PHILADELPHIA – After scoring just 32 power-play goals in 82 games last season, the Flyers have been searching high and low for a formula to more success during this preseason.
Saturday’s efforts were encouraging.
The Flyers scored twice with the man advantage in a 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Boston’s Jeffrey Viel scored with 6:15 to break a 3-3 tie. The Flyers fell to 1-3 in preseason play.
Travis Sanheim connected with the extra man in the first period and Trevor Zegras followed that up in the next period with a second marker.
Sam Ersson picked up the win in goal for the Flyers.
Given the fact the Flyers have finished 32nd, 32nd, 32nd and 30th in the NHL in power-play goals the past four seasons, the team will take any improvement as a positive sign.
Coach Rick Tocchet used defenseman Jamie Drysdale quite often when his team was on the power play and he might be the triggerman on the blue line when the regular season gets underway.
Drysdale looks comfortable back there and he has a quick release to a somewhat accurate, powerful shot.
And he appears OK with Tocchet’s approach to extra-man situations, namely be aggressive.
“I think it’s kind of just simplified a bit,” Drysdale said. “Like ‘Toc’ said, get pucks to the net more, attack more. Be more direct. I think we all have to be better. That (the power play) is a really important piece of the game. We got to figure it out. Put the puck in the net and it gives your team a good chance to win the game.”
Tocchet is still experimenting as the auditions on the PP continue. Zegras is making a good first impression.
“We probably had a little bit more movement,” Tocchet said. “He’s a guy if we get people moving in the right direction, he (Zegras) is going to find them.”
Sanheim scored down low off a Christian Dvorak feed at 8:57 of the first. Boston would score the next two goals but the Flyers tied the score at 7:12 of the second on a goal by Nikita Grebenkin. That was followed up by the Zegras power-play goal at 13:04 with Matvei Michkov getting the primary assist.
>Costly mistake
Boston scored with only 0.6 seconds left in the first period when Alex Bump turned the puck over near the Flyer net. He knows he made a mistake and vowed to be more aware of the clock in the future.
“I probably should have settled the puck down,” he said. “Unfortunate.”
What did he tell himself between periods?
“Try to tell myself I can’t do anything about it,” he said. “A ilttle self-talk. Couldn’t do anything about it now.”
The coaches told Bump “not to worry about it,” the player said. “Just keep playing your game.”
>Gilbert brings experience
During the offseason the Flyers bolstered the depth on defense by signing free agents such as Dennis Gilbert, who has 111 NHL games under his belt with Chicago, Colorado, Calgary, Buffalo and Ottawa.
In any NHL season, injuries are bound to happen so Gilbert wants to be in a position to help out if he’s needed.
The 28-year-old Buffalo native has enough experience to fill in on short notice.
“All you can do is put your best foot forward every day,” Gilbert said after a morning workout at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J. “Just getting acclimated (here) and getting to know my new teammates.”
Gilbert has played against Rick Tocchet-coached teams in the past and needed only one word to describe what it is like to play against one of those outfits.
“Relentless,” Gilbert said. “Very hard to play against because all four lines have an identity. The buy-in with him seems non-negotiable. A really good coach.”
In his younger days, Gilbert once had a chance to play with former Blackhawk defense great Brent Seabrook. It was a chance to learn from one of the best.
Now he plans to pass along some of that wisdom to some of the Flyers’ younger guys.
“I used to be one of those guys,” he explained. “It was a cool experience to play with Seabrook. So I just try to be a good partner. I remember being in those shoes and how nervous I was. You’re worried, you’re anxious. I just try to help out where I can.”
>Two players back to junior
On Saturday the Flyers assigned two players back to their junior teams. Center Jack Nesbitt returned to Windsor (OHL) and defensemen Spencer Gill was shipped to Blainville-Boisbriand (QJMHL).
Be the first to comment