Looking through the best and worst performances and moments from the Philadelphia Flyers 2019 Rookie Game.
In case you missed it, the Philadelphia Flyers unofficially kicked off their 2019-20 season by facing off against the New York Islanders for their annual Rookie Game meeting. The Flyers started the exhibition contest off strong; they eventually suffered a 5-4 shootout loss to their Metropolitan Division foe and were unable to secure Rookie Game victories two years in a row. While there were certainly some good things to take away from the gut-wrenching losing effort, there was also some bad mixed in with it all. I’m going to break down all of the highs and lows the Flyers had to offer during the game, beginning on the higher notes.
The Highs:
Philippe Myers and Felix Sandstrom were among the best players for the Flyers throughout this contest. It became instantly clear that Myers was leaps and bounds better than any other skater for either team on the ice, as his two-way skillset was on full display through the full 60 minutes. One thing that really stood out for me regarding Myers was how aggressive he carried the puck through the neutral zone.
On multiple instances, the 6’5, 210-pound blue-liner exploded into the Islanders side of the sheet and tried to create offensive chances by himself. Seeing that type of play from Myers made me excited about the possibility of him playing alongside Shayne Gostisbehere on the third defensive pairing as the Flyers would have two blue-liners who can move the puck and generate offense. I realize Myers will still have to show this against NHL-level talent, but let me dream, dangit. The former undrafted defenseman also made a highlight-reel play, deking an Islander at the top of the offensive zone and making a stellar pass to set up German Rubtsov for a goal.
Sandstrom was equally as impressive in-net for the Orange and Black. The Swedish net-minder single-handily kept the Islanders scoreless through the first period, saving all 18 shots that came his way. Sandstrom finished his time in the crease making 24 saves on 25 shots, which equaled out to a .960 save percentage in a period and a half of work. I was fascinated with how poised and calm he was, not allowing dangerous chances or the eventual goal phase his confidence.
The Flyers top line consisting of Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, and Isaac Ratcliffe dazzled from start to finish. They were the teams’ primary source of offense for most of the opening frame, as the other three lines found themselves stuck in their own zone when Scott Gordon put them on the ice. All three consistently applied pressure in the Isles end of the rink and seemed to have decent chemistry together when considering they’ve played together for a brief period. Frost’s playmaking abilities were showcased on the Flyers second tally of the night, as he hit Sean Comrie with a pin-point pass for a point-shot goal. Ratcliffe did a good job of allowing Frost to gift Comrie with the opportunity, as both received assists for their efforts.
I liked the amount of two-way skill I saw from the three prospects, too, as they all saw time on the penalty kill and didn’t look out of place while down a man. What stood out the most to me, though, was how tenacious of a forechecker Farabee is. The 2018 first-rounder is relentless when trying to take the puck away from an opponent and was the cause of a couple of Islander turnovers, as well. Myers, Sandstrom, the top-line, Rubtsov, and David Kase continually caught my attention, and I’m excited to see if they can build off of these performances during Training Camp and preseason.
The Lows:
I understand that this game doesn’t matter as much in terms of winning and losing, but coughing up a two-goal lead in the third period after leading by as much as three is never a good thing. While some fans may point the blame at Kirill Ustimenko for allowing three goals on seven shots when he first entered the game, the Flyers defense let bodies get in front of him on all three tallies, which obviously makes it harder for him to see the puck and make the save. Philadelphia’s defense, as a whole, wasn’t great throughout the contest and had to get bailed out by both Sandstrom and Ustimenko, who eventually settled in, time and time again.
Josh Couturier, who was a camp invite and has no relation to Sean, had a rough outing. Couturier took two back-to-back penalties in the third stanza when the game was tied, and while the Flyers killed both of them off, that still can’t happen. Killing penalties can be a way to shift momentum in a hockey game, and when Couturier took that second penalty just seconds after the first, it seemed to kill Philadelphia’s spirits a bit. The 24-year-old D-Man had problems defending the opposition, too, gifting the Islanders with chances after failing to cover the zone adequately, especially on the rush.
Lastly, and this isn’t a “low” so to say, but I expected to see more out of Mikhail Vorobyev in this year’s game. Though he showed flashes in both ends, obtaining an assist and performing well on the PK, I thought he’d dominate the competition more. Vorobyev and Myers were two of the most experienced skaters who played in the contest in terms of NHL and AHL time and should’ve looked head-and-shoulders better than the players around them. Myers did, as I mentioned above, but Vorobyev didn’t play at the consistent high-level I thought he would. That’s not to say he looked bad, because he didn’t, just that I anticipated more out of the Russian forward.
As you can see, there was definitely more to be positive about for the Flyers in this game. Fans shouldn’t get too upset over the loss because this team has plenty of prospects to look forward to in the future.