The Philadelphia Flyers rounded out their preseason game schedule at the Wells Fargo Center with a 5-4 win against the New Jersey Devils.
Although neither team fielded their full-strength NHL rosters as originally anticipated when the schedule was first announced, there was no shortage of emotion, excitement, and hard hits in this game.
You Gotta Fight!
When you name Sawyer Boulton and Hunter McDonald in your lineup, it’s a pretty safe bet that there’s going to be some fighting—and there certainly was in this game.
Boulton alone had two fights, while Hunter McDonald got into one, but had plenty of hits to his name. There was plenty of physicality from the Flyers, much more than expected from what many people had pegged as a “whatever” game against essentially two AHL rosters.
It may not have been the NHL game prep the Flyers were hoping for, but the players (and the crowd, for that matter) brought a great amount of energy for the last game of preseason.
Kudos For Kolosov
Ivan Fedotov started the game against the Devils, but Alexei Kolosov took over halfway through the game (as was the plan outlined by acting head coach Darryl Williams after morning skate), and, once again, had a commendable performance.
His athleticism is undoubtedly his most noticeable quality, but he made a number of crucial saves to keep the Flyers in the game. For a goalie that’s only recently joined training camp after practicing overseas—and being the subject of an onslaught of rumors questioning his willingness to play in North America—Kolosov has looked solid. It’s a good sign for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who expect the 22-year-old Belarusian to continue his season with them, and will definitely put Kolosov in consideration for a call-up to the Flyers, should something happen to either Sam Ersson or Fedotov.
Who Impressed The Most?
Anthony Richard, who has played in six of the seven preseason games, scored again, and overall kept up the good quality he’s been displaying throughout camp. A forward blessed with speed, agility, and great vision, he’s put the Flyers on notice, and it’s natural to think he’ll be near the top of the list when the Flyers need to bring AHL guys up.
Boulton and McDonald’s most significant contributions were their fights, but the Nic Deslauriers and Nick Seeler can’t play in the NHL forever, so you can’t count these two out of consideration. The Flyers need some tough guys on their team, and they have two perfectly suitable candidates in Boulton and McDonald.
It’s also worth mentioning that Emil Andrae had a three-point night—something to add to his, as head coach John Tortorella said, “quietly good” camp. He was an up-and-down player between the Flyers and Phantoms last season, but if he can stay consistent with games like that, he could be spending more time up than down.
Bonus: The Flyers Scored Powerplay Goals!
Flyers assistant coach Darryl Williams, who assumed head coaching duties for this game, highlighted that he thought that this players “moved the puck well” on the man advantage, and stayed in the Devils’ zone early on in the PP, which helped them have such productive units.
For a powerplay that has been the butt of countless jokes and ridicule, it was refreshing to hear the fans actually be excited to hear that the Flyers were on the “PECOOOO POWERPLAY” tonight.
The Flyers’ next game will be their first of the 2024-25 regular season—a trip to Vancouver face off against the Canucks on Oct. 11.
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