The Philadelphia Flyers played their first home preseason game against the New York Islanders, where an enthusiastic Philadelphia crowd got to witness a 2-0 win, including Matvei Michkov's first Wells Fargo Center goal.
Star prospects Michkov and Jett Luchanko made their Wells Fargo Center debuts, while NHL regulars Travis Konecny, Sam Ersson, Cam York, and Travis Sanheim played in their first game of this preseason schedule.
Back Like He Never Left
Sam Ersson was back in the crease against the Islanders, and looked nothing short of fantastic as he made a number of crucial saves to keep the Islanders from scoring.
While Ersson looked pretty strong, albeit incredibly overworked, last season, this first preseason outing showed fans the best version of their No. 1 goalie—he's calm, poised, and unbelievably aware. In the face of an onslaught of dangerous chances, Ersson remained collected.
It would be foolish to make any definitive judgments based off of one preseason game, but the comforting reality is that Ersson looked really good, sparking the hope that a summer where he was able to get a proper rest and train with the knowledge that he'll be the starting goalie will serve him well and make it so he's a lot less burnt out during the 2024-25 campaign.
All Eyes On Jett
It goes without saying that Michkov is still the marquee name in any game he's in the lineup for, but more and more attention has been turning on Luchanko, and for good reason. He's had about as good of a training camp as a freshly 18-year-old prospect could ask for—so much so that there's been incessant chatter of him making the Flyers' NHL roster straight out of camp.
And Luchanko looked pretty solid against the Islanders, but he was noticeably more subdued than he had been in his first game against the Washington Capitals. Even so, teammate Travis Konecny acknowledged that the 18-year-old is "a smart kid" and that he's consistently impressed those around him with how mature his game is at his age.
Of Course He Scored!
Michkov scored in his Wells Fargo Center debut, and he celebrated hard. Konecny said that the other players had playfully been giving him "a hard time" because he hadn't scored in preseason yet, but admitted, along with Owen Tippett, that the 19-year-old's pure passion for hockey is palpable wherever he goes and gives a huge boost to the rest of the team.
The Flyers will play their next game on home ice as well, facing off against the Boston Bruins on Sept. 28.
