Let’s look back at the first week for the Flyers, and we’ll hand out our 3-Star selections.
Game 1: Flyers at Canucks (10/11/2024) – Flyers 3, Canucks 2
Sam Ersson made 26 saves (.923 SV%) in this contest, keeping the Flyers in this one early. A bad turnover led to the 1st-period goal for Vancouver. Cam York had a big goal in this game; more on that below.
The defense was aggressive and not afraid to jump up on the play. Luchanko was robbed of his first goal in this game. Frost helped the Flyers get the extra point in the shootout.
Game 2: Flyers at Flames (10/12/2024) – Flames 6, Flyers 3
Ivan Fedotov had a rough first game, finishing the night stopping 31 shots (.839 SV%) while yielding 5 goals. The first goal with 14:23 remaining in the first went off Jonathan Huberdeau’s shoulder and was not Fedotov’s fault.
Overall, this was a game the Flyers were chasing from behind.
Game 3: Flyers at Edmonton (10/15/2024) – Oilers 4, Flyers 3
In the Game for Sam Ersson, he made 31 saves (.871 SV%) against a dangerous and desperate Oilers squad, allowing 4 goals on the night in the OT loss. Still, Ersson battled to get the Flyers a point. The team will want to find a way to put away teams after jumping out to a 2-0 lead on the road, desperate or not.
Michkov was excellent in this one early on the Power Play and made this power play instantly much more dangerous than the past few years.
Game 4: Flyers at Kraken (10/17/2024) – Kraken 6, Flyers 4
It was another rough night in net for Fedotov, struggling with a few stoppable pucks, and was relieved by Ersson in this one. Laughton had a good game, notching 2 goals. Overall, it was just not the Flyers’ night; they looked tired on the back end of a 4 game road trip. Seeing York and Drysdale chip in with goals in the 3rd was good.
The Flyers will get their chance for redemption against the Kraken in Philly in early March.
Three Stars of the Week
3rd Star: Scott Laughton
Laughton made a beautiful pass to set up Konecky in Calgary for a beautiful goal. He followed that up with the two-goal, three-point performance in Seattle. He’s looked up on his skates, especially on the PK, which showed signs of being a power kill again this year. So far this season, Laughton has two goals, two assists, seven shots on net, 12 hits, and a plus-1 rating through four games.
2nd Star: Matvei Michkov
Michkov showed up in Edmonton on Tuesday night to explain why he’s such a dynamic power-play threat and one that the Flyers have long needed. Michkov’s first goal on the Power Play came after he swiftly jammed a rebound off the end boards. His quick hands in getting the puck back on the net, along with a subtle pad move away from the post by Edmonton’s goaltender, Stuart Skinner, was enough to slip past for a 1-0 lead at 4:46 of the 1st period. Several minutes later, at 9:21, Michkov struck again on the power play with an ‘Ovechkin-like’ one-timer from a difficult angle.
The Flyers’ power play, which has been at the very bottom of the league for the past three years, is dangerous in the blink of an eye. Jumping out to a 2-0 lead on the Oilers, now a perennial Stanley Cup threat, is sure to make Tortorella Happy. Of course, losing that game late in OT will not.
Despite the loss, according to NHL.com’s Gerry Moddejonge, Tortorella had good things to say about the 19-year-old.
“He’s a dynamic player, not just his passing, but how he can hold on to a puck and get out of traffic… think it goes a long way with his teammates. He’s out here blocking shots and doing all the other stuff that creates that team camaraderie and concept. That’s really important.”
1st Star: Cam York
York had a great game in Vancouver. The 23-year-old defenseman skated 20:47 in the game and scored a clutch game-tying goal early in the third period. Then, to cap off the week, on Thursday night in Seattle, York netted another great shot right over the globe and under the bar with less than 10 minutes in the third period.
Per Christopher Babos’ story featured in the Metro, using the Natural Stat Trick model, York finished the game as the highest-rated Philadelphia skater in the 3-2 win. In his piece, he describes the opening games versus the Canucks and Flames, detailing that Zamula and Drysdale have struggled early on, hitting the bottom 5-ranked members of the team in one, if not both, games.
Several members of the Flyers must get off to strong starts, as it’s clear several other members are struggling to start the season. It’s great to see York take up the mantle and help lead this team to points from the back end.
It’s a dynamic league with incredible talents and scoring threats each night. Overall, the Flyers are a fairly young team, including on Defense and in the net.
The Flyers will need to find a way to tighten up on defense and hold on to some leads.
PHOTO: Steven Bisig/Imagn Images
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