Observations from the Flyers preseason shutout win over the Islanders

Flyers fans were given a treat in the team's first home preseason game. Not only did they get their first glance of Matvei Michkov up close, but Philadelphia also shut out the Islanders en route to a 2-0 win.

Sam Ersson looks like....Sam Ersson

One of the biggest factors in the Flyers end of season decline was the burnout of Sam Ersson. Without a capable backup behind him, the team was forced to play him through times when he was struggling. John Tortorella admitted as much at the beginning of training camp. So keeping him fresh is a big key.

On Thursday night, Ersson looked like the goaltender that carried the Flyers to wins for a large bulk of the season. He made 37 saves in his first preseason outing, going the distance in the shutout victory. The first period was when Ersson was at his busiest, making 15 of his saves in the opening 20 minutes. The Islanders had the first six shots in the second period, but Ersson again shut them down.

He did what he needed to do to keep the Flyers in the game, especially when Marcus Hogberg was standing on his head as well. The only goal the Islanders' netminder gave up is one we'll talk about in a moment. This was a strong first outing for Ersson and is the goaltender the Flyers are hoping to see this season.

Matvei Michkov dazzles

Everyone knows the skill level that Matvei Michkov has and everyone got to see it on Thursday. As the game wore on and he got more comfortable, more of Michkov's skills began to flash. His vision and ability to make plays out of nothing was on full display. Even the plays that didn't end up in goals were still mesmerizing.

But let's talk about the goals because Michkov had a part in both of them. Morgan Frost tried to find Michkov entering the zone but the pass was a bit ahead of him. Or so it looked. Even with a defender on him, the Russian forward managed to win the battle. He spun and fired a pass to a streaking Cam York. The shot from York went wide but went right onto the stick of Erik Johnson, who crashed the net and fired the puck in from the side of the net.

As the game wore on, it was clear that Michkov's teammates were trying to get him the puck for a goal. Owen Tippett even admitted after the game that he passed up some scoring chances to try and get his linemate a goal in his Wells Fargo Center debut. Travis Konecny added that the team was jokingly giving him a hard time for having not scored in the preseason yet. Talk about a team that is already making sure Michkov feels right at home.

Michkov did get the goal, sealing the win with an empty netter. But he could've had more than that as he was robbed on a one-timer by Hogberg in the first period. Michkov nearly set up Tippett on a one-timer that Hogberg also robbed. It was clear to see the skill level that he has and fair to imagine how much better he could get.

Erik Johnson does a thing

As mentioned above, Johnson scored what was the game-winning goal less than five minutes into the third period. It was about being at the right place at the right time as he snuck past the defense and found himself open as York's missed shot came right to him.

Johnson won't find himself in the lineup on a nightly basis and he's okay with the role he has been given. He spoke on that when he re-signed at the beginning of free agency. Helping mentor some of the younger players on defense is something he's hoping to do. Johnson was paired on defense with roster hopeful Emil Andrae. The latter had 19:31 of ice time and flashed his puck skills.

Johnson had the lowest time on ice amongst the defense at 17:07, but he had two blocks and a hit to go along with his goal. If he can play a reliable game when he's on the ice, that's all the Flyers can ask for.

Other Observations

• Jett Luchanko made his WFC debut as well. He didn't blow the doors off, but he didn't look completely overwhelmed either. He played a solid game but has some things to work on.
• Adam Ginning struggled at times, making some risky decisions that ended up in turnovers. He's aiming to be one of the first call-up options, but plays like that won't help him. The team appears to be high on him, though.
• Rodrigo Abols and Oscar Eklind also didn't have strong games as noted by Rocky Thompson after the game. They're both fighting to be an depth forward.