Flyers defeat Sharks for fourth straight win

PHILADELPHIA -- Kevin Hayes had two goals and an assist for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 4-2 win against the San Jose Sharks at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday.

Travis Konecny had a goal and two assists for Philadelphia (36-20-7), which won its fourth straight game and is 7-3-0 in its past 10.
Carter Hart made 26 saves for Philadelphia, which trails the Washington Capitals by five points for first place in the Metropolitan Division and the Pittsburgh Penguins by one point for second.
"We ended up winning the game, but it wasn't the prettiest game on our end," Hayes said. "We just kind of stick to our system. Tonight, when we had bounces go our way, we took them and put them in the back of the net."
WATCH: [All Sharks vs. Flyers highlights]
The Sharks (26-33-4), who have lost five games in a row, including four straight on the road, played for the first time since trading forward Patrick Marleau to the Penguins on Monday. Aaron Dell made 23 saves.
San Jose forward Logan Couture returned after missing 17 games since fracturing his ankle Jan. 7. He had two shots on goal in 18:05.
"I feel all right," Couture said. "Wish I played a little bit better, but I'm OK. ... I knew my hands weren't going to be great. I figured it's been a rough couple days."
Hayes' line with Konecny and Scott Laughton (two assists) was put together following the trades that brought centers Nate Thompson and Derek Grant to Philadelphia on Monday. That allowed Laughton to shift from center to left wing.
"I think all three of our games complement each other," Hayes said. "[Konecny] is an electric skater, he's easy to play with. [Laughton] brings a lot of grit, hard work to that line, causes a lot of commotion. I try to look for those two guys."
That commotion led to Hayes' first goal, when he and Laughton double-teamed defenseman Brent Burns at center ice and forced a turnover. Hayes scored off a cross-ice pass from Laughton to put the Flyers ahead 2-1 at 3:51 of the second period.

Sharks coach Bob Boughner challenged the goal for offside, but video review showed Laughton did not enter the zone ahead of the puck. San Jose was assessed a minor penalty for delay of game.
Konecny made it 3-1 at 9:41 of the second when he finished a 2-on-1 with Hayes that started when Sharks forward Timo Meier fell into Burns.

"It's been like that the whole trip," Boughner said. "We've played solid enough, we're not giving up a heck of a lot over the 60 minutes, but when we give up those one or two big mistakes, they're finding their way into the back of the net."
Laughton held the puck in at the San Jose blue line to set up Hayes' second goal to put the Flyers ahead 4-1 at 3:43 of the third.
Noah Gregor scored at 8:18 after a Flyers turnover for the 4-2 final.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 1:32 into the game, but Joel Kellman made it 1-1 at 6:30 when he scored on the rebound of Jake Middleton's shot.

Gregor and Kellman were two of six rookies in the Sharks lineup, and each played on a bottom-six line. Boughner said he needs more production from his top-line veterans.
"You have to have some of your veteran guys pitch in and score some goals for us," he said. "We need some goals, and not just from our depth. We need our top-six guys to put some points on the board."

They said it

"These guys have all gotten to this place for a reason. I think you just try to do the right things at the rink and have them see that. If they have questions or something, you can help, but I think you just try to show them the work that we were shown when we were younger."-- Sharks defenseman Brent Burns on helping younger players
"I thought in [Derek] Grant's case, he flew all night, took a red-eye, I knew he would be looking for his legs a little bit. But for the most part, [Grant and Nate Thompson] showed smarts to their game, and I thought they got better and more comfortable as the game went on." -- Flyers coach Alain Vigneault on two forwards who made their Philadelphia debut after being acquired in separate trades Monday

Need to know

It was the 684th win for Vigneault, tying Pat Quinn for 10th in NHL history. ... Laughton's assist on Hayes' first goal was his 100th NHL point. ... Konecny's assist on Hayes' second goal was his 100th in the NHL. ... Thompson, acquired from the Montreal Canadiens, had one shot on goal in 12:39. Grant, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks, had three hits in 12:38.

What's next

Sharks: Host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSCA, MSG, NHL.TV)
Flyers: Host the New York Rangers on Friday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, TVAS, NBCSP, MSG, NHL.TV)