Flyers win opener in shootout, extend first-night unbeaten streak to 10

Matvei Michkov

 

It hasn’t happened since 2014.

That was the last time the Flyers lost in their season opener and the streak (8-0-2) continued on Friday night when they beat the Canucks in a shootout, 3-2, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

The Flyers’ amazing 10-game streak is now the fifth-longest in NHL history.

Morgan Frost scored the deciding goal in the shootout, executing a deke move on goalie Kevin Lankenin.

Travis Konecny also scored a “last chance” goal in the shootout for Philadelphia.

Samuel Ersson recorded the win in goal for the Flyers.

On the deciding goal, Frost skated in slowly, then picked out a spot just inside the right post.

“I think when you come in on that kind of angle and that slow, it can kind of freeze the goalie,” Frost said in a televised interview. “I’m just looking for my spot, trying to get him to bite. Luckily it went in and happy I could contribute to the win.”

Coach John Tortorella sounded pleased with the way his team performed.

He gave a lot of credit to Ersson, especially in the first period.

“They have a good power play and that’s why I think the key to the game was ‘Ers.’ Just giving us a chance to get our legs,” Tortorella said. “We settled down in the second, I thought in the third we played well. We found a way.”

Cam York’s goal at 2:48 of the third period pulled the Flyers even at 2-2. York fired a shot from near the left inner hash marks past Lankinen.

Vancouver’s Teddy Blueger tipped in a shot at 11:25 of the second period for a 2-1 lead. Blueger picked a puck out of the air with his stick and the deflection eluded Ersson.

The Flyers, who have finished last in the NHL on the power play in each of the last three seasons, scored on their very first one of this season to erase an early Vancouver lead.

Tyson Foerster did the honors. Bobby Brink started the sequence, sending a pass to Joel Farabee who then relayed a one-touch pass to Foerster for a short shot past Lankinen at 17:24.

Foerster’s season start was a far cry from last year when, as a rookie, he went scoreless in his first 15 games before finally getting on the board.

A bit of a relief this time around?

“It definitely feels good,” Foerster said in a first-period intermission televised interview. “Last year was a little bit tough. I wanted to come in here and get some shots early. Fortunate enough, one went in for me.

Ersson got off to a fast start, making a number of sharp saves. The Canucks finally broke through at 12:55 on a goal by Nils Hoglander.

>Michkov, Luchanko make debuts

It was an historic night for both Jett Luchanko and Matvei Michkov.

At 18 years, 51 days, Luchanko became the youngest player ever to play for the Flyers.

Michkov saw action on a line with Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny. Michkov had several good scoring chances and didn’t look out of place on the power play.

In a second period televised interview, Luchanko said his nerves didn’t cause too many problems. He actually made it through a pre-game nap without a problem.

“Actually I had a pretty good nap,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting that but I did.”

Luchanko said his parents were in attendance for the game as well as other family members and friends.

He acknowledged the help offered by several veteran teammates.

“I mean all of them have had their first games,” Luchanko said. “So they all kind of made sure I was taking in the moment, just kind of enjoying the moment. You only get this once.”

After the game, Luchanko sounded satisfied with his performance.

“It was just cool to be out there amongst those guys,” he said.

Both Luchanko and Michkov were allowed to do the tradition of being the first players to take a lap around the ice.

“Yeah, that’s the ultimate cool,” Luchanko said. “To be able to do it with Mich, it was cool, too.”

>Short shots

The Flyers return to action on Saturday night when they visit the Calgary Flames. . .Vancouver defenseman Tyler Myers suffered what appeared to be a significant leg injury during a collision with Farabee along the boards. Myers had to be helped off the ice and did not return to action. . .Flyers opened the season with the third-youngest roster in the NHL at an average age of 26.8 years. Only Buffalo (25.3) and Montreal (26.0) have younger starting lineups. The Flyers had 14 players on the ice who are 25 years old or younger. . .Philadelphia had 15 first-round draft picks on the opening night roster. . .Flyers ended last season on an 0-for-24 drought on the power play. . .There’s a good chance No. 2 goalie Ivan Fedotov will start against the Flames. In recent years the Flyers have seldom used the same goaltender in back-to-back games. . .Forward Noah Cates and defenseman Emil Andrae, who was just called up from Lehigh Valley, were healthy scratches for the Flyers. . .Michkov led the Flyers in shots with five.

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About Wayne Fish 2587 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.