Hockey is back, and while the games don’t count, they matter a lot to the people playing in them and can give an insight to what the team may look like come the regular season. Preseason is a time when young guys can make their mark on the coaching staff and the fans. It is also a time when veterans can try and prove they deserve to still play in the league. All this was on display on Saturday night in front of the Philly fans.
Game Summary
The first period favored the Bruins heavily, as they outshot the Flyers 16-7 thanks in large part to four Power-play chances. However, the Flyers came away unscathed and the teams headed to the locker room still scoreless.
The second period opened with the Flyers having a quick power-play opportunity which then turned into a 5-on-3 advantage. The Flyers took advantage thanks to Noah Cates.
Great work by Morgan Frost on a 5-on-3 power play.
Wins the faceoff and then makes a slick pass off a rebound to Noah Cates, who finishes it.
Flyers lead 1-0 in second. pic.twitter.com/uQkjrf1uN8
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) September 25, 2022
This was all the scoring in the second period as the Flyers would go to the locker room up 1-0.
The Bruins knotted things up in the third curiosity of Jakob Lauko. However three minutes later the other Cates brother would give the Flyers the 2-1 lead would give the Flyers the 2-1 lead which they would hold onto for the remainder of the game.
Noah Cates started it.
Jackson Cates finished it. #BOSvsPHI pic.twitter.com/VDnQFL2Lvj
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 25, 2022
Final Thoughts
Goaltending was good for the Flyers this game. Felix Sandstorm was very good in his half of the game stopping all 17 shots he faced. Troy Grosenick was also solid stopping 14 of the 15 shots he faced. With uncertainty over who the backup will be this season, the goaltending battle is one of the more intriguing stories of the off-season.
There was plenty of rough stuff in this game, like most preseason games. A total of 66 penalty minutes including four fighting majors and two misconducts. Regardless, it is always nice to see teammates stand up for one another, the way Wade Allison did for Antoine Roussel who is on a PTO.
The Cates brothers shined in this game as they have all offseason. They both played great in the rookie games against the New York Rangers and carried that into tonight. Don’t be surprised to see one or both of them in the Flyers lineup opening night.
Special teams was solid for the Flyers with the penalty kill going 0-6 and the power play going 1-5. Obviously the big guys for the Bruins did not play, but hopefully this was more of a systematic improvement over a the personal. We all know how much of an issue special teams was last season, so this will be something to keep an eye on for the rest of pre-season.
The Flyers will get back at it tomorrow with more training sessions and the will face the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday night on the road for the second of six preseason games
