How a visit from Dad has helped Zamula find his game

VOORHEES, N.J. — Sometimes all it takes is a good, loving talk with Dad.

For Egor Zamula, the presence of his father Denis has done wonders.

The Flyers' 24-year-old defenseman had his best game of the season Saturday night, recording a goal, an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in the team's 5-2 win over the Sabres.

His dad has been in town from Russia.

"My dad flew in a couple of days ago to Philadelphia," Zamula said Sunday after practice. "He changed my mind, I talked to him a little bit. When you're feeling support from your family, it changes your mind and you start playing better and have extra energy."

Zamula struggled in October to the tune of a minus-10 mark through eight games. He became a healthy scratch for the next four games and the Flyers stopped using him as a translator for 19-year-old rookie Matvei Michkov.

"It's just too much," head coach John Tortorella said three weeks ago, "and I think that has affected him a little bit."

With the Flyers now on a season-best three-game winning streak, Zamula has played a key role in the run. He has four points (one goal, three assists) and a plus-5 rating.

"When these guys that are maybe not your marquee guys are stepping up in these scenarios, it's awesome," assistant coach Brad Shaw said Sunday. "We want to have more depth, we want to be a more well-rounded team and be a more dangerous top-to-bottom team. When he can play like that, that's great."

Prior to the last three games, Zamula had two assists and a minus-12 mark.

"At the start of the season, I was struggling, like maybe I started thinking too much about the season," he said. "I don't know what happened. Last three games, maybe four, I started playing better and better. I'd like to see that more and I want to play better each game."

To efficiently move the puck out of the defensive zone, the Flyers want to see quicker, more snap decisions from Zamula. But they like how he can survey the ice and create offense.

"He has got a real ability to offer poise on the puck," Shaw said. "When most guys would off-load it, he holds onto it for another split second or second or whatever it is. Then things really open up.

"I just think when he plays with that in his game, he's a hard guy to predict. If you don't play honest and play through him and you try to guess where he's going, he has got great deception. So it's really hard for the forechecker when they play that way."

What has worked well for Zamula?

"I think I started playing simple, very simple and hard in front of the net," he said. "I'm not trying to force plays and I think it has helped me a lot. Because from Game 1, I started forcing it and forcing it to make plays and it didn't work. Now I feel like I'm back in my game. I still need to make the plays."

Having the comfort of home has helped, too. Zamula is hoping his mother Olesia will come visit in December or January. With his dad visiting now, they're going to attend a Sixers game later this month.

"He stays with me," Zamula said. "We went on the Rocky steps, dinner together. The Russian guys, as well."

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