With the Flyers playing their penultimate preseason game on Tuesday night in Boston, they wanted to show themselves they’re close to being ready for the season opener in 10 days.
Fielding a lineup with a number of potential regulars, the Flyers held their own in the first two periods and entered the third tied, 1-1.
In the third period, Philadelphia’s Jett Luchanko took a penalty and Boston’s Tyler Johnson scored on the power play for a 2-1 lead at 7:50.
Boston scored into an empty-net twice in the last 1:25 of play.
That edge held up for a Bruins’ 4-1 win at TD Garden.
Philadelphia was outshot, 34-15.
The Flyers’ record fell to 3-3 with one game remaining.
It was another standout game for Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov.
Michkov registered his seventh point of the preseason when he set up Travis Konecny’s goal at 9:44 of the second period to tie the score at 1-1.
The Russian took a shot on goaltender Brandon Bussi and the rebound came to Konecny at the left hash marks. The right wing made no mistake.
Michkov played much of the game with Morgan Frost and Konecny.
Boston’s Justin Brazeau opened the scoring with a goal at the 9:57 mark of the first period. Brazeau poked at a loose puck in the crease and the puck trickled through goalie Samuel Ersson’s pads.
Ersson faced 17 shots in a busy first period. Meanwhile, the Flyers completed the period without a shot for nearly the last 13 minutes.
That drought lasted a few more minutes into the second period.
>What language barrier?
Regardless of a sometimes difference in language, the recent line of Frost, Owen Tippett and Michkov seems to be getting along just fine in the communication department.
Further proof that the game of hockey speaks a universal dialect came at Tuesday morning’s skate at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J.
Tippett was asked if there are any moments when there might be hesitation about what was said out on the ice. After all, Michkov just arrived over here in July without knowing much English. And Frost and Tippett certainly aren’t too fluent in Russian.
“Obviously, he (Michkov) has gotten a lot better,” Tippett said. “You don’t have to explain things in depth. He picks up things pretty quick.
“He’s a player with a lot of skill. It’s fun to play with him. It’s just those little pointers he needs help with.”
>Dress rehearsal
Since Thursday night’s opponent in the preseason finale will be New Jersey, which will be using mostly second unit players because the top guys are in Europe for a regular-season game against Buffalo, the Flyers treated Tuesday night’s game as sort of a final rehearsal with many of their top players.
“Any time you can get into a preseason game, it’s a chance to fine-tune things,” Tippett said. “Get your feet back under you and get your timing back.”
Tippett likes the closeness of this group. Perhaps it’s a carryover from last season when the Flyers almost defied the experts and came within an eyelash of making the playoffs.
“I think we got so tight as a group in the locker room last year it give you more of an opportunity to succeed on the ice,” Tippett said. “We’re looking to get that much tighter this year and make a push for the playoffs.”
