Owen Tippett began his professional career as the Florida Panthers’ first-round pick in 2017.
Tippett was largely unsuccessful in Florida, scoring no more than seven goals in portions of three seasons with the Panthers.
Tippett, on the other hand, has emerged as a star with the Philadelphia Flyers, setting career highs in goals (27) and assists (22) last season and signing an eight-year, $49.6 contract extension late last month.
Tippett, who has missed four games in a row due to a lower-body ailment, hopes to return to the lineup on Tuesday night when the Flyers host his former team, the Panthers, in Sunrise.
“We miss him terribly,” Flyers coach John Tortorella said of Tippett. “He is capable of pushing offensive on his own. He’s a significant person to us.”
The Flyers have lost five consecutive games and have not won since January 18.
Tippett’s injury was a contributing factor. In addition, starting goaltender Carter Hart has missed four consecutive games due to personal reasons.
Hart, Philadelphia’s second-round choice in 2016, has a 12-9-3 record with a 2.80 goals-against average.
With Hart sidelined indefinitely, Samuel Ersson, 24, has taken over as the Flyers’ primary goaltender. Ersson, Philadelphia’s fifth-round choice in 2018, has been consistent, posting the same record as Hart but with a slightly lower GAA (2.60).
Despite their downturn, the Flyers, who have missed the playoffs for the past three years, are still in playoff contention.
Perhaps the most positive news for the Flyers this season has been the return of forwards Sean Couturier (back surgery) and Cam Atkinson (neck surgery).Both missed the entire season last year.
Atkinson has thirteen goals and fifteen assists. Couturier has ten goals and 21 assists.
The Flyers are tied for sixth in the NHL in road wins (14-7-4), but the Panthers have been just as successful at home (14-7-2).
Florida entered the All-Star break on a four-game winning streak, two of which came after the end of regulation.
But Panthers coach Paul Maurice says he doesn’t regret that the All-Star break broke their streak.
Going back farther, the Panthers are 13-2-2 in their last 17 games.
“I don’t think we were lucky,” Maurice explained. “There was no mojo in our run. It was just working hard, and now we need to build on it.”
It will help if All-Star center Sam Reinhart maintains his impressive pace. He has already set a career best with 37 goals, trailing only Toronto’s Auston Matthews (40).
Reinhart also leads the Panthers in points (62), while Aleksander Barkov (37) and Matthew Tkachuk (35) are first and second in assists.
Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who joined Reinhart at the All-Star Game, leads the Eastern Conference in victories (23-10-2). However, his 2.51 GAA isn’t even the best on the team. Anthony Stolarz, the backup goaltender, has been exceptional (8-4-2, 2.11 GAA).
The Panthers are also receiving positive injury news, as third-line forward Nick Cousins, who has been in concussion protocol since January 2, is practicing with full contact. His comeback is near, and the Panthers believe they are prepared to succeed.
“We’re refreshed and rejuvenated,” Tkachuk said of the Panthers’ mood after the All-Star break. “We’re ready for a lot more games.”
