The Philadelphia Flyers took on the Boston Bruins in a game that had no shortage of emotions and excitement, walking away with an electric 3-2 overtime win.
Rasmus Ristolainen scored first for the Flyers, while Matvei Michkov scored his second and third goals at the Wells Fargo Center, bringing his overall preseason point total so far to six points in three games.
Can't Touch This
The Bruins certainly weren't afraid of trying to get under Matvei Michkov's skin during this game, but the Flyers' veterans were having none of it.
Captain Sean Couturier dropped the gloves against Boston's Billy Sweezey after Sweezey tried to goad Michkov into a fight, while Hunter McDonald, Travis Konecny, and a number of the 19-year-old's teammates got involved in a net-front scrum after things got scrappy again between him and the Bruins.
Couturier said during an intermission interview that he "just wanted to make sure we don't get pushed around... We just want to make sure we're there for each other."
Konecny had a similar perspective, saying, "I think it was huge for [Michkov] to see, early, what the Flyers are all about. We're going to protect each other."
Bobby Brink Goes Hard
Bobby Brink has looked like a player reborn during this training camp—stronger, faster, smarter, the whole nine. Against the Bruins, he was smacking shots at the goalie from all angles; his skating had some serious pop and fizz to it; and he was seemingly always managed to be in the right place at the right time to create some truly dangerous offense.
This game is a testament to just how much of a leap Brink's game looks to have taken over the summer, and if he can be consistent with this form, he could become a lethal piece of this Flyers offense.
Bobby Brink.
Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News
Big Game From The Big Man
Ivan Fedotov played the full game against the Bruins, making some positively huge saves to keep the opposition quiet.
It's a promising step for the six-foot-seven goalie to show what he can do in net, after a late-season arrival saw him only get action in three NHL games during the 2023-24 campaign. Assistant coach Brad Shaw, who acted as head coach for this game, called Fedotov's performance "letter perfect," praising his goalie's net coverage and shot blocking skills against some dangerous chances.
Fedotov's performance was extremely encouraging, and while he still needs time against more challenging NHL-caliber rosters to really test his abilities, it will no doubt help build confidence in the Flyers' current goalie tandem.
The Flyers' next preseason game will be away against the New York Islanders on Sept. 30.
