The Boston Bruins, in their third preseason game, played most of their standard lineup. From Brad Marchand to Brandon Carlo, the Philadelphia Flyers had an uphill battle ahead of them. It just isn’t reasonable to believe the Flyers’ prospects, bottom-six, backup goaltender, and second pair could hang with the majority of the Bruins starting lineup. The final score reflected that.
Aside from the discrepancy in the lineup strength last night, Philadelphia didn’t show discipline. James van Riemsdyk and Joel Farabee teamed up on the powerplay to give the Flyers a brief lead. After that, Marchand and Craig Smith scored back-to-back powerplay goals. Teams cannot compete if the opposition has more players on the ice. In the preseason, practicing disciplined hockey means a correct trend in player development.
Last season, Philadelphia had an abysmal penalty kill unit. Through two games, the New York Islanders and the Boston Bruins both showed that the weakness is still a glaring one. There has been an added emphasis on special teams, but only the powerplay has provided evidence.
Today, the Philadelphia Flyers are back on the practice ice before their third preseason game. Tomorrow, they’ll host the Washington Capitals.
Practice Session
Tyson Foerster practiced taking one-timers from the top of the faceoff circle. His shooting power gets mentions almost daily, but his accuracy remained true during drills. Of all the prospects within the Philadelphia Flyers system, he’s the next prolific scorer. Without question, he’ll earn his colors with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2021-2022.
Speaking of prolific scorers, Joel Farabee was the first on the ice after potting two powerplay goals last night.
Elliot Desnoyers and Morgan Frost rotated at the center on the third line. It’s a riveting development as Alain Vigneault takes an interest in Desnoyers, who willed his way to a goal during last Sunday’s team scrimmage at the expense of Frost. Frost hasn’t been as sharp as Vigneault has hoped, which makes for a battle to watch for throughout the rest of training camp and preseason.
Vigneault hasn’t played with his lineup aside from Desnoyers and Frost rotating reps. Most of the lineup remained the same, letting chemistry develop. Derick Brassard and Frost pivoted on the second powerplay unit during today’s session. Special teams received a slight makeover. Nothing major, as it seemed the powerplay began to function against the Boston Bruins.
Martin Jones will play the entirety of Saturday’s contest versus the Washington Capitals. Carter Hart will follow on Monday in a rematch against the Bruins.
Alain Vigneault speaks with the press
Regarding the lineup for the remainder of the preseason, Alain Vigneault will meet with Chuck Fletcher and Brent Flahr to construct lines, pairs, and starting goaltenders.
Following the insight provided about lineup decisions, Vigneault spoke about Morgan Frost. He acknowledged that Frost didn’t do much to “stand out” versus the Boston Bruins. When asked about Elliot Desnoyers, Vigneault said the opposite of what he articulated about Frost:
“Every time he steps on the ice, he gets noticed.”
Alain Vigneault; 10/1/2021
It’s critical to note that Vigneault emphasized “patience” regarding Frost. His curating of competition between Frost and Desnoyers played out as a direct message sent.
Travis Konecny will be in the lineup tomorrow versus the Washington Capitals. Konecny, by Vigneault’s submission, is one of the best-conditioned players in all of training camp. The team-leading scorer from 2019-2020 is more than ready to go in 2021-2022. Expect the first line right winger to get off to a hot start at the beginning of the regular season.
Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre
