Wrapup: NYR 2 - Flyers 1 (SO)
The Philadelphia Flyers completed the North American portion of their exhibition schedule with a 1-2-3 record as lost via shootout, 2-1, to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday evening. The Flyers will depart for Switzerland on Friday night and complete the preseason on Monday with an exhibition game against Swiss National League team Lausanne HC.
The Rangers, via their skills competition win, bettered their preseason mark to 2-3-0.
Lias Andersson scored a late first period goal for New York. Travis Konecny (2nd goal of the preseason) got in back in the second period. Mika Zibanejad was the only player for either side to convert his shootout attempt, scoring in the bottom of the third round to end the game.
Both Carter Hart and Henrik Lundqvist were outstanding in goal in this game. Nether goalie had a chance on the lone goal that scored against them in the hockey portion of the game. Hart stopped 31 of 32 shots in regulation and OT (one overtime save), while Lundqvist turned back 32 of 33 shots (4 OT saves). Hart went 2-for-3 in the shootout, while Lundqvist was a perfect 3-for-3.
The Flyers controlled most of the play in the first period, and had a 27-20 edge in shots through two periods. Hart was the busier of the two goalies by far in the third period, as New York enjoyed an 11-2 shot edge.
The Flyers went 0-for-3 on the power play, including a 4-on-3 advantage in overtime. Philly was 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Despite the Flyers generating both a territorial and shot quality edge in the first period, it was the Rangers who took a 1-0 lead to intermission. New York won puck and positional battles on this sequence and a Tony DeAngelo shot from below the point pinballed off Vladislav Namestnikov who bunted the puck off Andersson and into the net at 19:47.
At 6:26 of the second period, Claude Giroux fired a slap pass out to Kevin Hayes, who was several feet to the right of the net, along the goal line. Hayes threw a sharp-angle attempt at the net and it bounced in off Konecny skate.
Joel Farabee, snakebitten all preseason, had an excellent game both checking-wise and in terms of scoring chances. He had multiple golden opportunities during the night, but was stoned twice by Lundqvist and also hit the post twice.
Thursday's game was a solid bounceback performance overall for Phil Myers after a few up-and-down outings. Sam Morin also had perhaps his best game of the preseason.
In the shootout, Voracek was stopped by Lundqvist. Hart showed a five-hole to DeAngelo and then took it away, stopped the puck and then ejecting it from the blue paint with his stick before it could creep to the goal line. Giroux got pokechecked by Lundqvist. Kaapo Kakko cut toward the right post as Hart moved with him, had perhaps just enough room to put the puck in if he hit his mark but the puck went off the outside of the net. Farabee was denied by Lundqvist's right pad. Zibanejad scored, moving to his left, to end the game.
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Fletcher Discusses Patrick and Frost
Earlier in the day on Thursday, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher issued a statement on Nolan Patrick : "
After consultation with the Flyers’ medical staff and with specialist Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher from the University of Michigan, forward Nolan Patrick has been diagnosed with migraine disorder. Patrick will not be going to Europe and we will provide additional information once the team returns. He will not be ready to start the season and is listed as week-to-week.''
Prior to Thursday night's game, for a segment aired during the first intermission on the Flyers' radio broadcast, Fletcher spoke with broadcasters Tim Saunders and Steve Coates. Fletcher added some insight into what Patrick has been dealing with for quite a few months.
According to Fletcher, Patrick has both a family and a lengthy personal history (dating back to minor hockey) of migraines. However, he also suffered a concussion in the spring, when he was struck with the puck in a game in Long Island. For much of the offseason, Patrick was having issues with migraines.
Fletcher said it took time for team doctors and specialists to isolate the root cause -- whether it was a form of PCS, if it stemmed from a genetic predisposition to migraines, or some combination thereof -- and finally determined that the on-going effects were congenital rather than being concussion-related. Patrick has been put on a course of medication that the doctors are optimistic about controlling the issue. However, he is not yet able to be cleared to practice with contact or play. That may come soon, but a timetable is hard to pin down, and he remains on week-to-week status.
Additionally, the GM discussed the decision made earlier in the day to have the team's other 2017 first-round pick, Morgan Frost, begin the regular season with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms, despite Frost playing back-to-back strong games in between missing time with an initial and a recurrent groin pull.
"It didn't make sense to play him on our 4th line. Right now, Scott Laughton will be in the 3rd center spot. It will benefit Morgan to play a lot of minutes and a lot of different situations. We are excited about his future with our [NHL] team," Fletcher said.
Frost will spend a few more days rehabbing in Voorhees and then join the Phantoms in Allentown. Conversely, it appears that 2018 first-round pick Farabee has made the NHL roster for opening night although Fletcher did not directly confirm that during his interview with 97.5 The Fanatic.
Fletcher also touched upon several other topics, related to his overall impressions of camp and of other young players. To listen to the interview in its entirety,
click here.
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Quick Hits: Sept. 26, 2019
1) The Flyers stated on Thursday that no decision has been made yet on whether to sign veteran PTO winger Chris Stewart to a contract. He will accompany the team to Europe. Stewart is eligible to play in the exhibition game in Lassaune.
In-season, the NHL-NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement permits teams to keep a player on a PTO indefinitely. He receives a per-diem compensation but is considered non-roster player. He can practice with the team but cannot play until/unless signed, and does not count against the salary cap. The New York Islanders did this last season with veteran defenseman Dennis Seidenberg, eventually signing him late in the season for the prorated minimum but he did not dress in a game.
It has not been determined yet if Stewart will be signed, retained on PTO, or released from the tryout. It does not seem as if release is imminent, as it'd be doubtful that he'd be taken along to Switzerland and Prague just to be released upon return from the trip.
2) Has Nolan Patrick made an instant impact offensively? Not to the hoped-for degree. However, through his first two NHL seasons, Patrick has 19 more points than Sean Couturier did in his (note: the 2012-13 lockout half season skews this a bit) and only five less than Mike Richards did. Patrick's medical issue is a separate concern and takes precedence right now, but Patrick is not as far off the mark in his offensive development path as it may seem. He's had some hot streaks, but needs a lot more full-season consistency. This is very common with young players. The key will be showing progression after he eventually returns.
3) On Friday morning, the training camp wrapup/ season preview edition of the Broadcaster's Roundtable podcast on Flyers Radio 24/7 will be recorded at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. Tim Saunders, as usual, is the moderator and a panelist. The other panelists are Jim Jackson, Steve Coates, Chris Therien and myself.
4) There was a snafu in getting this week's Bundy and Bill podcast on Flyers Radio 24/7 up and online. For those interested, the recording can be accessed (with periodic video glitches, unfortunately, but intact audio) on Chris' Facebook page.
5) Speaking of Bundy, the new edition of Therien's Take will be posted on the Flyers official website on Friday. The topic is gelling with a defense partner. The first-week topic looked at team identity and commitment, and last week's discussed what it takes for a rookie to make an NHL team out camp with a look back at Chris' first NHL camp in 1994.
6) In Claude Giroux's hometown of Hearst, Ont., the Notre Dame Hospital Foundation is holding an online fundraising sweepstakes for the Claude Giroux Physiotherapy Center. Tickets can be purchased from Sept. 27 to Nov. 22. Prizes include 4 tickets to attend a Flyers game at the Wells Fargo Center in Giroux's personal section and a meet-and-greet with the Flyers' captain. For tickets or more information, visit
MeetGiroux.ca.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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