, yeah, it is what it is. He obviously has his lineup that he's sticking to and I'll be ready when my name's called. If and when that is, I don't know. I'm just taking it day by day and working hard in practice.

"I'm just trying to stay ready. I've been working hard with (Ian Laperriere) after practice, working on little stuff that we need to work on. Working hard in the weight room. There's nothing else I can do. I can only control what I can control. I don't make the lineups. I'll be ready when my name (is called)."

While Cousins says Hakstol has not said much to him as to what he needs to improve to get back into the lineup, the second-year coach hinted Cousins could be back soon, perhaps as early as Thursday.

"Cousins has just been the odd man out here," Hakstol said. "It's not that he has to change a whole lot. There's going to be a change or two with our lineup tomorrow. He's certainly a guy, when he's in, he's always brings that scrappy, competitive edge to his game, but more than that, he brings some playmaking as well."

Asked if he was more at the point of evaluation or an experimental stage in looking to solve the Flyers' recent offensive woes, Hakstol conceded it was a combination of both.

"We're not going to start mixing and matching all over the place," Hakstol said, "but at the same time, we haven't had a whole lot of success over the last 10 games. We'll do things with reason and with purpose, and if we feel a change is necessary and makes sense, we're going to make it."

Loose pucks
Mark Streit took full practice with the Flyers on Wednesday, but will not be available Thursday against Vancouver. Streit, who hasn't played since Dec. 11, said Saturday's game in Boston is an option and it's a day by day thing. Streit is currently on long-term injured reserve, and when activated, the Flyers would have to make a corresponding move. … Shayne Gostisbehere was paired with Nick Schultz, who has played just three games since Nov. 11. It's unclear if Gostisbehere will be a healthy scratch against Vancouver. Streit was paired with Radko Gudas, and Michael Del Zotto skated with Brandon Manning. The Ivan Provorov-Andrew MacDonald pair stayed together.

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