It may not exactly have been a memorable week for the Flyers but don’t place any blame on Bobby Brink.
The right wing registered a pair of goals and an assist in a 4-3 shootout win over Tampa Bay last Thursday, then gave a strong overall performance in a 2-0 loss to the Lightning on Monday night.
Brink logged a season-high 21 minutes, 37 seconds of ice time in the second Tampa tussle and that’s because he saw action not only at even-strength but also on the power play (4:36) and the penalty kill (1:08) as well.
At Wednesday’s practice in preparation for Thursday night’s game against the Capitals in Washington, D.C., Brink talked about his expanded role.
Turns out even though he was a national scoring champion during his final year at Denver University, Brink was also killing penalties for the Pioneers as well.
In fact, the Minnesota native got to be pretty good at it, so it’s no surprise he looks comfortable out there when the Flyers are down a man.
“It was nice to put in those minutes,” Brink said. “Every guy would rather be out there than sitting on the bench watching. It’s a good feeling. I’m glad he (coach John Tortorella) trusts me like that.”
Brink has already posted the best of his two-plus seasons in the NHL. Going into Thursday night’s game, he has 32 points and needs just two more goals to surpass his career high of 11.
“I think losing ‘Laughts’ (top penalty-killer Scott Laughton in a trade to Toronto) and ‘Garny’ (Garnet Hathaway is injured),” Brink said. “I think that’s left some opportunities for guys, some spots to be taken.
“So, I think they wanted to try me out there. I had done it (penalty kill) my whole life until now. I have some experience with it. The NHL level is obviously a little different. Still trying to get used to it and still trying to get better at it.”
Brink’s quickness and his puck awareness make him an above-average checker. On defense he can be a pest, sort of along the lines of a Travis Konecny.
“It’s more a mentality,” Brink said. “Going into a game knowing you have to do that in a game to be effective. A lot of the guys on the team know that and are really good at it. All the forwards and the six ‘D’ check hard and don’t give up much.
“I try to do the best I can with it.”
This well-rounded game didn’t come about by accident. Brink spends his off-seasons working on it.
“You have to learn situations in a game,” he said. “There are times when you might have to be in a different position or work harder and that sort of thing.”
>Pelletier fitting in
Although Jakob Pelletier was traded here from Calgary more than a month ago, there was that issue with U.S. customs along with the 4 Nations break. He’s just now starting to feel comfortable with his new team.
“I think it’s getting better each game,” said Pelletier, who has yet to score since joining the Flyers but has had several close calls. “I know I can do a little more. But now it’s on me to show it.”
The energy level is going up, too, which is important for duty on the fourth line. That unit is trying to stop other teams from scoring almost, if not more, than producing goals themselves.
“Every shift counts, to be honest,” he ssid. “Every second you’re out there, you have to make it count.”
