The Philadelphia Flyers proved to be outmatched by the Montreal Canadiens, losing 5-0 on the road in their second preseason contest. While the score was a blowout, the Flyers were only down by a goal entering the final frame—everything fell apart in those final 20 minutes. What were some takeaways for the Orange and Black?
Makiniemi Should Sign a Full-Time Contract
Despite the 5-0 score (and a talented lineup for the Canadiens), this game was actually very close during the first half. And that was mainly due to Eetu Makiniemi‘s excellence between the pipes for the first 31:13 of the game. The 25-year-old Finnish goaltender is on a professional tryout (PTO) with the Orange and Black, and he stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced. Putting up a very respectable .929 save percentage (SV%), 1.92 goals-against average (GAA), and saving 0.67 shots more than expected, he was certainly comfortable in the net.
However, the same cannot be said for Cal Petersen, who has one year left on a $5 million cap-hit contract. The 29-year-old allowed four goals on just 12 shots, giving up 2.90 more goals than expected in 28:46 of ice time. He was also disappointing in the Flyers’ preseason in 2023-24, sacrificing six goals on 41 shots.
So, with that said, Makiniemi could sign a full-time contract and overtake Petersen as the third-string netminder for the team. Both Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov appear to have NHL spots locked down, but the position behind them seems to be up for grabs. This is a small sample size, but heads should be turning after the performances of Makiniemi and Petersen against Montreal—one was obviously superior.
It’s worth noting that Makiniemi’s numbers in the American Hockey League (AHL) weren’t spectacular last season, boasting a .900 SV% and 3.14 GAA in 18 contests with the San Jose Barracuda. Petersen was slightly ahead of him with a .902 SV% and 2.71 GAA in 28 matches with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. While the numbers are close, Petersen’s .864 SV% in five contests with the Flyers don’t suggest he can provide much at the next level at this time.
Assuming Makiniemi gets a deal (which seems likely), he and Petersen may battle for AHL starts throughout 2024-25. But an NHL call-up seems like it belongs to the younger of the two netminders. Makiniemi could be a good bit of insurance in case the Flyers’ goaltending needs a pick-me-up.
The Power Play Was Dormant without Michkov
In my last preseason takeaways piece, I spent some time talking about how 19-year-old rookie Matvei Michkov could save the team’s man advantage (a unit with the NHL’s worst efficiency for the past three seasons). Against the Canadiens, we saw what they are without him—still very bad.
Sure, the Flyers iced a more talented power-play group versus the Washington Capitals in their first bit of preseason action, but it’s not like a zero-talent group was iced in Montreal. Making up the top unit was Sean Couturier, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Egor Zamula, and Anthony Richard—four of those five had over 100 minutes of power-play ice time with the Orange and Black in 2023-24. Those are some semi-important names, but the results were less than ideal.
Just to quantify the struggles, the first unit had zero goals, four shots on goal, and a lowly 0.33 expected goals in over four minutes of ice time. The second unit was outshot in over two minutes of usage. Notably, the team did not have a high-danger shot on the man advantage at all.
Against the Capitals, the story was much different. The second unit still wasn’t great, but Michkov’s line shined with two goals, seven shots on net, 1.14 expected goals, and four high-danger shots in just under four minutes of ice time. So, with even fewer minutes, the damage done was incomparable.
Players by Michkov’s side including Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, and Jamie Drysdale definitely helped. But he was as big of an aid to them as they were to him, without question. Putting up elite numbers against some of the Capitals’ NHL talent on the penalty kill, it’s remarkable to see the juxtaposition of the team with versus without their teenage star. I said it in my last piece, and I’ll reiterate it here: Michkov can save the power play.
Flyers’ Non-NHL Defenders Struggled
The Flyers only had two regular NHL defensemen in this affair: Egor Zamula and Rasmus Ristolainen. The good news for them is that they had a positive impact and showed some chemistry with one another. As for everyone else, well, it’s not a game they’ll want to watch back.
The stats very much back up the eye test here. Prospects Hunter McDonald (22 years old) and Oliver Bonk (19 years old) were far from excellent, each posting a minus-2 rating, while AHL defenders Louie Belpedio and Ronnie Attard looked flustered with a minus-3 rating. It wasn’t Attard’s best night specifically, as he had a sloppy turnover that directly led to a goal.
So far, the Flyers’ top non-NHL defender seems to be Emil Andrae. The 22-year-old has looked sharp early on, so he could win an opening night roster spot with the Orange and Black. If he doesn’t, and the team needs to call up a defender in the middle of the season, his name should probably be first.
After a back-to-back on the road, the Flyers get some rest before they host the New York Islanders (at Wells Fargo Center) on Sept. 26. The most significant players who have yet to see the ice are Travis Konecny, Cam York, Travis Sanheim, and Ersson—expect that to change.
