RECAP: FLYERS 4 - RANGERS 1

Playing their final home game of the preseason, the Flyers defeated the New York Rangers, 4-1, at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday night. The Flyers improved to 1-2-1 on the preseason, while the Rangers dropped to 0-3-0.

Jakub Voracek enjoyed a three-point game with a power play goal (1st) and assists both on the power play and at even strength. The Flyers also got goals from James van Riemsdyk (power play, 1st), Kevin Hayes (1st) and Carsen Twarynski (1st). Claude Giroux collected a pair of assists. Nick Jones (1st) scored the lone Rangers goal, cutting the gap to 4-1 in the third period.

The Flyers more than doubled up the Rangers largely B-list (at least the forwards) roster in shots on this night: a 40-to-19 margin.

Carter Hart played the first and second period for the Flyers, stopping all 11 shots he faced. He has turned back all 25 shots he's faced in 70 minutes of preseason action to date. J-F Berube entered for the third period, denying 7 of 8 shots. Igor Sheshterkin got the start in net for the Rangers, and went the distance. He stopped 36 of 40 shots.

The Flyers were 2-for-5 on the power play. They went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Alain Vigneault observed the game from the executive suite in the pressbox, rather than being behind the bench. He say next to general manager Chuck Fletcher and assistant general manager Brent Flahr. Afterwards, Vigneault said it's something he does once every preseason, and does it both to get a little different vantage point in real time and also to pick the GM and AGM's brains as to whether they're seeing the same things he's seeing.

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS

1ST PERIOD

* Even before the game, the odds of a bout between Chris Stewart and Micheal Haley seemed pretty high. Sure enough, the gloves dropped at 1:27, getting a rise from the crowd.

* Good support by Scott Laughton for Robert Hägg won an early puck battle for the Flyers. The Flyers players outnumbered the lone Ranger behind the net and came away with the puck.

* Matt Niskanen broke up a potential 2-on-1 scoring chance for the Rangers with a diving pokecheck. The play was shaping up to be a very dangerous counter on a Jakub Voracek turnover at the other end.

* Joel Farabee showed his characteristic tenacious forechecking game, and created a chance for Michael Raffl.

* Carsen Twarynski took the game's first penalty; a hooking penalty at 7:58 The Flyers killed it off in good shape. Philly improved to 10-for-10 on the PK in the preseason.

* Sam Morin rocked Nick Jones with a big hit outside the Flyers blueline after the teams returned to full strength. The Rangers took some exception to it, feeling the hit came a bit late. But nothing further ensued from it.

* On a dump-in by New York that headed toward the blue paint. there was a little bit of non-communication between Travis Sanheim and Hart as to whether Sanheim would play it or Hart should freeze it. No harm ensued, however.

* Stewart got the gate for interference at 13:03. The Rangers generated some quick pressure at the net but Hart covered for a stoppage with his sixth save of the period.

* Kevin Hayes made a nice read and tape-to-tape pass from the left half wall to find Mark Friedman pinching in a bit from the right point. Friedman had time and space to blast the puck. Sheshterkin made the save.

* Good neutral zone work by Morgan Frost created the first Flyers power play, as Boo Nieves hooked him and was penalized at. For the first time in the preseason. the Flyers cashed in on the man advantage. JVR tipped the Claude Giroux setup. It also looked like the puck hit defender Jacob Trouba's skate. Voracek collected the second apple at 18:04.

* The Flyers struck again at 19:36. A strong rush led by Voracek started the sequence, then Lindblom followed it up off the post. Hayes moved the net and deflected home a shot from up high. All three members of the line collected points.

* First period shots were 12-6 in the Flyers' favor.

2ND PERIOD

* The period started with scoring chances at both ends in the opening 1:15 of play. Giroux and Konecny made good offensive plays after Ivan Provorov broke up a chance in the Flyers' zone. A few minutes later, Provorov pinched and drew iron after a D-to-D pass from Sanheim.

* Frost and Farabee turned in a strong two-way shift near the middle of the period. It started with Frost making a strong defensive play and Farabee claiming the puck for an easy controlled exit. At the other end of the ice, Farabee and Frost showed deft touch-pass skills to create a chance off the rush.

* At 12:58, the Flyers made it 3-0. On a counterattacking sequence, Twarynski shot from the right circle, kept heading to the net and batted in his own rebound. The assists went to Stewart and Laughton. Twarynski had been playing a very involved and active game throughout, and got rewarded. He had a half-dozen shots on goal in eight minutes of ice time across the first and second periods.

* Late in the period, the Flyers had a 2-on-0 opportunity. Raffl passed to Farabee, who got denied.

* Lindblom had a one-on-one chance against Shesherkin near the buzzer but couldn't bury it.

* Second period shots were 21-5 in the Flyers favor in the team's most dominant period of the season. Philly swarmed the puck all period, pressuring and supporting to create good exits and clean entries.

3RD PERIOD

* Berube entered the game in net for the Flyers to start the third period. Sheshterkin remained in for the Rangers.

* Raffl was called for interference at 2:01. Kevin Hayes had a shorthanded semi-breakaway. With 31 seconds left, Phil Di Giuseppe took an offensive zone hooking penalty to negate the rest of the Rangers' advantage.

* Good puck movement on the PP put another one in the cash register for the Flyers at 4:08. Registering his third point of the game, Voracek scored on a quick snap shot from the top of the right circle to make it 4-0. Assists to Provorov and Giroux.

* Farabee remained snakebitten, drawing iron on a prime chance; a regular occurance in camp.

* With 12:09 left, the Flyers went back to the power play on another Di Giuseppe hooking minor. The Flyers generated good pressure but were unable to pot one this time.

* Trouba took a minor at 10:27, sending the Flyers to their 4th power play. With 11 seconds left, the Flyers got a brief 5-on-3 on a too many men penalty on the Rangers. The Flyers started the 5-on-3 with rookies Farabee and Frost getting a crack at the two-man advantage.

* The Rangers made it 4-1 at 15:52. Jones scored off the rush from the deep center slot. The puck went off Sam Morin, off the crossbar and bounced into the net past Berube.

* Voracek grappled with Haley with 23.5 seconds left after a scrum around the Flyers net. Both got roughing minors.

QUOTEBOOK

Alain Vigneault: "Obviously tonight, I saw a lot of things that I liked. I saw some awareness of good defense, a quick transition pace that we’ve been talking about."

Vigneault: "We’ve had more meetings about the PP. We had a good meeting this morning where we’re discussing different principles with the group. Michel has been talking to different units prior to games. Tonight, we threw different looks. It was a powerplay that not only scored but gave us momentum in the game. It was efficient. Going to the net and adding some bodies there is always a good thing. We’ve got more bodies in there tonight."

Vigneault: "For me tonight, the best player on the ice was Twarynski. He played a solid game at both ends. Great on the forecheck. Made some great decisions. There’s no doubt the young man is making a strong case for himself."

Vigneault on Farabee and Frost: "Those two young men, you can tell there are a tremendous amount of upside and smarts to their game. We have a lot to work with there. Just a matter of doing what’s right for the team. That’s what we’re going to do when we make the final decisions."

Vigneault on Giroux's line: "I thought that line played extremely well. TK, for his first game and missing first 3 days, I thought he was hungry on pucks. Won a lot of puck battles. Made some good in-tight plays. JVR skated tonight. Went to the net hard and won puck battles."

Kevin Hayes: "We definitely had a talk as a team the other day and we had no practice this morning just a team meeting and went over winning your 1-on-1 battles and playing the right way. Even though it is preseason, it’s a step towards the regular season, which is October 4th. I thought tonight was a step towards the right way."

Travis Konecny: "I didn’t feel as bad as I thought I was going to look out there. But there are a few plays that guys were wide open, and I was fumbling the puck, but I’m sure that will come. ...I felt pretty good. Puck races, in that I just wasn’t too slow, but just not in the right spots and reading the play quick enough to get there, but I am sure that will come."

Jakub Voracek: "We kind of had the same power play over the last 9 years. We know when we are not doing good and when we are doing good. It’s always up to us how we are going to handle those things and those slumps, but it obviously a good thing to get a couple tonight."

Carter Hart: "It felt great to get it all out there. I faced 11 shots tonight. We did a really good job keeping the puck in their zone. I don’t think they had many chances in our zone, so it made my job pretty easy. It got a little boring back there, but we came out hard and it was good to get our first win of the preseason. Their goalie made some pretty big stops but we were throwing everything on net. We did a good job in our zone. Spent most of the time in the o-zone."

Carsen Twarynski: "When I’m going fast is when I’m doing my best. As long as I am moving my feet and playing with guys that understand that and play the same way it’s going to work well. That’s what you guys saw tonight....I've got to work. I am trying to earn a spot here and I am not a flashy player by any means, but I know the spot that I am battling for. That’s what I’ve done my whole life and what I’m going to keep on doing.”

James van Riemsdyk: "I think anytime you have a new coach, new philosophies and some other things, you want things to become like second nature out there. The best way to do that is by getting reps at it and working at it. Obviously we trimmed our group a bit, we get some more one on one time as far as going over some details and I think it is a step in the right direction. We will continue to push and use this as a building block.”

Morgan Frost: "Every game I’m getting better and more comfortable with [the pace]. I thought I adjusted pretty well to it tonight."

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Quick Hits: Sept. 21-22, 2019

1) The Flyers will have a noon practice on Sunday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. Sean Couturier is expected to be on the ice after a maintenance day on Saturday.

2) Saturday night Flyers prospect highlights (CHL, BCHL, SHL):

* QMJHL final: Chicoutimi 5 - Victoriaville 4 via shootout. Egor Serdyuk took 1st-star honors in a losing cause, scoring a hat trick in regulation and also converting his shootout attempt. He has four goals in the first two games of the season.

* WHL final: Swift Current scored on the final tick of OT to down Calgary, 3-2. Egor Zamula, who scored in the final 18 seconds to force OT and had four shots on goal in the game, received 3rd-star honors in a losing cause.

* WHL final: Everett 6 - Victoria 0. Wyatte Wylie opened and closed the scoring in the game for the Silvertips, scoring his team's first and sixth goals. On the first, he took a power play tape-to-tape pass in the right circle and wired it home. The second goal came off a Victoria turnover and a right-circle blast for an unassisted tally. Overall, Wylie had four shots on goal and received a pair of minor penalties for roughing and boarding. Neither penalty resulted in power plays for Victoria, as there were offsetting minors on both plays.

* WHL final: Seattle 4 - Kamloops 1. Thunderbirds goalie Roddy Ross turned aside 50 of 51 shots, including all 21 in the second period alone and 22 of 23 in third to be selected 1st star of the game. The lone Blazers goal was scored in the opening seconds of the final period.

* OHL final: Flint 4 - Saginaw 1. Spirit defenseman Mason Millman hasn't played nearly as bad as it sounds (+/- has a way of distorting such things) but he is minus-7 through two games. Had seven shots on goal tonight and 13 over the first two games.

* BCHL final: Penticton 6 - Cowichan Valley 0. Pentincton improved to 5-0-0 on the regular season. Flyers 2018 first-round pick Jay O'Brien had the lone assist on the goal that made it 3-0 late in second period and later added the final tally of the game. He has nine points through the first five games of the season.

* SHL final: Goaltending prospect Samuel Ersson wasn't busy very often but was solid in a losing cause in a 2-1 home defeat for Brynäs IF Gävle on Saturday at the hands of Färjestads BK Karlstad. It was Ersson's first start of the season through three games.

* SHL final: Linköpings HC lost, 3-2, on home ice to Rögle BK. Olle Lycksell did not get on the scoresheet for LHC after posting an assist and a goal in the first two matches. He played second-line left wing in this game. Defenseman Adam Ginning served the first game of a two-game league suspension for a fight in the team's second match.

* SHL final: The Växjö Lakers lost at home, 4-1, to Skellefteå AIK. Linus Högberg was on left defense on the No. 1 pairing for the Lakers, while David Bernhardt was the third-pairing right defenseman.

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