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The Philadelphia Flyers got their unofficial start to their preseason underway on Saturday night with a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Winger Alex Bump led the way with two points (the game winning goal and an assist), while goalie Carson Bjarnason stopped 27 of 29 shots to get the win.
It was the first game of their annual Rookie Series against the Rangers at the PPL Center. The win gives the Flyers a 6-4-1 record in the six year history of the rookie camp match-ups.
Game Summary
The Flyers opened the scoring in the first period, as center Matthew Gard followed winger Noah Powell on a goal-mouth scramble. Following an initial chance by Alex Ciernik that went wide, Powell got a shot near the crease before falling to the ice. Gard crashed in and fired it home.
The Rangers were able tie the game at 1-1 on the power play, following defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii’s roughing call. Defenseman Alberts Smits fired a point shot that was deflected by Ryan Roobroeck past Bjarnason.
In the second period, both teams played “close to the vest” hockey until it reached the latter stages.
Philadelphia took a 2-1 lead with 4:19 left. Bump worked the puck from along the boards and fired a pass to a net-crashing Cole Knuble. The winger beat Rangers goalie Calum Tung cleanly.
Early in the third period, the Flyers extended their lead to two goals. Bump was able to quickly beat Tung following a rush led by Jett Luchanko.
However, it was a short-lived margin, as New York got a quick response goal from winger Nathan Aspinall to cut the Flyers’ lead to 3-2. But after that, the Flyers were able to hold ground defensively the rest of the way to preserve the win.
Tensions flared after the final horn as Powell and defenseman Ty Murchison got into scraps with Rangers players. With the second game on tap Sunday at 5:05 pm, it’ll be interesting to see if those pleasantries carry over.
Five Flyers Takeaways
1. Jett Luchanko
It was an up-and-down game from the Flyers’ 2024 first-round pick, with some good and not-so-good.
His skating explosiveness was evident on the early third-period rush that led to Bump’s game-winning goal. Additionally, on a second-period power-play, he made a lightning-quick pass across the goal mouth that Bump couldn’t finish.
However, he made a bad read with a defensive zone turnover in the third period that Bjarnason had to cover for. He also struggled on several face-offs and overskated on some of his defensive coverage. And when he had a mini-breakaway in the first period, he looked tentative.
Considering this was his first game action since his corrective procedures, there’s things to like. But at first look, he’ll likely need AHL time to firm up his game further.
2. Maksim Sokolovskii
It wasn’t a perfect game for the hulking (6-foot-7, 238lb) Kazakh defenseman, but he made some eye-opening plays on Saturday night.
During his opening shift in the first period, he displayed his skating ability by deftly side-stepping a Ranger defenseman and skating to the puck to the high slot. In the second period, he made an excellent read to deny a New York zone entry at the blue line.
And he closed out a partial Rangers breakaway with frightening quickness.
It’s pretty evident he’s not going to be a passive blueliner as he willingly went at it with Rangers rookies. He took a couple of roughing penalties and made an ill-advised no-look pass in the second period that almost led to a New York counter-rush.
But in the end, he made his presence felt in this one.
3, Carson Bjarnason
Following a rookie season that ended on a low note, Bjarnason had an impressive game on Saturday. He tracked the puck well and showed excellent lateral quickness to stop several Rangers’ chances in the first period.
None were more important than a split save on the penalty kill that kept the game tied at 1-1 and covering for the Luchanko turnover in the third period. The two goals he gave up were on a Rangers power-play in the third period and a deflection goal through heavy traffic.
Last season, Bjarnason posted a 3.43 goals-against average and an .877 save percentage in 32 appearances with the Phantoms. It was a learning experience for him, so his first action can certainly be seen as a first positive step for his sophomore campaign.
4. Cole Knuble
Knuble was the connective tissue for the top line with Luchanko and Bump. His second-period goal showed how much his skating speed has developed during his time at Notre Dame. That kind of quick-twitch explosiveness in the offensive zone will serve him well in his first pro season.
Additionally, he showed real tenacity when he was knocked down in the first period, but quickly got back up, pursued the puck and kept play alive in the offensive zone.
While playing on the wing last night, there’s a possibility of him playing some center as well. If he plays well this season in Lehigh Valley, it’s not out of the question that he could see some time with the Flyers this season.
5. Ilya Pautov
While undersized at 5-foot-11, 168 pounds, Pautov flashed with some creative play throughout the game. The Flyers 2024 sixth round pick signed with the team over the summer and played on a checking line unit with Riley Thompson and Devin Kaplan.
Pautov adapted well with his linemates, though there were times that he struggled fighting through checks from bigger Ranger forwards. It’s fair to wonder if he’ll figure in more offensively if he lines up on a unit with more offensive potential during his first North American season.
Off The Post Radio with special guest Julian McKenzie!
As the offseason comes to a close, Michael Augello, Russ Cohen, and I welcomed Julian McKenzie to the show!
Julian is The Athletic’s Ottawa Senators beat writer and the author of “Black Aces.” He is also the co-host of the Chris Johnston Show on the SDPN Network. We discussed the Senators, their Atlantic Division rivals, and much more!
Check out the show right here:
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