Philadelphia Flyers Suffer Third Period Fall in 5-0 Preseason Loss to Canadiens – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers looked outmatched by the Montreal Canadiens, losing 5-0 on the road in their second preseason contest. While the score was still ticking, the Flyers were only down by a goal entering the final frame—everything fell apart in those final 20 minutes. What are some takeaways from Orange and Black?

Makiniemi Should Sign Full-Time Contract

Despite a 5-0 score (and a talented Canadiens team), this game was actually very close throughout the first half. And that was largely due to Eetu Makiniemi’s performance between the pipes in the first 31:13 of the game. The 25-year-old Finnish goalkeeper is on a paid tryout (PTO) with the Orange and Black, and stopped 13 of the 14 shots he faced. Putting up a very respectable .929 save percentage (SV%), 1.92 goals against average (GAA), and saving 0.67 more shots than expected, he was really comfortable in net.

However, the same cannot be said for Cal Petersen, who has one year left on his $5 million contract. The 29-year-old allowed four goals on just 12 shots, giving up a 2.90 goals-against average in 28:46 of ice time. He also had a disappointing preseason for the Flyers in 2023-24, giving up six goals on 41 shots.

So, as mentioned, Makiniemi could sign a full-time contract and overtake Petersen as the team’s third-string netminder. Both Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov seem to have NHL spots locked in, but the position behind them seems to be a non-participator. This is a small sample size, but heads should be turning after the performances of Makiniemi and Petersen against Montreal—one of them was better.

It’s worth noting that Makiniemi’s numbers in the American Hockey League (AHL) weren’t great last season, boasting a .900 SV% and 3.14 GAA in 18 contests with the San Jose Barracuda. Petersen was a bit ahead of himself with a .902 SV% and 2.71 GAA in 28 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. While the numbers are close, Petersen’s .864 SV% in five contests with the Flyers doesn’t suggest he can offer much at the next level at this point.

Assuming Makiniemi gets a deal (which seems likely), he and Petersen could battle it out for the AHL starting in 2024-25. But the NHL call-up seems to belong to two netminders. Makiniemi would be great insurance if the Flyers’ goaltending needs picking up.

The Power Play was quiet without Michkov

In my last preseason episode, I spent some time talking about how 19-year-old rookie Matvei Michkov could save the best team (the NHL’s most efficient unit over the past three seasons). Against the Canadians, we saw what they are without him—it’s still very bad.

Related: Philadelphia Flyers’ Farabee, Brink, Michkov Shine in 6-2 Preseason Win vs. Capitals

Sure, the Flyers came up with a more talented power play team against the Washington Capitals in their preseason opener, but it’s not like the talentless team that dominated Montreal. Making up the top unit were Sean Couturier, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Egor Zamula, and Anthony Richard—four of those five had 100 minutes of ice time with the Orange and Black in 2023-24. Those are slightly important words, but the results have been less than ideal.

Just to weigh in, the first unit had zero goals, four shots on goal, and a low 0.33 goals-against average over four minutes of ice time. The second unit achieved more than two minutes of use. Notably, the team didn’t have the most dangerous shot at scoring a man at all.

Against the Capitals, it was a very different story. The second unit still wasn’t great, but Michkov’s line shined with two goals, seven shots on net, a 1.14 goals-against average, and four dangerous shots in just under four minutes of ice time. So, in even a few minutes, the damage done was incomparable.

The players on Michkov’s side including Owen Tippett, Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, and Jamie Drysdale definitely helped. But he was as much a help to them as they were to him, without a doubt. Putting the elite numbers against the Capitals’ NHL talent on the penalty kill, it’s surprising to see the team’s lineup compared without its young star. I said it in my last piece, and I’ll say it again here: Michkov can save the power play.

Flyers’ ‘Non-NHL’ Defensemen Struggled

The Flyers had only two regular NHL defensemen in this issue: Egor Zamula and Rasmus Ristolainen. The good news for them is that they had a positive impact and showed some chemistry with each other. As for everyone else, well, it’s not a game they’ll want to watch.

#NHL GameScore Scorecard for Philadelphia Flyers 2024-09-23:#FueledByPhilly #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/9D3qsN5CjT

– HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) September 24, 2024

The statistics strongly support the eye test here. Prospects Hunter McDonald (22 years old) and Oliver Bonk (19 years old) were far from the best, each posting a minus-2 rating, while AHL defensemen Louie Belpedio and Ronnie Attard looked frustrated. with a minus-3 ratio. It wasn’t Attard’s best night, as he had a sloppy turnover that led directly to a goal.

So far, the top non-NHL defenseman for the Flyers appears to be Emil Andrae. The 22-year-old looked sharp early on, to earn a spot in the opening night against the Orange and Black. If he doesn’t, and the team needs to call up a quarterback in the middle of the season, his name should come first.

After going back on the road, the Flyers get some rest before hosting the New York Islanders (at the Wells Fargo Center) on September 26. The most prominent players who have yet to see the ice are Travis Konecny, Cam. York, Travis Sanheim, and Ersson—expect that to change.

Statistics courtesy of Natural Stat Trick