(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
When the Flyers made the trip to Chicago for just the third game of the season, it was a friendly reminder that this was a team that would probably have a lot of growing pains.
Well, on Saturday, those growing pains took a back seat as the Flyers picked up their fourth straight win by beating the Blackhawks, 3-1.
Here are 10 Postgame Points from Saturday's Flyers-Blackhawks game.
- Remember Ivan Provorov's game in Chicago? It seems like a distant memory now. Not only was this Provorov's best game offensively, but the 19-year-old made several solid plays in the defensive zone. The most notable came on Patrick Kane, as Provorov tracked him around the perimeter and freed up the puck with a perfect poke check. The rookie is growing quite a bit in his defensive play, which opens up a whole new aspect of his game.
- Provorov in the offensive zone showed just how versatile he can be. His first goal was off a little feed from Nick Cousins. Provorov had to corral the puck, and then fired a slap shot from the top of the left circle. It hit a Blackhawks defender on the way in and rose over Scott Darling. The second goal, just a clean wrist shot with a lot behind it. Provorov's wrist show may actually be better than his slap shot. An impressive day that the rookie should remember for a long time.
- And more Provorov: the play that may draw the most discussion is not a goal, but a non-goal. Provorov's glove appeared to fish the puck out of the net to prevent a second Chicago goal late in the second. Or did it? Replays were inconclusive, but it was close and could have gone either way. The Flyers, quite possibly, dodged a bullet there.
- Consider this an in-between game for Steve Mason, not active to the level he was against Boston, much busier than he was in Ottawa. Still, this was one of his better games. The Flyers were not going to play flawless defense around Mason and that showed on Artemi Panarin's goal. But Mason really tracked the puck well, looked composed and made some big saves down the stretch. If not for Provorov going off for two quick goals, Mason was the standout player.
- Overall, this was probably the best game the Flyers have played all season. After Chicago opened the scoring, there wasn't much room for opportunity in the first period. Chicago ramped up the shooting in the second and third, but there were a lot more unimpeded shots and plays coming from the outside. Chicago never really got the inside positioning that makes them so dangerous, and that's such a crucial part of beating them is taking away the space to get creative. From an offensive standpoint, the Flyers gameplan was exactly what it needed to be. They were facing a backup goalie who unexpectedly became the starter the morning of the game. Pepper him with shots. They got 16 in the first period and eight more in the second.
- The Flyers third goal couldn't have come at a better time. Chicago had just started to amp up the pressure and make a push. Leave it to Travis Konecny to start a perfect play to get the Flyers ahead by two.
- Konecny really is always good for at least one moment per game where you just are left amazed. On Saturday, he had a few. In the first, he carried the puck around the net and had the Blackhawks, particularly Scott Darling, all out of sorts. There was no lane to shoot as he carried the puck wide around the net and emerged out the other side, but the puck-carrying ability is so impressive. Then there was Brayden Schenn's goal and the perfectly-timed lead pass to Schenn. That was the type of play you expect to see from the Blackhawks top line. Finally, in the third, Konecny had one shift where he looked like a man possessed. The puck control, the effort in puck battles along the boards, the vision and passing ability. How did this guy slip to 24th in the Draft?
- Another great aspect to this quality win for the Flyers was the discipline. The only penalty the Flyers committed was a bench minor. Everything else was clean. And while that was really the narrative of the entire game — Chicago took just three penalties — the Flyers needed to have a game like that against a talented Blackhawks team.
- Speaking of special teams, the Flyers power play just hasn't been able to really put it together lately. Their first power play was good, getting three shots on goal, but the last two weren't very effective. The Flyers have honestly been generating better chances at even strength 5-on-5 of late. That's actually a good sign, because this power play won't be in a slump forever. If they can get the power play clicking while the even strength play remains solid, look out.
- The feel-good story from the game wasn't on the ice, but on the Chicago bench. Corey Crawford was expected to start, but spent Saturday in a Philadelphia hospital for an appendectomy. That forced Scott Darling in as starter and Chicago needed an emergency backup. They called on Temple alum Eric Semborski, a club hockey goalie while at Temple and an instructor for Snider Hockey, to come in. He emerged in warmups, signed to an amateur tryout, wearing Crawford's No. 50 and donning a mask with Temple's logo on it. It was also his dad's birthday on Saturday. You may not find a better story in hockey this season.
Bottom Line
Make it four wins in a row for the Flyers, who entered Saturday on the tough task of facing two difficult opponents from the Western Conference in a back-to-back as part of seven games in 11 days.
This team has faced a brutal schedule early in the season, but they have embraced it as well. What was really most impressive about Saturday's win was not the result but the way the Flyers got there. They allowed seven goals to this same Chicago team roughly six weeks ago. The growth and adjustments in the defensive zone made by players like Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere and Brandon Manning is far above what it was then. And it's why the Flyers are playing better hockey.
The Flyers always had the ability to score goals this season. They've had that since the first game of the season. But to go anywhere, they had to improve the play in their own zone. There are still too many mistakes and those are still ending up in the back of the Flyers net, but the progress is there and you can see a team that certainly will be hanging around the playoff picture for quite a while this season if they keep playing like they did on Saturday.
