Back in the loss column, the Philadelphia Flyers fells to the visiting Washington Capitals, 3-1. The effort was a bit familiar from the 2-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Things did not go as promised in their first Metropolitan Division clash of the preseason.
Two new additions to the Capitals made it their time to shine after a scoreless first period. Connor Brown, the former Ottawa Senator, gave Washington the 1-0 lead. He recovered a loose puck in the Flyers’ zone and scoring from the slot.
Egor Zamula served a holding minor drawn by Henrik Borgstrom. It led to Dylan Strome, the former Chicago Blackhawk, netting a powerplay goal from the faceoff circle. The Capitals owned a 2-0 lead heading into the second intermission.
Finally, Philadelphia showed a little life on offense. Wade Allison was strong on the forecheck, allowing Owen Tippett to recover the puck in the offensive zone. Kevin Hayes planted himself in a high-danger scoring zone, uncorking a one-timer to make it a 2-1 game.
An insurance goal from Washington was the magic killer. Strome scored his second of the game, featuring Brown on the assist, securing the 3-1 victory. The Flyers fell to 1-2-0 with three more preseason games remaining.
Wade’s World
Allison was the silver lining for Philadelphia on the ice. In the second period, he dumped the puck in the offensive zone, taking on Dylan McIlrath in the boards.
Following the hit, Allison went toward the tunnel, but reappeared on the bench. His physical, chaotic style helped the Flyers turn in their only scoring play. Allison is fighting for a roster spot in 2022-2023, and his eight hits registered aligns with the brand Tortorella presents. His injury history forced a lot of fans to hold their breath. If he can remain healthy, Allison might just find his footing on the NHL roster.
Assistant coach Brad Shaw had this to say about the youngster’s night:
“I thought his game got better as he went along. We moved him up in the lineup, deservedly so, and that’s a great sign for a young player.”
Brad Shaw; 9/28/2022
Going, going, goalie
Between the pipes, Felix Sandstrom started for Philadelphia. He stopped 13/15 shots on goal. In his only other performance this preseason, Sandstrom was 17/17 versus the Boston Bruins. Sandstrom, the likely backup to Carter Hart, received a small endorsement from Shaw:
“I think he has looked comfortable, really calm in the net, very efficient. I don’t talk about goaltenders much, but I really like when goalies look like he looks. He’s going to make it tough on the final decision and that’s great.”
Brad Shaw; 9/28/2022
Samuel Ersson took over in the third period, stopping 11/12 shots on goal in another solid effort. Hart is the clear starter for the Flyers, but he’ll have solid backup depth moving forward.
Up Next
Next, the Philadelphia Flyers ship up to the Boston Bruins for a preseason rematch on Saturday, October 1st, 2022, at 1pm.
(Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)
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