Flyers’ 5 goals through 5 preseason games reason for concern? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
With John Tortorella behind the bench for the first time this preseason, the Flyers dropped to the Islanders, 2-1, Sunday night at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.
The head coach’s presence at ice level couldn’t flip the exhibition goal-scoring struggles.
The Flyers are 1-4-0 in the preseason and have been outscored 12-5. They have one exhibition game left.
Tony DeAngelo scored the Flyers’ lone goal Sunday.
New York erased a 1-0 lead with markers from Kyle Palmieri (power play) and Scott Mayfield (even strength).
• Cam Atkinson has yet to play. There’s been no Sean Couturier or Joel Farabee. Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov have suited up once.
The team just started system work on the ice Friday.
But there has to be a little concern that the Flyers have scored just one goal per game in the preseason, while two of their five goals in total have come via 5-on-3 power plays.
The Flyers scored 2.56 goals per game last season, the second fewest in the NHL. General manager Chuck Fletcher has said how the club needs more high-end talent. He didn’t go out and acquire any high-end talent up front in the offseason.
We’ll see if a kid or two steps up, but the Flyers could be in a scary fight to score goals this season.
Tortorella’s track record of goal prevention can only hold up so much of the bargain.
• The Flyers saw two of the assets they coveted in DeAngelo this offseason.
The puck-moving defenseman looked a bit rusty early on but then settled in nicely.
DeAngelo’s goal came on a second-period 5-on-3 power play. The Flyers are expecting him to provide a major lift to their man advantage, which ranked last in the NHL last season at 12.6 percent.
Later in the stanza, he showed the other way he can help the Flyers. As DeAngelo went back to play the puck, he had two forechecking Islanders barreling down on him. DeAngelo split them with a sharp pass, which quickly sent the Flyers out of their zone and created a good look for Hayden Hodgson up the ice.
The Flyers will need all of that this season.
At times, DeAngelo can be too high-risk of a passer. He’ll have to find that right balance of aggressive but smart for Tortorella’s liking.
DeAngelo didn’t play alongside his projected top-pair partner. Provorov skated Saturday and Sunday after missing practice Friday for a maintenance day. The Flyers are clearly erring on the side of caution with Provorov. DeAngelo didn’t sound too worried about having only one preseason game so far with Provorov.
“We’ve been here since early September, late August, talking and playing together and taking a lot of reps together,” DeAngelo said Sunday morning. “It’s probably a little less complicated than you guys may think about how to become a good pair.”
• The Flyers haven’t had a true dress rehearsal yet in the preseason because of injuries.
“We’re nicked. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. We’re nicked,” Tortorella said Sunday morning.
It’s given their young roster hopefuls plenty of looks. Many of them have been pushed.
“There are still question marks for me on certain positions, so it just gives them a little more opportunity,” Tortorella said. “You can map it out in the summertime, you see it in exhibition season, you figured the last two games, you kind of look at your guys. Can’t do it. We’ve got some bumps and bruises and nicks. So we’re going to be cautious with that and prepare for the first regular-season game.”
Among others, Cam York, Morgan Frost, Noah Cates, Jackson Cates, Tyson Foerster, Tanner Laczynski, Olle Lycksell and Egor Zamula all played their fourth exhibition game in nine days.
Frost picked up his third assist of the preseason on DeAngelo’s goal.
Noah Cates definitely has Tortorella’s attention. The head coach wanted to see him at center Sunday. Cates did some good things and won 10 of 19 faceoffs.
“Look at our center ice, there’s opportunities there,” Tortorella said. “He wouldn’t be in this group if we didn’t think he had a good camp. … Versatility is a key in the National Hockey League with so many injuries that you go through. He can play the left wing, I believe he can play right wing too — that helps his cause.”
York was definitely tested, playing 25:10 minutes. He finished with three shots and three blocked shots.
• Samuel Ersson got the full game in net and denied 21 of 23 shots. The 22-year-old had a great rookie game performance and has shown well in the preseason.
Felix Sandstrom suffered a lower-body injury in the Flyers’ 4-0 loss Saturday to the Bruins. The Flyers did not have an update on him Sunday. If Sandstrom is to miss time, the Flyers’ season-opening backup job will come down to Ersson and the 33-year-old Troy Grosenick.
• Zamula exited the game just over six minutes into the third period after taking a puck to the face. The 22-year-old defenseman skated off on his own power and returned to the game a little over two minutes later.
• The Flyers wrap up the preseason Tuesday when they meet the Islanders again, this time at the Wells Fargo Center (7 pm ET/NBCSP+). Hart is hoping to play for his first and only tune-up.
The statuses of Hart, Atkinson and Provorov for the regular-season opener are not in doubt.
The Flyers’ roster must be trimmed to a max of 23 players and submitted by 5 pm ET on Oct. 10. The club opens the regular season Oct. 13 against the Devils at the Wells Fargo Center (7 p.m. ET/ESPN+, Hulu).
Subscribe to and rate Flyers Talk
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | YouTube