Flyers Lose Preseason Finale in Washington, 5-3
The Flyers ended the preseason with a 2-3-1 record after losing, 5-3, at Capital One Arena to the Washington Capitals on Friday evening. The Flyers trailed 2-0, led 3-2 going into the third period and then gave up three unanswered goals in the final stanza.
Claude Giroux scored one goal, assisted by Sean Couturier, in the second period. That was followed by a pair of unassisted goals by Cam Atkinson: the first on a 2-on-1 in which he elected to shoot and the second on a knuckling puck via a partially blocked shot that lobbed into the net past Ilya Samsonov.
Special teams play was a major factor in the outcome. The Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play and only generated good looks at the net on one of the man advantages (a late first-period 5-on-4). Ending a preseason that saw them yield at least one opposing power play goal in all six games and eight in total, the Flyers went 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. A PPG by Tom Wilson early in the third period tied the game at 3-3 and created momentum for the Capitals.
Washington was the better team in the first and third periods, but it was pretty sloppy game overall from both sides. The Flyers had the better of the play in the second period despite losing weak-side coverage that allowed the dangerous John Carlson a lot of space to pinch in from the point and ultimately score a goal from the left dot on a perfectly placed shot high to the far side on Martin Jones.
Jones had an uneven night in the preseason finale. At times, he made good saves. The four goals he gave up weren't soft. However, he looked vulnerable glove side and some preventable rebounds turned into adventures. Additionally, Jones and the Flyers caught a break when a seemingly makeable save on a Washington go-ahead goal scored just 16 seconds after the Wilson power play tally was wiped out on an offside challenge.
Lars Eller, Carlson, Wilson, Anthony Mantha (2-on-1 goal off a nice saucer pass feed from Conor Sheary) and Nic Dowd (empty netter) scored for the Capitals.
Friday's game was a feisty one that featured two fights (Garrett Wilson vs. TJ Oshie and Nicolas Aube-Kubel vs. Nick Jensen) and several heated scrums. It was also a costly night for the Capitals, who saw veteran superstar Alex Ovechkin hobble off in the first period and not return.
The season will begin for real next Friday, when the Flyers host the Vancouver Canucks at the Wells Fargo Center. For more about the preseason finale, click here.
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Flyers Announce Flyers Alumni Hall of Game
On Friday, the Flyers, Flyers Alumni Association and Flyers Charities jointly announced that there will be a charitable fundraising Flyers Alumni Hall of Fame game at the Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 15 in celebration of the inductions the next night of Paul Holmgren and Rick Tocchet into the team's Hall of Fame. All proceeds will benefit the programs created and/or supported by the Flyers Alumni Association (Every Child Deserves a Bike, 12 Days of Christmas Season Giving, annual support for Snider Hockey, etc.) and Flyers Charities.
The Alumni Hall of Fame will feature Team Holmgren vs. Team Tocchet, with one side dressed in orange uniforms and the other in black. Most of the living members of the Flyers Hall of Fame are anticipated to participate in some capacity or another. Holmgren will coach the Team Holmgren side while Tocchet will suit up and play for Team Tocchet.
Other Flyers Hall of Famers who have confirmed to participate in playing capacities: Eric Lindros, John LeClair, Mark Howe, Reggie Leach and 78-year-old Joe Watson. Two-time Cup winner Watson announced earlier this year that the "Showcase" fundraising game in Aston back in June that saw the Flyers Alumni Team play against the Flyers Warriors would be his final game as a player. However, when he found out about the Hall of Fame game that Marsh was planning, Watson immediately agreed to suit up one more time.
A full list of players, coaches and ceremonial participants will be released once Marsh has all the details worked out. In total, about 60 Flyers Alumni -- approximately 1 out of every 10 living former Flyers players -- are anticipated to be part of the event in one way or another. Spouses will also be on hand, as is typical of most major Flyers Alumni events.
Tickets are on sale now. In addition to standard seating (tickets cost between $20 and $173), there is a VIP package available.
The VIP package includes all of the following: reserved lower-level seat, a Happy Hour meet-and-greet with all of the participating Alumni -- personal photo opps and autographs are encouraged -- that includes an all-inclusive food and beverage (including beer and wine) availability through the second intermission, a pregame private event hosted by Bill Clement to honor Tocchet and Holmgren and a limited edition autographed puck signed by the two newest Flyers Hall of Famers. The VIP package costs $417 apiece.
For more information on the event, click here. As we count down to the event, look for special photo galleries, videos and more on the Flyers Alumni Facebook page as well as the Alumni's Twitter (@FlyersAlumni) and official website (FlyersAlumni.net).
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Prospect Roundup: Oct. 9, 2021
A quick rundown follows of Flyers prospects in action this weekend.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Playing their second game of the preseason, the Phantoms will host the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins at the PPL Center tonight at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Morgan Frost has been practicing on a line with Tyson Foerster and Max Willman. Also look for 2021 second-round pick Samu Tuomaala and Isaac Ratcliffe in the Phantoms lineup. On Wednesday, the Phantoms opened their preseason schedule with a 2-1 road loss to the Pens.
CHL: OHL, QMJHL, WHL
* QMJHL: Elliot Desnoyers' Halifax Mooseheads sustained a 4-1 road loss to the Charlottetown Islanders on Friday but Desnoyers scored the only Halifax goal and, less than a week after having the first fight of his career at any level during his Flyers preseason debut, dropped the gloves again and fought Noah Laaouan. For his troubles, Desnoyers was tagged with an instigator penalty and automatic misconduct penalty. For game stats and highlights, click here.
* OHL: A mid-second period goal by J.R. Avon (second of the season) got the Peterborough Petes back with 4-3 against the Sudbury Wolves on Friday night but Sudbury pulled away again to skate to a 6-3 home victory. Brian Zanetti was -1 for the Petes. For stats and highlights, click here.
* WHL: Connor McClennon's Winnipeg Ice will host the Price Albert Raiders on Saturday evening. In the three regular season games played to date, McClennon has at least one point in each game (2g, 2a overall). Last game, Matthew Savoie potted a power play rebound of a McClennon shot for Savoie's first goal in the Western Hockey League. The goal put Winnipeg ahead, 2-0, on the way to a 5-2 home win over Regina.
* WHL: Defenseman Ethan Samson and the Prince George Cougars (0-2-0) are on the road on Saturday to play the Kamloops Blazers. An alternate captain for the Cougars, Samson has one assist and is minus-one through two games.
NCAA
* Denver skated to an 8-3 blowout win over Arizona State on Friday. Bobby Brink opened his regular season with a whopping 11 shots on goal amid a three-point (1g, 2a) output. On the Arizona State side, Flyers 2021 draftee Ty Murchison, a freshman defenseman this season, was -1 with one shot on goal and a minor penalty.
* Western Michigan blanked Ferris State on Friday, 4-0. Flyers prospect Ronnie Attard skated in the top pair for the winning team, alongside partner Scooter Brickley.
* Boston University opened their regular season schedule on Friday with a 2-1 win over UConn. Jay O'Brien did not get on the scoresheet.