Barkey’s first NHL goal a sign of good things to come

There were smiles all around on the ice and on the Flyers bench when Denver Barkey’s shot went into the net on Saturday afternoon.
It was Barkey’s first NHL goal and the popular kid was showered with congratulations. Beyond a doubt he’s got a bright future in the National Hockey League.
The Flyers went on to beat the Oilers at Edmonton’s Rogers Place by a 5-2 score.
The 20-year-old Barkey waited patiently through six games for this special moment and it’s one he will never forget. Scoring it against the Oilers in their home rink just added to the excitement.
“Yeah, ‘Tip’ (Owen Tippett) made a heck of a pass,” Barkey said in a televised postgame interview. “All I had to do was kind of redirect it on net.”
Barkey said he’s been getting more comfortable with his linemates, including Sean Couturier.
“I think we’re reading each other a lot better,” Barkey said. “Just continuing to build that confidence.”
He might not have been intimidated by Connor McDavid and Company but they sure had his attention. He watched them a lot on television, especially the past two seasons when they made the Stanley Cup Final.
“It’s pretty cool,” Barkey said. “You watch those guys growing up. They’ve made a difference in this league. It’s cool but you just try to focus on yourself and raise your game for these kinds of games.”
Coach Rick Tocchet continues to be impressed.
Barkey made a nice play in the defensive zone to spark the rush which led to his goal.
“That’s the key, right,” Tocchet said. “Hell of a defensive play, playing the 200-foot game. That line had a great game. ‘Coots’ (Couturier), ‘Tip’, Barkey. . .they were the main reason why we won tonight.”

>Seeler lights it up

Nick Seeler does so many good things on defense, no one pays attention to what he does (or doesn’t do) on offense.
So the Flyers defenseman was a bit bashful when asked about scoring his first goal in more than a year in Saturday’s 5-2 win at Edmonton’s Rogers Place.
Actually, it was a pretty important goal. The Flyers were only leading the powerhouse Oilers by a 3-2 margin when Seeler’s somewhat innocent-looking point shot found its way past goaltender Cal Pickard midway through the third period.
Nice to get rid of the goose egg?
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s nice to get rewarded. It felt good.”