The Flyers preseason finale is Thursday, but Tuesday’s game in Boston was supposed to be a final audition of sorts for what could be the Flyers main roster. If this was indeed a final audition, it wasn’t a good one.
The Flyers managed just 14 shots in the game, as the Bruins dominated the possession game, handing the Flyers a 4-1 loss at TD Garden.
The Bruins opened up a dominant 18-3 lead in shots in the first period. Sam Ersson was outstanding again, making 17 saves.
The Bruins did cash in at the midpoint of the period. A centering pass from Nikita Zadorov to Justin Brazeau leaked through the pads of Ersson and barely across the line to open the scoring.
The Flyers started to even play out in the second, as both team finished with just six shots on goal in the period. The Flyers managed the only goal at 9:44, as Travis Konecny buried a rebound off a Matvei Michkov shot to make it 1-1.
Through two periods, shots were 24-9 Boston.
The Bruins once again dominated the third, out-shooting the Flyers, 10-5. A power play provided the Bruins with the eventual game-winning goal at 7:50, as Tyler Johnson finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play to make it 2-1.
Boston added two empty-net goals by Charlie Coyle and Mark Kastelic with under two minutes to play to cap the scoring.
Ersson finished with 30 saves on 32 shots in the loss. Brandon Bussi made 13 saves on 14 shots in the win.
David Pastrnak had a pair of assists for Boston. Nick Seeler played just one shift in the third period after being shaken up blocking a pass late in the second period. He did not play for the remaining 18:50 of the game.
The Flyers are back in action on Thursday to close out the preseason against the New Jersey Devils at 7 p.m.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Flyers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bruins | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- BOS Justin Brazeau (1) (Nikita Zadorov, Trent Frederic) 10:00
2nd Period
- PHI Travis Konecny (1) (Matvei Michkov, Morgan Frost) 9:44
3rd Period
- BOS Tyler Johnson (1) PP (Pavel Zacha, David Pastrnak) 7:50
- BOS Charlie Coyle (1) EN (Pastrnak) 18:35
- BOS Mark Kastelic (1) EN (Unassisted) 18:55
Game Statistics
| Flyers | Bruins | |
| Shots | 14 | 34 |
| Power Play | 0/2 | 1/3 |
| Hits | 19 | 11 |
| Faceoff % | 60.0% | 40.0% |
| Giveaways | 18 | 13 |
| Takeaways | 3 | 7 |
| Blocked Shots | 18 | 10 |
| Penalty Minutes | 6 | 4 |
