Flyers Win Season Opener In Columbus

Oct 12, 2023

The Orange and Black improve to 7-0-2 in season openers. The longest active points streak for opening night games in the league.

The Flyers open the 2023-24 campaign in Ohio beating the Blue Jackets 4-2. The new look Blue Jackets look to improve on last season where they finished last in the division with 59 points. The big names in Ohio are still present in Laine, Gaudreau, and Werenski. The third overall pick in last summer’s draft Adam Fantilli made his NHL debut earning an assist in the process. With Elvis Merzlikins in net for the Blue Jackets. It was also the head coaching debut for Pascal Vincent who took over the duties on September 17 after the resignation of Mike Babcock before training camp. A familiar face stood on the opposite side of the ice in Ivan Provorov who was traded to Columbus in the offseason. Provorov criticized the Flyers before the game.

“Overall the last three years the way the team played over there, it’s not really my game. It was a lot of rimming, throwing the puck away. For a player, I consider myself, I can make plays and contribute and play with the puck, that was only felt like it was making my game worse. To be on a team that can make plays and is allowed to make plays, it’s been really refreshing and I can actually play my game.”

Flyers line combinations for the first game of the season:

Farabee-Couturier-Brink

Laughton-Cates-Konecny

Tippett-Frost-Atkinson

Deslauriers-Poehling-Hathaway

York-Sanhiem

Staal-Walker

Seeler-Zamula

Hart (Errson)

Joel Farabee got the first goal of the year early in the first period on a two on one with Sean Couturier. With Travis Konecny ringing one off the pipe later in the period. Carter Hart made 31 saves on 33 and an assist on Cam Atkinson’s game winning empty net goal. With Konecny netting his second of the game in an empty net in the final tenth of a second in the game. There was a scary moment late in the second period where Zach Werenski was helped off the ice after a knee on knee collision with Garnet Hathaway resulting in a two minute minor. After the game it was revealed that it was a Charley Horse and nothing serious. Jackets goals socored by Bean in the 1st and Laine in the 3rd.

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms open their regular season on Saturday hosting the Cleveland Monsters. While the Flyers are on the road again on Saturday against the Senator at 1pm. With the home opener on Tuesday against the Canucks at 7pm.

Flyers Win Season Opener In Columbus

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