Quick Hits: July 19, 2020
1) Team Black defeated Team Orange, 3-2, in a 60-minute scrimmage on Day 6 of the Flyers' training camp in Voorhees. Shortly before the scrimmage, the Flyers announced that Jakub Voracek was unable to participate. Per the NHL's return-to-play policy, in which no further explanation is to be given for an absence, the nature of his unavailability (injury, Covid-related or Covid-unrelated health issue, etc.) is unknown.
Team Black built a 3-0 lead in the first 30-minute half on a 2-on-1 rush connection (Carsen Twarynski to Connor Bunnaman, with Mark Friedman being credited with the goal). Goals by Travis Konecny in a scramble and then by Shayne Gostisbehere built a three-goal cushion. Team Black goaltender Brian Elliott was scarcely tested in the first half, while Team Orange netminder Carter Hart denied a breakaway and another outnumbered rush before he was dented for the three goals.
In the second half, Team Orange finally started to assert itself. Claude Giroux hit the post on a breakaway against Elliott. James van Riemsdyk was stopped on a penalty shot. Finally, Justin Braun threaded a point shot through traffic and past a screened Elliott to narrow the gap to 3-1. Late in the scrimmage, during a 6-on-5 attack, van Riemsdyk collected a friendly carom off the end boards and put the puck into the net with unintended help from Friedman. Team Orange pressed heavily the rest of the way but ran out of time.
Notes from the scrimmage:
* With Voracek unavailable, Team Orange played a forward short in the first half and rotated right wingers. In the second half, Michael Raffl switched sides from Team Black to Team Orange, and Team Black played the rest of the scrimmage with eight forwards to the other side's nine.
* Hart and Elliott played roughly the first 51 minutes of the scrimmage. Alex Lyon and Kirill Ustimenko finished up.
* Flyers skills coach Angelo Ricci served as the referee for the game, and assistant coach Ian Laperriere donned a linesman's sweater. Afterwards, both Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault and Team Orange center Scott Laughton had some fun critiquing their officiating work.
* With the exception of the rotating wingers subbing for Voracek on the Orange side in the first half, the starting line combinations remained mostly the same as the ones featured in practice all week. There was a little more experimentation in the second half.
* The best line in the first half was the Team Black trio of Kevin Hayes centering Joel Farabee and Konecny. Derek Grant's line with Raffl and Tyler Pitlick was also effective. The momentum swung in the second half.
* Travis Sanheim was the guilty party for tripping up JVR on the sequence that led to the unsuccessful penalty shot. JVR collided with Elliott, but both were fine afterwards. The penalty shot was conducted in live-puck fashion, with defenders in pursuit after JVR moved in from the center ice dot. When his five-hole attempt was sealed off by Elliott, the defense claimed the puck and play continued.
* Other than one dazzling stickhandling sequence in the second half and setting a screen on the Braun goal, Team Orange center Morgan Frost did not have his best day. He lost several 50-50 battles, was knocked off the puck a couple of times, was caught up ice on the ice on the first Team Black goal, and turned a puck over near the attack blueline.
* The scrimmage was played with a running clock in both halves, with the exception of stoppages in the final minute.
* Head coach Alain Vigneault and general manager Chuck Fletcher watched the scrimmage from the balcony perch above the rink.
* Team Orange roster: Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier, James van Riemsdyk, Scott Laughton, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Andy Andreoff, Morgan Frost, German Rubtsov, Michael Raffl (2nd half), Ivan Provorov, Matt Niskanen, Robert Hà¤gg, Justin Braun, Tyler Wotherspoon, Nate Prosser, Carter Hart, Alex Lyon.
* Team Black roster: Joel Farabee, Kevin Hayes, Travis Konecny, Michael Raffl (1st half), Derek Grant, Tyler Pitlick, Carsen Twarynski, Nate Thompson, Connor Bunnaman, Travis Sanheim, Phil Myers, Shayne Gostisbehere, Mark Friedman, Egor Zamula, Andy Welinski, Brian Elliott, Kirill Ustimenko.
2) Schedule for the remainder of camp before July 28 exhibition game:
SUN JUL 19: Split Group practice (10:30 to 11 AM), combined group practice (11 to 11:30 AM) MON JUL 20: Off-day TUE JUL 21: Scrimmage (10:15 AM to 11:30 AM) WED JUL 22: Split Group practice (10:30 to 11 AM), combined group practice (11 to 11:30 AM) THU JUL 23: Scrimmage (10:15 AM to 11:30 AM) FRI JUL 24: Off-ice workouts, no on-ice practice SAT JUL 25: Split Group practice (10:30 to 11 AM), combined group practice (11 to 11:30 AM) SUN JUL 26: Travel to Toronto, report to Secure Zone "bubble"