Ersson a positive, key defenseman banged up in Flyers’ preseason loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers didn’t have a good trip to Boston for their sixth preseason game.
They lost, 4-1, Tuesday night to the Bruins at TD Garden and key defenseman Nick Seeler left the game banged up.
Boston’s final two goals were empty-netters. Samuel Ersson was an overwhelming positive for the Flyers, who were outshot 34-14.
Including Ersson, John Tortorella played 13 guys who very well could be in his season-opening lineup next Friday. The Flyers’ head coach made his way down to the bench after evaluating the first five exhibition games from upstairs alongside management.
The Flyers are 3-3-0 in the preseason with one game left.
• Seeler took a puck to the area of his knee when he broke up a play on a full-out slide with under three and a half minutes remaining in the second period.
After taking one shift in the third period, Seeler did not return to the ice, finishing the game with 12:51 minutes.
It’s possible the Flyers were operating under extreme caution considering the preseason circumstances, but we’ll see over the next few days. Seeler is arguably the Flyers’ truest defender and the team struggled last season when he went down in March.
• Ersson kept the Flyers in it from the onset. He finished with 30 saves on 32 shots.
In two preseason starts, the soon-to-be 25-year-old has stopped 67 of 69 shots.
He’s entering the season as a first-time No. 1 and looks ready for opening night in Vancouver, British Columbia.
More: Tortorella has reasons to pump brakes, says Flyers have ‘so much s— to do’
• With the Flyers badly needing some offensive life in the second period, Matvei Michkov provided it.
The 19-year-old winger made a nice play to fire a shot on net and Travis Konecny flushed the rebound to draw the Flyers even at 1-1.
Through one rookie game and four preseason games, Michkov has put up four goals and four assists.
Jett Luchanko, the Flyers’ 2024 first-rounder, has tapered off as the preseason games have picked up, going scoreless over his last three outings. And that’s OK. He just turned 18 years old in August and has opened eyes.
If the speedy center does go back to his OHL club Guelph (and that seems likely), he’s poised for a huge junior season.
• Defensemen Hunter McDonald and Oliver Bonk both showed their young age at times but hung in there Tuesday night.
The 19-year-old Bonk will soon head back to his OHL club London. McDonald, a 22-year-old Northeastern product, is set for his first full season of pro hockey with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
“There’s some work to do,” Tortorella said about McDonald at morning skate Tuesday. “He’s still pretty raw. I think he has to understand a little bit more of the NHL game.
“At that position especially, coming out of college and all, we need to be patient. I think he has a bright, bright future. That position, I just don’t want to force-feed it. There’s going to be some work to do and still a number of things he needs to work at.”
• The Flyers are scheduled to practice Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET and noon ET. They wrap up the exhibition slate Thursday when they host the Devils (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
New Jersey’s big club is already in Prague, Czechia for the 2024 NHL Global Series, so the Flyers will face a lineup heavy on Utica Comets from the Devils’ AHL affiliate. Tortorella will also play a younger lineup featuring some Phantoms.
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