Five observations from Flyers’ 5-2 preseason win over Isles
The Flyers hosted the New York Islanders tonight in a preseason match-up at the Wells Fargo Center. Though many of the top players from each team did not play (especially on the Islanders, including captain John Tavares and star winger Kyle Okposo), Flyers fans got the chance to see and evaluate players that have not yet played in televised preseason games. For example, Flyers fans were able to see defensive prospect Robert Hagg, forward Matt Read and defenseman Radko Gudas, who was acquired in the Braydon Coburn deal at the trade deadline.
Since Tuesday night’s game against the Rangers, the Flyers have made significant cuts to the training camp roster. The Flyers’ training camp roster now stands at 29 players, as many players were cut or sent down to the AHL Phantoms or the players’ junior teams. Among the list of players sent back to juniors include first-round picks Travis Konecny, Ivan Provorov, Sam Morin and Travis Sanheim. The Flyers plan to waive forwards Tim Brent, Chris Conner and Aaron Palushaj, defenseman Davis Drewiske and goaltender Jason LaBarbara. Defenseman Christian Marti cannot be waived due to injury, but he will most likely play for the Phantoms starting in Novebmer.
The following players are still on the training camp roster:
17 Forwards
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare
Nick Cousins
Sean Couturier
Sam Gagner
Claude Giroux
Scott Laughton
Vinny Lecvalier
Colin McDonald
Chris Porter
Michael Raffl
Matt Read
Brayden Schenn
Wayne Simmonds
R.J. Umberger
Chris Vandevelde
Jake Voracek
Ryan White
11 Defensemen
Michael Del Zotto
Shayne Gostisbehere
Radko Gudas
Robert Hagg
Andrew MacDonald
Brandon Manning
Yevgeni Medvedev
Luke Schenn
Nick Schultz
Mark Streit
2 Goalies
Steve Mason
Michal Neuvirth
The Flyers won tonight’s game 5-2, with goals from Chris Porter, Shayne Gostisbehere, Brayden Schenn, Michael Raffl and Matt Read; the three stars of the game were Brayden Schenn (1 goal, 2 shots, 2 hits), Yevgeni Medvedev (2 assists, 1 hit) and Shayne Gostisbehere (1 goal, 2 shots).
Tonight’s Line Combinations:
Raffl-Giroux-Voracek
Read-Lecavalier-Gagner
Vandevelde-Bellemare-McDonald
Porter-Cousins-Schenn
Del Zotto-Medvedev
MacDonald-Gudas
Hagg-Gostisbehere
Neuvirth
Mason
Here are five observations from the Flyers’ 5-2 preseason win over the Islanders:
1. Schenn: On the Rise or On the Way Out?
Brayden Schenn continues to be relegated to fourth- and fifth-line duty in training camp and the preseason, but he keeps producing. Schenn added another goal in tonight’s game, his third of the preseason, on a great play as he drove the net. It’s unclear where Schenn will fit in (if at all) with Dave Hakstol’s plans for this season, but he is certainly doing all he can to earn back a spot on this team. His brother, defenseman Luke Schenn, has also been playing with players unlikely to make the team or earning a starting roster spot. Hextall said publicly that Schenn “has been ok,” which isn’t necessarily a ringing endorsement. Are the Schenn’s on the trade block? It certainly seems like something is amiss with the Schenn’s in Philadelphia.
2. Neuvirth Settling In
Flyers’ backup goaltender Michal Neuvirth looked a little shaky early on in tonight’s game but settled down as the game wore on and ended up playing a solid game. This is a good sign for the Flyers, as starting goaltender Steve Mason needs and deserves a reliable backup goalie to share the load this season. Neuvirth looked calm and confident in the crease in the second half of tonight’s game as he made 23 saves on 25 shots and earned the 5-2 win over the Islanders.
3. Gostisbehere Making His Case
While general manager Ron Hextall has repeatedly said he wants the Flyers’ prospects to develop fully and properly and that he will not rush any player, Flyers’ defensive prospect Shayne Gostisbehere is making a very strong case to make the team. Though he struggled with turnovers in the preseason game agains the Rangers, Gostisbehere finished that game with two goals; Gostisbehere added another tally in the first period of tonight’s game as he scored on a blast from the point on the power-play. Gostisbehere’s play in the offensive zone is superb; he plays without reservation or hesitation, and has a nasty shot that seems to find its way to the back of the net more often than not. It’s unlikely that Gostisbehere will, in fact, make the team out of camp this year unless the Flyers trade one of the eight defensemen on one-way contracts, but if anyone could compete against those odds, it would be Gostisbehere.
4. Read Back to Himself
Tonight is the first time Flyers’ forward Matt Read has appeared in a preseason game that has been televised (he played in the split-squad game against the Islanders earlier in the preseason that was not televised). After battling injuries and consistency last season, Read appears to be back to normal, which is a great sign for the Flyers. Read skated on a line with Vinny Lecavalier and Sam Gagner tonight, though he figures to play alongside Sean Couturier and Wayne Simmonds this season. In the final 17 seconds of the game, Read sprawled out on the ice to block a shot even though the Flyers were up by three goals and it was only a preseason game; this was a great example of Read’s dedication and determination to have a more successful overall season than he did last year. Read has his skating legs back and looks poised to put together another 20+-goal campaign this year. He scored his first goal of the preseason tonight on a power-play feed from Yevgeni Medvedev. The Flyers desperately lacked secondary scoring last season, so the team will look to Read to fill that role this year.
5. Medvedev Generating Excitement but Has Work to Do
The Flyers’ May signing of Russian defenseman Yevgeni Medvedev to a one-year contract with a cap hit of $3 million looks better and better the more Medvedev plays. Though fans, coaches and members of the media alike are all raving about Medvedev’s play and potential to help the Flyers’ struggling blue line this season, Medvedev still needs to clean up certain aspects of his game. After watching him play in multiple preseason games it is clear that this was a great low-risk, high-reward signing for Hextall and the Flyers, but Medvedev is still adjusting to the larger ice surface in the NHL and still has some shifts with shaky defensive play. For example, Medvedev failed to contain Isles’ forward Mike Halmo as he weaved his way up the middle of the Flyers’ zone, around Medvedev, and eventually got the primary assist on a tap-in goal for Bracken Kerns in the first period. However, Medvedev had some excellent shifts tonight as well, including a crisp pass that Chris Porter deflected into the top of the net, a primary assist on Matt Read’s power-play goal as well as a great back-check play getting back to a loose puck in the Flyers’ zone. Medvedev seems to improve game after game, and he looks to be a crucial piece of the Flyers’ success this season.
Other Notes:
Though Gostisbehere has been the most flashy of the Flyers’ group of excellent defensive prospects, Robert Hagg has also been stellar in the preseason. In tonight’s game Hagg wasn’t too noticeable, but the reason he did not stand out is because he was in excellent position in all three zones. He made a few excellent plays on the penalty kill early on in the game and continued to make smart hockey plays throughout the game. Even if he doesn’t end up making the roster this year, he will certainly be a reliable d-man on the Flyers’ blue line for many years to come. All in all the Flyers played well tonight; the team got off to a slow start, which has not been the case in the other preseason games so far. However, the Flyers turned things around and scored a couple of quick goals in the early part of the second period. The Flyers’ top line of Michael Raffl, Claude Giroux and Jake Voracek appeared to be in mid-season form, with the cycle looking effortless. Sam Gagner was less visible in tonight’s game but continues to play solid hockey for the Flyers. Forwards Colin McDonald and Chris Porter (who scored a beautiful goal tonight on a deflection in front of the net) continue to play impressive hockey; they will most likely be AHL players, but they have played very well in camp and look to be the first call-ups in case of injury during the season.
Featured image via @NHLFlyers on Twitter
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