The Flyers will head to Montreal for their second preseason game with an entirely new group. Well, almost.
Rodrigo Abols will suit up for his second straight game, the only skater to do so. Aleksei Kolosov, who started the first game, is also traveling, but Sam Ersson is expected to play the entire game. Once again, fans in the local area can catch the game via the Flyers website.
Abols is one of many in the roster battle for a depth spot in the lineup. The fact that he is getting a second straight game shows that the Flyers liked what he did against the Islanders. They want to see more of what he can do.
“I want to see how he can play two, three games in a row. The hardest part when guys come up from the minors is that they give you a good game, and then they fall off. But how do you keep consistency? I think it’s a good, important game for him to see if he can be real consistent for us. You never know. So I just wanted to see him, it was kind of my call,” Rick Tocchet said regarding Abols playing another game.
Abols already has one thing going for him, and that’s versatility. Playing wing and center can come in handy, and it showed in the preseason victory over the Islanders. Abols started on the wing with Jack Nesbitt and Samu Tuomaala. He shifted to center once Lane Pederson left with an injury. He also scored the opening goal for the Flyers and kept things alive in the shootout.
Abols appeared in 22 games for the Flyers last season, posting two goals and five points. He had an impressive 58.4 faceoff percentage. His 113 faceoffs were much less than players like Sean Couturier (1,195) and Noah Cates (1,105). But he provided a solid enough sample size to prove that he can be efficient in that area. That will work in his favor.
It's uncertain who Abols will play with and whether he will center that line, but he should get some time on the power play as well. He played less than a minute during his stint last season, so this could be another chance to show what he can bring to the table. Abols is a veteran of the unit. Jacob Gaucher and Jett Luchanko make up the other eight games of experience after Abols' 22 games.
Abols isn't the only player in the mix. Alex Bump and Nikita Grebenkin could be his biggest competition. Jack Nesbitt can impress enough to crack the roster. And there are others like Alexis Gendron and Devin Kaplan who will be fighting as well.
Preseason is still in its infancy and a lot can change between now and the regular season. But Abols has impressed early on. Now he needs to show he can keep it up.