The Philadelphia Flyers dressed practically an Opening Night lineup Thursday against the Boston Bruins, but it wasn't enough as the Flyers fell 2-1 in overtime.
By Dan Heaning, Sports Talk Philly staff writer
For their fourth preseason contest, the Philadelphia Flyers iced what was very close to an Opening Night lineup. However, despite the NHL-caliber lineup, the Orange and Black fell to the Bruins in Boston by a 2-1 score.
The Flyers had their opportunities as the game was slowed by a cornucopia of penalty calls as the NHL works to enforce new standards and re-enforce old rules.
Yet, the Philadelphia power play was listless through the game. They generated just one shot in their first five man advantages. Things looked better on the sixth attempt but ultimately they couldn't crack Tuukka Rask. The Flyers would finish the evening 0-9 on the man advantage with seven shots.
However, with any preseason game, the main point of interest is which players battling for roster spots stood out.
Nolan Patrick looked sharp as he created both chances and havoc by using his combination of size and skill.
One chance of note was generated in the opening stanza. After a somewhat chaotic moment when goaltender Brian Elliott was caught looking behind him after a save, the Flyers rushed up the ice and were able to chip the puck into the Bruins end.
Jordan Weal helped to creat the opportunity when he tied up Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk along the boards allowing Patrick to perform a between-the-legs, no-look pass in front to Wayne Simmonds who was stopped by Tuukka Rask.
Patrick was also in close on several opportunities in the second period. The second overall pick this past NHL Entry Draft is making a strong case to remain with the Flyers.
Patrick wasn't the only young player who performed well. Sam Morin was opportunistic in his stick work as he broke up several plays and used his size to control the puck. However, while he looked comfortable handling the puck at times, he had a few moments where his puck handling was lacking.
Robert Hagg looked like a natural partner with Ivan Provorov. While it may appear unlikely that head coach Dave Hakstol would make such a move, Hagg showcased his quick skating and renewed physicality which would make him an ideal candidate for Provorov's right side.
Travis Sanheim also looked good in this preseason contest. He was posed in his puck handling, confident in his shot and stood toe-to-toe with Brad Marchand on a rush in which Sanheim did not allow a scoring chance. He also opened the scoring when he sent a stoppable snapshot from a distance that beat Rask and put the Flyers up 1-0 early in the third period.
When Oskar Lindblom was on the ice with the first power play unit, the Flyers struggled to execute on their chances. However, Lindblom showed his two-way ability by negating a potential odd-man rush situation in the second with some solid backchecking.
In two periods of action, Elliott ranged from solid to excellent as he turned away all 18 shots he faced including a lightning-quick pad save on Patrice Bergeron in the second period. Alex Lyon, despite giving up both goals during the game, looked solid as well as he kept the team in the game late in the third period and in the overtime.
The Flyers are back at it on Monday when they head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers at 7 p.m. for another preseason contest. The game will broadcast in the New York area on the MSG Network.
