Konecny-less Flyers flirt with upset but fall to Rangers

Konecny-less Flyers flirt with upset but fall to Rangers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers sorely missed Travis Konecny in a 2-1 loss Saturday afternoon to the Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center.

John Tortorella’s club was commendably competitive against one of the top teams in the NHL. But without its all-situation leading scorer, its offense lacked finish.

Konecny was out for the first time this season because of an upper-body injury. He left Friday’s practice in discomfort. More on his status here.

The Flyers (30-21-7) dropped to 5-2-1 since the bye week and All-Star break.

Tyson Foerster scored the team’s lone goal Saturday. The Flyers went on a power play with 4:03 minutes remaining in the game but failed to convert.

With the Flyers’ net emptied, Sean Couturier nearly tied the game in the final six seconds. His backhanded shot from in close drew iron.

The Flyers’ lead over the Devils in the Metropolitan Division race was trimmed to five points. New Jersey beat the Canadiens, 4-3, Saturday afternoon. The Devils have played one fewer game than the Flyers and come to Philadelphia in April for a final head-to-head matchup.

New York, 14 points up on the Flyers, has won 10 straight.

The Flyers are 0-2-0 against the Rangers (39-16-3) in their regular-season series. The clubs have two matchups left, both at Madison Square Garden.

With Konecny, this was a measuring stick game for the Flyers. Without Konecny, it was a tall, tall order.

“We played hard,” Tortorella said. “I know we played a good game.”

Since 2021-22, the Flyers have lost eight of their last nine meetings with New York (1-6-2) and been outscored 29-13.

To no surprise, blue Rangers jerseys permeated the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday. Last season, New York fans flooded Philadelphia for a game in March. Afterward, Tortorella said “blame us,” that the organization needed to make home games “a tough ticket” again.

The listed attendance Saturday was 19,756.

With the team’s progress, has Tortorella…