VOORHEES, N.J. – While Porter Martone might be impressing some people with his offensive prowess during his first few weeks in the NHL, it’s his overall game which has taken a lot more onlookers by surprise.
He finished up the regular season with four goals/10 points in nine games, one of the fastest starts for a new rookie in team history.
While those numbers have made the headlines, the 19-year-old has shown the ability to play an above-average two-way game.
After Friday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center, coach Rick Tocchet summed up Martone’s versatile skills in one word:
“Anticipation.”
By that, he means Martone thinks ahead of the play and that gives him an edge, especially in games which are close and going down to the final horn.
“Anticipation is big in his game,” Tocchet said. “And his hockey IQ. His proficiency around the offensive game. Try to be a second stick for your defenseman. You can tell he’s got that hockey IQ.”
Martone’s teammate, Owen Tippett, appreciates what the big right wing brings to the table. The two have roughly the same build (Martone is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds), compete from the same position and have the ability to create offensive plays on their own.
Like Tocchet, Tippett believes one of Martone’s best attributes is the ability to predict when a play is going to happen a beat or two before everyone else.
“He’s a big kid and he sees the ice really well,” Tippett said. “He kind of makes the next play even before he even has the puck. He’s strong on the puck so even if there’s a guy on him, he kind of outsmarts him with his stick and his body positioning. And he makes that next play pretty quickly.”
Martone lit it up pretty well his one season at Michigan State, scoring 25 goals, eight of them on the power play. So the Flyers haven’t been completely taken aback by this early success.
“You know the hype about Martone, you hear about him all year long and then you’re excited to have him,” Tippett said. “When he comes in and makes a huge impact on the ice and in the locker room.”
It’s Martone’s netfront presence which has caught the eyes of experienced hands.
“He uses his body really well,” Tippett said. “He puts his stick in position where guys can’t really defend it. I think his goal in OT against Boston was a good example. It showed everything. He was in position to get the initial shot off. It was in before the goalie was in position.”
Like so many other young Flyers, this is a moment Martone has dreamed about since he was a little kid.
“Obviously the stakes are higher,” he said. “The games are probably going to be more intense. When you were a kid, this is what you watched, you watched the Stanley Cup playoffs. Everyone back home is excited. It’s an awesome time to be playing hockey.”
Martone feels good about being a complete player. He was a plus-24 at MSU and a plus-4 in his nine games since joining the Flyers.
“That’s what I take pride in, being a good 200-foot player, in the times of playoffs and crucial games,” he said. “You got to be able to take care of your D-zone if you want to be successful. That’s something I always try to do on a nightly basis. Have a good stick, interrupt plays. Kind of create that defense-offense.”
Martone said he had a few informal chats with Tocchet to go over the whole scenario, both on the ice and off it.
“He’s been really good with me,” Martone said. “When I got here, they showed me the system stuff, the hockey stuff. He’s been great. He’s kind of showed me the ropes.”
Tocchet was a 19-year-old rookie back in 1984, just like Martone is now. So the two can relate to each other.
“He went through it as a player, not just as a coach,” Martone said. “He’s got a lot of advice. When he talks, you kind of sit there and take it all in.”
The coach likes to keep things light. Today’s young players prefer it that way.
“I’m not a big fan of sitting a guy down and giving him the father-son speech,” Tocchet said. “To me, it’s grabbing a coffee, talk a couple minutes. I find the younger players like it better, their retention value is better.”
The Flyers and Penguins played each other four times this past season but that was before Martone arrived.
He’s almost a “secret weapon” for the Philadelphia team but the mystery won’t be lasting much longer.
>Scouting report for Flyers-Penguins
Pittsburgh scored 43 more goals than the Flyers did this past season but also allowed 25 more. Philadelphia is coming into the series with some serious momentum, having won 18 of its last 25 games.
The Flyers should have the edge in goaltending. Philadelphia finished eighth in the NHL in overall goaltending statistics, with Dan Vladar leading the way. Pittsburgh was 23rd, with Stuart Skinner’s goals-against average of 2.91 well above Vladar’s 2.42 (third in the NHL).
If the Flyers can keep Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin under control, anything’s possible.
>Prediction: FLYERS in six games.
>Schedule
The NHL released the complete schedules for the first round of the playoffs. Here’s the slate for the Flyers-Penguins series:
>Game 1: Saturday, 8 p.m., PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh.
>Game 2: Monday, 7 p.m., PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh.
>Game 3: Wednesday, 7 p.m., Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia.
>Game 4: Saturday, April 25, 8 p.m., Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia.
>Game 5: (if necessary) Monday, April 27, TBD, PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh.
>Game 6: (if necessary) Wednesday, April 29, TBD, Xfinity Mobile Arena, Pittsburgh.
>Game 7: (if necessary) Saturday, May 2, TBD, PPG Paints Arena.
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