Flyers Preseason Gameday: Flyers @ Islanders (Bridgeport, CT)
Playing for the third time in four nights and in the fifth of their six preseason games, Alain Vigneault's Philadelphia Flyers will be in Bridgeport, CT, tonight to take on Barry Trotz's New York Islanders. Game time at Webster Bank Arena is 7:00 p.m. EDT.
There is no television broadcast for this game. You can catch the game on radio at 97.5 The Fanatic. On the Islanders' side, there's neither a TV nor radio broadcast.
The Flyers, who are coming off a 2-1 overtime home win against the Boston Bruins on Monday, will only have about two or three players who played in that game in the lineup in Bridgeport per Alain Vigneault's postgame remarks. Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Connor Bunnaman, who played on Monday, will also be in the lineup in Bridgeport. It's also possible that a defenseman or two from Monday's lineup will also play against the Islanders.
The Flyers non-game group for Tuesday will practice in Voorhees at 11 a.m. EDT. Martin Jones is the likely starter in goal for the Flyers in Bridgeport with Carter Hart going on Friday in the preseason finale in DC against the Capitals.
Claude Giroux and Justin Braun, who each took a maintenance day on Monday following the team off-day on Sunday, could be in the lineup in Bridgeport. Giroux took a couple of heavy hits in Saturday's 3-1 win against the Caps at the Wells Fargo Center, so he might have gotten a few bumps and bruises out of that game.
Others who could appear in Bridgeport: Derick Brassard, Scott Laughton, Nate Thompson, the defensive pair of Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen, Cam York, Nick Seeler, and prospects such as Tyson Foerster or Isaac Ratcliffe. Vigneault might also call an audible and add an extra player or two who appeared on Monday -- such as Elliot Desnoyers or Jackson Cates -- into the Tuesday game group.
A game day roster (or starting line combinations, if available) will be posted later. The Islanders, who last played on Saturday and are 2-0-1 on the preseason, may dress essentially their "A" lineup for this game while the Flyers will be more of an A/B hybrid leaning toward B group players before roster cuts are made in the next day or two.
Flyers groups today pic.twitter.com/OzMQRNfEQ1
— Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) October 5, 2021
Note: Although not listed in either group, Claude Giroux is skating with the non-game group in practice at the Flyers Training Center.
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Flyers Defeat Bruins in OT, 2-1
The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Boston Bruins in overtime by a 2-1 score at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday evening.
After a scoreless first period, Boston's Jack Studnicka and the Flyers' Sean Couturier traded off power play goals over the latter part of the middle frame. The third period was scoreless. Ivan Provorov won the game for the Flyers 50 seconds into overtime. Couturier started the play with a good pass in the neutral zone to Travis Konecny. Provorov jumped into the play to take a feed from Konecny and buried it in the back of the net.
Carter Hart (24 saves on 25 shots) and Jeremy Swayman (34 saves on 36 shots) were both strong in net for their respective teams. The game could easily have been a blowout along the lines of 6-2 or 7-3 in Philly's favor if not for the performances by the netminders.
For a full game synopsis, highlight clips and more from Monday, see the Postgame 5 on the Flyers' official website.
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Quick Hits: Oct. 5, 2021
1) The next Flyers Alumni "Every Child Deserves a Bike" presentation will be made on Thursday of this week to young Laurel Jastrezembski of Swedesboro, NJ. Laurel is a very active child despite dealing with a form of cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus and vision issues. Each and every one of the children and families the Flyers Alumni have met through Help Hope Live and the adaptive bike donation program have been brought so much happiness through these donations. It's the generous support of Flyers fans that make it possible. To learn more about the Every Child Deserves a Bike program, click here.
2) The Flyers' ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, will hold five "Flyers Fridays" this upcoming season, featuring live appearances by Flyers alumni for Q&A and autograph signing sessions. There will be appearances by Dave "the Hammer" Schultz, Bernie Parent, Danny Briere and Paul Holmgren respectively on Nov. 19, Dec. 17, Jan. 7, Feb. 11 and April 8. Fans attending will also receive a poster giveaway of the featured Flyers Alum. Tickets start at $25 for the individual games or $150 for Purple Zone VIP packages for all five. For more information, click here.
3) Dine and Dish: On Oct. 18 at 6 p.m. ET, Flyers Alum Chris Therien will be the featured guest speaker at the Dine and Dish event at The Refectory which is located at Villanova University (862 Lancaster Ave.) in Villanova, PA. There will be a three-course dinner prepared by culinary director chef Biff Gotherer. Tickets are $50 with proceeds benefiting the Limitless Recovery Centers co-founded by Bundy to assist those in need of treatment for alcohol and/or drug issues. Chris himself is a recovering alcoholic and his recovery story is inspirational.
4) Current Flyers center/winger Nate Thompson celebrates his 37th birthday today. The Alaska native was born Oct. 5, 1984.
5) Today in Flyers History: On Oct. 5, 1993, the Flyers traded rugged defenseman Terry Carkner to the Detroit Red Wings for offensive minded defenseman Yves Racine and a 1994 fourth-round draft pick (Sebastien Vallee).
The trade did not work about particularly well for the Flyers. Racine produced 52 point in 67 games including five power play goals and a shorthanded goal, but the already defensively challenged Flyers had a hard time keeping the puck out of their net whenever Racine was on the ice. When Farwell was replaced by the returning Bob Clarke after the 1993-94 campaign, one of his first moves was to trade Racine to the Canadiens for speedy and feisty defenseman Kevin Haller. The latter move proved to be an upgrade, especially after the Flyers subsequently acquired Eric Desjardins from Montreal and reunited him with Haller for the 1994-95, 1995-96 and first couple months of 1996-97 before Haller was part of the trade that brought Paul Coffey to Philadlephia.