The Philadelphia Flyers were able to walk away from Game 1 of the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins — the team’s first playoff game since 2020 and the first ever for so many players on this team — with a very impressive 3-2 win.
But it made a larger impact than just putting them up 1-0 in the series, several players were raving about the win and how impressive some individual performances were.
Denver Barkey battles the big guy
Flyers winger Denver Barkey isn’t a big guy at the best of times while trying to win puck battles. However, he gave up a lot of size and height to Elmer Soderblom, the 6-foot-8, 252-pound Penguins winger the club picked up from Detroit earlier this season. Barkey was able to win the puck battle however, proving how body positioning and sheer determination can compensate for any height or weight disadvantage.
“Yeah, I think that’s just something I’ve always tried to implement in my game is the fearlessness aspect being a smaller guy,” he said. “Sometimes you’re on a shorter leash so making sure you go into the corners so that you’re not scared. You know my compete and being able to come out of the corners with pucks is a strength of mine. I’m not shying away from guys no matter how big they are.”
Barkey, who was on the ice and provide some traffic in front during Jamie Drysdale’s goal in the second period, also showed he wasn’t afraid to go into the dirty areas to seek loose rebounds or deflections. “I think that’s the big thing with playoff hockey,” he said. “It’s not going to be tic-tac-toe goals, you got to get to the front of the night and sometimes you got to whack them in, those greasy goals we like to call them. So I just like to get to those situations where I can screen the goalie and help Drysdale follow through or be able to bang it in too.”
The winger — who said the team was “prepared” for the speed of Game 1 — said that older players like Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny, and Sean Couturier were quite helpful in settling the younger Flyers down. But he also said having championship level experiences during his days in junior were great experiences to fall back on.
“It’s obviously really intense,” he said. “The stakes are high, the game is so fast and the fans are into it too, I’ve played big games before, the Memorial Cup finals and OHL finals, playoffs like that where you know those games mean a lot. So I think a little bit of experience from that before always helps you stay cool, calm, collected in these games.”
Trevor Zegras says Flyers were ready from the start
Center Trevor Zegras stated the obvious after the victory, namely the Flyers “were ready to play today.” The forward said the intensity and the physicality set the tone for Philadelphia against the high-powered Penguins from the opening faceoff. And he also said the Flyers weren’t simply thankful to be in the playoffs, but hoping to squeeze as much out of the opportunity as possible.
“I don’t think any guy in the room takes being in this position for granted,” Zegras said while referring to defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. “He’s a great example of somebody who put in his time, and he’s getting a shot. So we’re definitely happy for everyone.”
Zegras, who wasn’t exactly mistaken for a Selke Trophy candidate during his days in Anaheim, said the team’s defensively sound structure is working well, making life a living hell somewhat for most of the Pittsburgh forwards and especially the team’s captain.
“I think the style of play we have I think bodes well for shutting down good offenses,” Zegras said. “We’re all buying in to what we’re trying to do. That’s what you get when you got 23 guys on the same page. I thought it was good.”
Jamie Drysdale delivers first playoff goal
Defenseman Jamie Drysdale was happy with scoring his first playoff goal. But he said he’ll take the victory over personal highlights at any time. “It feels good obviously. I don’t think anyone in this room really cares who scores to be honest with you. It’s nice to get it, but it’s much nicer to get the win.”
Like Zegras, Drysdale was also pleased to see how well defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen fared in what was also his first playoff game after over 800 regular season games. “He’s a stud,” Drysdale said. “It’s great that he’s been able to play a lot of hockey this year. I think everyone can see how good he is and how important he is to this team.. We’re really lucky to have him. We can’t wait to see what he continues to bring to these playoffs. He’s a big, mean guy and he can make plays as well. That’s a guy you like to have on your team.”
He also had kudos for Travis Sanheim who scored a lovely goal midway through the third to give Philadephia its second lead of the evening. “He’s a stud. That play he made at the end in the third period, tie game, that’s a big moment, a big play. It doesn’t surprise me one bit as well, it’s just a heck of a play.”
Playoff Risto!
Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen earned a primary assist Travis Sanheim’s goal in the final frame. But he showed no nerves in his first playoff game, leading all Flyers on the back end (and on the team) with 25 minutes of ice time. Ristolainen said he was itching to get the game going. But it never crossed his mind that he wouldn’t get the opportunity to play playoff hockey in the National Hockey League at some point in his career.
“I didn’t really think it obviously that way,” he said. “Obviously it’s a team sport, I can’t control everything on my own. I just want to get better and keep working and hoped that it would happen one day.”
Ristolainen also felt the club did a good job staying out of the penalty box while also suffocating the Penguins in the neutral and offensive zones. “I thought we did a pretty good job, but obviously I feel the more we keep it five-on-five it’s going to turn towards us winning, so that’s the gameplan” he said.
