The Philadelphia Flyers had the closest thing to an NHL game so far during preseason against the Boston Bruins, but two empty-net goals put the game out of reach for them as they fell in a 4-1 defeat.
The roster featured most of the players expected to make the final NHL roster out of training camp, along with some prospects like Jett Luchanko and Oliver Bonk that might still get sent back to the OHL after camp is done, but have certainly left a good impression with their camp performances.
Ersson Excellence
Despite the loss, goalie Sam Ersson had another standout performance in this game, proving that he's ready to take on the season as the Flyers' No. 1 goalie. Ersson looked didn't look rusty or tired at all, despite this being only the second preseason game he's played in.
Head coach John Tortorella admitted to being a bit apprehensive about the goaltending situation going into this season, given that this will be Ersson's first full season as a No. 1 goalie, while backup Ivan Fedotov will still be finding his feet after only playing three NHL games last season.
However, Tortorella also said that he's glad that Ersson will have two great games to rest on before the regular season kicks off, and that he's confident in his goalie's "readiness" to start the 2024-25 campaign.
A Good Run
Jett Luchanko has been one of the most talked-about players during this training camp, and for good reason. He's looked fantastic throughout the entire summer, well and truly proving to any doubters that he absolutely deserved to be drafted when he was.
He's been so good, in fact, that serious consideration seems to have been given to putting him in the NHL roster—a move that many fans have expressed to be on board with. However, Luchanko's performance against the Bruins—while not a liability by any means—showed that although he has an incredibly mature skillset, he still needs time to develop before he's thrown into the NHL.
Spending the season in the OHL would do him a lot of favors, instead of rushing him to the NHL and putting an immense amount of pressure to perform on his 18-year-old shoulders. He showed what he's capable of, and with the right amount of time, he'll be ready for the top level before you know it. Right now, it would do him more harm than good to put him on the roster right out of camp.
Looking Ahead
The Flyers' last preseason game is scheduled against the New Jersey Devils, but they will not be facing the full NHL roster, as the Devils' top guys are in Prague to play in the NHL Global Series.
While Tortorella stated that it wouldn't change how they approached the game—they would still be going in with a winning mindset and playing accordingly—he did admit that it screwed things up a bit with their preparation, along with having to go from two "dress rehearsal" games to finish out the season to only having had this game against the Bruins.
The Flyers will play the Devils at home on Oct. 3 at 7:00 p.m.
