The Philadelphia Flyers had a great start to their pre-season on Sunday (Sept. 22), defeating the Washington Capitals by a 6-2 final score. However, they did not replicate that success against the Montreal Canadiens last night (Sept. 23). Unfortunately, the Flyers fell to the Canadiens by a 5-0 final score.
While the Canadiens dominated the Flyers, it was not because of goaltender Eetu Makiniemi. The Flyers' professional tryout (PTO) addition was solid during the matchup, saving 13 out of 14 shots. Unfortunately, Cal Petersen ran into trouble, allowing four goals on just 12 shots.
Overall, this was a strong way for Makiniemi to get his tryout going. While he was not perfect during his first pre-season appearance, he was undoubtedly good. If he keeps up this kind of play, it will surely help his chances of earning a contract of some kind from the Flyers for the season.
Eetu Makiniemi
© Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
The Flyers are entering this season with the expectation of having Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov as their NHL goalie tandem. While this is the case, it would not hurt for them to add another goalie to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms' roster by signing Makiniemi. If he continues to play well, it should even be encouraged. This is especially so with the ongoing Alexei Kolosov situation.
Makiniemi, 25, appeared in 18 games last season with the San Jose Barracuda, recording an 8-8-0 record, a 3.14 goals-against average (GAA), and a .900 save percentage (SV%).
