The Flyers fell short in a neck-and-neck battle with the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday evening. Philadelphia played an overall competitive game against a team consistently earning a playoff spot with plenty of established veterans. Tippett started the game with a powerplay goal in the first period. All three of Carolina’s regulation goals came in the second period, interrupted by a Philadelphia goal by Bobby Brink. Travis Sanheim tied the game late in the third, and the game concluded with a Carolina goal in a deep, competitive overtime. A snubbed overtime goal from Brink ultimately cost them the game, but there was definitely room for improvement across the board.
Our young team is filled with potential, yet the dots aren’t connecting yet. It’s to be expected with a group of young players under a new head coach, and I don’t think we’re far off from a fitting lineup. Our defensive pairings have struggled to find their footing among each other after new additions and injuries sidelining both Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York. Our defense is a young group, such as newcomers Adam Ginning and Noah Juulsen. There are clearly loose ends amongst the defensemen, who were paired together for last night’s game. Once our defense starts to understand each other’s game, it should be mostly smooth-sailing.
We’re also waiting to see Matvei Michkov expand his adaptability on the ice. As a prominent right wing, it has been tricky to see him fit in on the roster. He has struggled playing alongside Couturier, as his straight-forward playing style does not suit Michkov’s unique plays. Both have their benefits, yet together they simply don’t work. This poses the issue of where to place Michkov, as he is basically stuck as a right wing as his skill seems to diminish on the left wing. I’ll be curious to see if or who he sacrifices for Michkov’s spot on the roster.
On the positive side, the Foerster-Cates-Brink line is performing exceptionally for a group of young guys. After Cates’ goal in the season opener on Thursday night, he tallied an assist to Brink’s goal in the second period on Saturday against Carolina. Brink also had an assist with Foerster on Travis Sanheim’s tying goal in the third period. This young line has shown great chemistry and is proving to be our most productive line thus far. I’m hopeful this line will continue to flourish and make bold, assertive plays.
Brink also had what was supposed to be the game-winning goal in overtime, yet it was disallowed after a call on Sanheim for goalie interference. It appeared that Carolina’s goaltender initiated the contact with Sanheim, who was simply playing the puck. Nonetheless, this left the net wide open for Brink to score in a smart play on his end. While the goal was disallowed, it was nice to see a young player putting himself in the play, a skill that has been sorely lacking in years past.
Sam Ersson got the start against Carolina after Vladar’s impressive performance on Thursday. Ersson allowed four goals on thirty-nine shots across three periods and almost a full overtime, ending with a .897 SV%. I was particularly impressed with quite a few of his saves, as Carolina played a great game offensively and challenged Ersson with quite a few intense moments in front of the net. While Ersson’s performance was strong, I’d like to see Vladar get more time on ice to determine our true starting goalie.
Overall the Flyers played a good game against a consistently strong team. Noah Cates is exciting to watch and continues to prove so, and I’m excited to see him continue to shine alongside Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink. Another great example of a young team hungry for success.
Philly's Next Shift 