Today, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the New York Rangers in Voorhees, NJ, for the second rookie game of the weekend between the two franchises.
The Flyers defeated the Rangers yesterday in New York, 6-3. Kirill Ustimenko split goaltending duty with Samuel Ersson. The two goaltenders would share ice time again today.
The Flyers need to tighten up defensively. Yesterday, Egor Zamula was the featured top prospect on defense. About five minutes before puck drop, Anthony SanFilippo tweeted about Samuel Morin suffering a “significant knee injury.” Today’s game emphasized a battle between Cam York and Zamula for a seventh defenseman slot. Or it at least makes Chuck Fletcher think about a potential call-up from his Lehigh Valley Phantoms roster.
First Period
Keeping consistent with yesterday, the Philadelphia Flyers were the more disciplined bunch on the ice. Tyson Foerster nearly scored on a breakaway, but Talyn Boyko made an impressive save. Then, the Flyers went on their second powerplay.
Cam York got out to an early start, making a critical impression in the second rookie game. He scored on the powerplay, giving Philadelphia a one-goal lead.
Less than thirty seconds later, the Flyers scored another. Matthew Strome put the puck in the net in close, through traffic. He’s been relatively quiet during rookie camp. Scoring an insurance marker was the boost he needed.
The New York Rangers did eventually go on the powerplay but couldn’t convert. Mason Millman and Wyatte Wylie anchored the powerplay on defense. Last season, Philadelphia was sloppy on the penalty kill. It’s insuring to see the rookies execute against comparable competition.
Connor McClennon also deserves a shoutout for his work in the first period. He routinely got pucks deep. Those sorts of plays lead to longer possessions, which is why the Flyers lead by two.
Second Period
Yesterday, the New York Rangers fought to tie the game in the second period. Today, they did it again.
Stressing discipline is a vital factor in keeping ahead of the opposition. The Philadelphia Flyers committed two early penalties, resulting in two powerplay goals from the Rangers. Linus Hogberg surrendered his second penalty of the game. Later, Brian Zanetti served a double-minor for roughing Evan Vierling. Both times, Will Cuylle made sure the Flyers paid the price.
Samuel Ersson played so much better than the two goals he allowed. He eventually switched out for Kirill Ustimenko, who kept New York off the scoreboard for the rest of the period. Talyn Boyko would switch in place for Dylan Garand.
Another hot topic concerns the health of Wade Allison. Following a collision in the Rangers’ end, he was slow to get off the ice. He required help in the training room. Connor McClennon replaced his role on a future powerplay.
Third Period
Wade Allison did not return to the game. Likely, he wouldn’t anyway because of this being an exhibition game.
Nils Lundkvist scored the game-winning goal. He went glove side on Kirill Ustimenko, who allowed one goal. Unfortunately, it was the deciding score in this contest.
Morgan Frost was relatively quiet until he visited the penalty box for tripping. He is expected by many to be a bottom-six contributor on the Flyers in 2021-2022. During the rookie camp games this weekend, he scored an empty-net goal and totaled three assists. Frost was all over the ice on Saturday but vanished after Cam York’s first-period goal on Sunday.
Tanner Laczynski battled tough on the penalty kill. He had a few opportunities to score a shorthanded goal, but Dylan Garand shut out Philadelphia. Laczynskyi dropped a pass to Nolan Ritchie during a shorthanded rush, but the shot took too long to execute. There were opportunities to complete scoring chances. Unfortunately, the New York Rangers were the better team today.
Following these two games, the Flyers front office decides who comes to training camp with the NHL roster.
Up Next
On September 28th, 2021, the Flyers host the New York Islanders in their first preseason exhibition.
Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre
