Allison, York show why they figure in Flyers’ future plans

Cam York

One doesn’t need a crystal ball or a bunch of tarot cards to read the future of these two guys.

They’ve got “sureshot Flyers’’ written all over them as they demonstrated in Philadelphia’s 4-2 over the Capitals in Friday night’s game at Capital One Arena in Washington.

Wade Allison scored a pair of goals and defenseman Cam York made his NHL debut a successful one as the Flyers halted a five-game losing streak to the D.C. outfit.

Allison made it four goals in a dozen games since his recall from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms while York paired with Justin Braun to help hold the high-powered home team in check.

At least the Flyers have something like this to contemplate as they finish a season of disappointment and get ready to head home for the summer.

Opening night nerves aside, York didn’t take long to get into the flow.

He finished the game with 20 minutes and 19 seconds of ice time over 29 shifts, including a team-high 2:19 on the power play. York recorded an even plus/minus rating.

Coach Alain Vigneault was impressed with York’s poise level.

“You could tell right from the beginning, the young man is a very good skater, smooth on his feet,’’ Vigneault said via a media Zoom call. “He had the ability tonight to beat the first forechecker and make a good pass.

“Good for him, just one game, but good for our team.’’

As for Allison, what’s not to like? He can beat you with a sniper shot one minute or from a scrum the next. It’s the quick release which has coaches and scouts sitting up in their chairs.

“You look at tonight’s game, he got in on that cross-corner dump-in (from Oskar Lindblom),’’ Vigneault said. “He took a real good shot on net that found the back of the net.

“On the other one, he does what most guys that like to score goals do. . .he went to the front of the net and stayed there. That’s how you score goals in today’s game, going to the net and jumping on second opportunities. Good for the young man to be doing that.’’

Goaltender Brian Elliott secured the win with another solid performance. The Flyers have won 24 games and Elliott has registered 14 of them, this in a season in which he was a designated backup for much of the schedule.

Allison, 23, has a few years on the 20-year-old York, so he qualifies as a “talent evaluator.’’

“This is going to be the first game of a long career,’’ Allison predicted, “because he’s going to play a lot of games. He showed tonight he’s a really special player.’’

York said his parents flew in from California to watch him play. So it was a big night all around.

“That made it special for me,’’ he said. “First shift was a little shaky. Once you get into the game, you’re in it. It’s just another hockey game. It was nice to get the first one out of the way.’’

>York confirms NHL a big step up

It was clear from the first shift that York was going to have to rev up his game a bit more than what he was accustomed to in the AHL

“I think the biggest difference is the guys are extremely strong,’’ he said. “They can really skate and they can make plays. It felt like their fourth line seemed like their first because they were making plays. So that was a little bit of an adjustment for me.’’

>Only one penalty

The Flyers managed to get through this entire game with only one penalty. The Caps have been hurting the Flyers all season long with their power play, so this was a key element to the victory.

Goaltender Alex Lyon gets the call Saturday night as the Flyers try to win back-to-back games for the first time since March.

>Braun a big help for York

Vigneault chose to pair York with the veteran Braun and no doubt the experience factor helped keep things steady.

“Having a veteran like him next to me is huge,’’ said York, who wore uniform No. 45. “He’s a good communicator. Lets you know what plays are to be made out there. He makes the game pretty easy for me. Having a veteran like that is huge, especially for your first game.’’

>Short shots

Joel Farabee scored his team-leading 18th goal. If he holds the lead over the last two games, he will become the second-youngest player in team history to achieve that feat. Farabee is 21 years, 75 days. Eric Lindros recorded 44 goals in 1993-94 when he was 21 years, 45 days. , ,Allison’s two goals in a game are the second-fastest from the start of a Flyers’ career.  Jeff Carter had a two-goal game in the 11th game of his career on Nov. 3, 2005 vs. Washington.

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About Wayne Fish 2622 Articles
Wayne Fish has been covering the Flyers since 1976, a stint which includes 18 Stanley Cup Finals, four Winter Olympics and numerous other international events.

1 Comment

  1. Frost, York, Allison, Forrest, to go along with Farbee should set this team in the right direction!

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