The Philadelphia Flyers hosted their first preseason game against the New York Islanders. Philadelphia had recently made their first round of cuts, and rookie Jett Luchanko notably survived. Head coach John Tortorella wanted to see Luchanko in more exhibition games.
Foerster-Luchanko-Konecny was the second line, which allowed the 18-year-old Luchanko to play with a combination of youth in Foerster and experience in Konecny. While Luchanko was a big player, he didn’t make as much impact on the ice as others. Konecny said that Luchanko would be upset over a few things that didn’t go his way tonight. However, Rocky Thompson, who was coaching the Flyers tonight, said that he found Konecny hard to read since it was his first game back.
Another player fans could see take the ice at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time was Matvei Michkov. Although he showed up to warmups a few minutes late, he impressed the hometown crowd.
His physical strength showed dominance throughout each shift, and he was able to land the secondary assist for Erik Johnson‘s goal. He also scored his first preseason goal, which was an empty netter.
Michkov wasn’t afraid to take the shots that were needed. However, he could work on positioning those attempts to be more precise. Again, Michkov is only a 19-year-old and still has a lot of development to do. This is a positive sign that he is fearless in making big moves on the ice. Travis Konecny, following the game, said the team was “making fun of him” until he got his first goal in a joking manner.
The show’s real star was Sam Ersson, who played the full 60 minutes in the net. Ersson’s 36 saves were a testament to his new confidence heading into the season, which is paying off. With Ersson now being named the starting goalie for the upcoming season, there is a sense of calmness about his ability to dominate in the net. Following the game, Ersson was happy with his performance and noted that there seemed to be a good sense of communication.
While players such as Emil Andrae looked good to Thompson, he blended in. Sometimes, this also works when it comes to being considered for the team. Andrae was paired with Johnson, which could be a pairing that complements each other and Johnson’s ability to play big.
All in all, the win tonight was good for individual players. In the preseason, it’s hard to say if the win was good for the team, as many of the players on tonight’s roster will be sent down to the Lehigh Valley, most likely before this weekend.
