After scoring just one goal in the first two preseason games, the Flyers surpassed that total in the first period of Friday’s preseason game against the Boston Bruins. But once again facing a veteran lineup, the Flyers were on the wrong side of the result heading into the third period.
That’s when a player in a battle for a roster spot helped turn the game around. Bobby Brink scored the tying goal in the third period, then the eventual deciding goal in a shootout to lift the Flyers to a 4-3 win over the Bruins at TD Garden.
The Flyers opened the scoring at 7:31 of the first. Off a turnover in the neutral zone, Joel Farabee picked up the puck with speed, got the angle, and fired a shot past Linus Ullmark to make it 1-0.
The Bruins tied the game on a power play at 12:46, as David Pastrnak fired a shot past Sam Ersson to make it 1-1. The Flyers re-gained the lead at 17:27 of the period with a power-play goal of their own. A nice passing play by Tyson Foerster and Brink set up Ryan Poehling on the doorstep for his second goal of the preseason.
Through 20 minutes, shots were 12-5 Flyers.
The Bruins tied the game up at 7:40 of the second with Pastrnak scoring his second of the game off a turnover by Farabee. With five minutes remaining in the period, Danton Heinen scored seconds after a power play expired to make it 3-2 Boston.
The Flyers had a 18-17 lead in shots through two periods. Ersson made eight saves on 10 shots before exiting midway through the second as scheduled.
Brink tied the game for the Flyers at 4:07 of the third. Taking a feed from Jacob Gaucher, Brink came down the middle of the slot and fired a laser high over Ullmark for the equalizer.
Through three periods, shots were 33-24 Flyers.
An eventful overtime followed that included a penalty shot for Owen Tippett and a brief power play late for Boston. Neither team could score despite some close calls, and that set up the shootout.
Cal Petersen continued his solid play from late in the third and overtime in the shootout, stopping Matthew Poitras and Pastrnak. Brink scored the opening goal of the shootout on a nice backhand, and Morgan Frost finished it off with a patient goal from the slot to seal the result.
Petersen made 16 saves on 17 shots in the win. Ullmark made 33 saves on 36 shots in the loss.
Brink finished the night with a goal and an assist as well as the shootout tally.
The Flyers are right back on the ice on Saturday night for their preseason opener at home, facing the New Jersey Devils at 7 p.m.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | SO | T | |
| Flyers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Bruins | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- PHI Joel Farabee (1) (Unassisted) 7:31
- BOS David Pastrnak (1) PP (Charlie McAvoy, Pavel Zacha) 12:46
- PHI Ryan Poehling (2) PP (Bobby Brink, Tyson Foerster) 17:27
2nd Period
- BOS Pastrnak (2) (Unassisted) 7:40
- BOS Danton Heinen (1) (Kevin Shattenkirk, Georgii Merkulov) 15:00
3rd Period
- PHI Brink (1) (Jacob Gaucher, Nick Seeler) 4:07
Overtime
- No Scoring
Shootout
- BOS Matthew Poitras – Save
- PHI Bobby Brink – Goal
- BOS David Pastrnak – Save
- PHI Morgan Frost – Goal
Game Statistics
| Flyers | Bruins | |
| Shots | 36 | 27 |
| Power Play | 1/2 | 1/4 |
| Hits | 27 | 19 |
| Faceoff % | 54% | 46% |
| Giveaways | 10 | 3 |
| Takeaways | 10 | 5 |
| Blocked Shots | 9 | 11 |
| Penalty Minutes | 15 | 11 |
