The Flyers finally rolled out a lineup that looked a lot closer to the real thing, and the result was a tidy preseason shutout. Rick Tocchet’s club beat the Bruins 2-0 on Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with Matvei Michkov striking early and Cole Knuble finishing the job in the third period.
Joseph Woll handled the rest. He turned aside all 28 Boston shots to earn the win and keep the Bruins off the board in a game that tilted Philadelphia’s way from the opening minutes.
Michkov got the Flyers on the board at 4:02 of the first period, finishing a rebound that bounced off Porter Martone after Helge Grans created the chance with a point shot. The sequence came shortly after Michkov had already served a too-many-men penalty, and once he stepped out of the box he jumped right back into the action. Philadelphia carried a 1-0 lead out of the period after outshooting Boston 15-5.
The Bruins had an early power play at 1:21 after Michkov’s minor, but the Flyers killed it and kept pushing. Later in the period, Michael DiPietro caught Travis Konecny with a high stick at 8:36, though Philadelphia couldn’t cash in. Tyson Foerster also had a prime look off a Trevor Zegras feed with 3:24 left, and Travis Sanheim tested Boston on a rush chance at 17:24 after a play started by Martone.
The second period turned into a grinder, and neither side found a goal. Christian Dvorak and Martone both had early chances for Philadelphia, while the Flyers survived a stretch that included a Zegras equipment violation at 9:51 and a Jett Luchanko hooking call with 38 seconds left in the frame.
Philly killed both penalties and later erased a Frederic Brunet stick-hold minor on Sean Couturier at 16:18. With 19.6 seconds remaining, the Bruins had one more dangerous look, but Acciari was denied at the doorstep.
The Flyers put the game away early in the third. At 2:57, Knuble cleaned up a rebound after Luchanko drove the puck to the net and Gaucher kept the play alive.
From there, Philadelphia controlled the finish. Martone rang a shot off the post, Luchanko nearly scored on the next shift, and Michkov came within inches of a second goal at 14:09 when the puck hit the post.
Woll added one more save near the goal line with 43.1 seconds left to preserve the shutout.
There was also a scrap in the third, with Simon Benoit dropping the gloves and beating Brian Halonen after grappling him down at 5:51.
Philadelphia dressed most of its veteran group for the first time in the preseason, and Saturday’s game is expected to function as a dress rehearsal for opening night. Nikita Grebenkin also suited up for the first time, while Dan Vladar and Denver Barkey remained out with upper- and lower-body injuries, respectively, and are both day-to-day.
The Flyers also unveiled a new top power-play unit, with Jamie Drysdale on the point and Zegras, Michkov, Foerster, and Martone up front. That group went 0-for-2, but the penalty kill was sharp, going 3-for-3 overall, including a 5-on-3 stop.
Knuble’s stock keeps rising, too. The rookie hopeful stayed in the mix for a roster spot and has backed it up with a strong preseason run, plus a solid showing in last Saturday’s scrimmage in Voorhees.
In Other News...
Flyers Have One Big Christian Dvorak Decision Still To Make
Christian Dvorak gave the Flyers exactly what they needed last season, settling in as the top-line center for much of the year and turning in the kind of all-around production that made him look like a fit for a bigger role. His first year in Philadelphia ended with a career season across the board, and the team responded by committing to him long term as it starts sorting out what the center depth chart is supposed to look like next.
The bigger question now is how the Flyers want to arrange the middle of the ice around him. Dvorak is in place, but the club still has to decide which combinations give it the best balance, and whether his most natural usage is still at the top of the lineup or in a different setup as camp and the season approach. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Are Finally About To Learn What David Jiricek Really Is
The Flyers are at the point where camp decisions start turning into actual lineup reality, and David Jiricek is already part of it. General manager Daniel Briere confirmed the defense prospect has made Philadelphias opening night roster, a notable step for a player the organization wants to evaluate in a meaningful role rather than stash on the sidelines. With injuries affecting some of the competition around him, the Flyers still have two roster cuts to make before Mondays deadline.
For Jiricek, the first glimpse of that evaluation looks fairly defined. He is expected to begin on the third defensive pairing and handle the second-unit power-play quarterback duties, giving the Flyers a chance to see how his skill set translates when the games count. It is a useful landing spot for a player whose next stretch should tell Philadelphia a lot about where he fits, and the clubs final moves over the next few days should only sharpen the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Opener Confidence May Hinge On Dan Vladar
The Flyers got a little more clarity on Dan Vladar as the regular season draws closer, with the goaltender taking part in a skate while continuing to recover from an upper-body injury. Rick Tocchet said Vladar is progressing daily and described him as day to day, a sign the team has at least some optimism around the crease as opening night approaches.
Philadelphia still has a wait-and-see feel to it with a few pieces of the roster, and Vladars status is one of the bigger ones given how much the Flyers want stability in goal to start the season. Forward Denver Barkey is also day to day with a lower-body injury and could be in the mix as well, but for now the focus is on whether Vladar can keep trending the right way in time for the opener. [Read more 🡒]