PHILADELPHIA – Some of the Flyers were bound to have pre-trade-deadline jitters ahead of Thursday’s game against Utah. Trevor Zegras probably had the best advice for those worrying.

“Just try to block out all the noise,” Zegras said after the morning skate, “and focus on, I guess, what you are doing.”

The NHL trade deadline arrives at 3 p.m. Friday. There’s no way to predict what Flyers GM Daniel Briere plans to do because his team is on the bubble of playoff contention.

Privately, the Flyers went into the game against the Mammoth a pretty confident group. Playing well, with three straight wins, might give management second thoughts about making moves.

“I mean, we got a pretty tight-knit group, so it’s fun being at the rink,” Zegras said. “And I think we’ve got some good momentum, some good mojo going.”

One player on whom the rumors centered is defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Ristolainen has made it known that he would like to stay, but he has no real control over the situation. He’s been playing well since returning from the Olympics with Finland, which makes him a more attractive trade candidate.

His most recent blue line partner, Travis Sanheim, is one player who hopes the towering Finn stays put. The two Olympians have created strong chemistry over the past couple of weeks.

“We’re familiar with each other,” said Sanheim, who had been paired with Cam York for much of the past two seasons. “We’ve played together before. We both played at the Olympics with the style we needed to play over there.

“It’s benefitted us coming back. We work well off each other, we’re hard to play against and we’re a good breakout pair. I think the last game (at Toronto on Monday) was the best I’ve seen him break out pucks. I didn’t have to do a lot, he was breaking them out by himself.”

Some of those breakouts caused coach Rick Tocchet to say Ristolainen was wheeling pucks “like Bobby Orr.”

“He’s been fun to play with,” Sanheim said. “Real easy to work with him.”

As for the trade deadline in regards to Ristolainen, Sanheim shrugged.

“He doesn’t say a whole lot, but I think just his mindset and how he approaches things,” Sanheim said. “And I think a lot of guys can learn from him and, and how he handles certain situations. I think he’s been through this before and it’s nothing new for him.”

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Tocchet has experimented with Carl Grundstrom, a natural wing, at center. The results have been mixed, but it’s a difficult position to pick up.

“It’s a tough situation,” Tocchet said. “I think he’s done a nice job. It’s hard. Face-offs are something that you’re putting someone there who’s never played center before. It’s just because of circumstances. He’s doing a good job.”

Grundstrom has eight goals in 31 games, not bad for a guy mostly playing on the fourth line. He’s filled in at center with Rodrigo Abols injured.

For now, Grundstrom will probably stay at center.

“We’re hanging in there with that,” Tocchet said. “He wanted to stay in the lineup and try center. That’s the world we live in now.”

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Travis Konecny missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury. He skated in the morning.

There’s no definitive word if he will be ready for Saturday’s game at Pittsburgh.