For the second straight preseason game, the Philadelphia Flyers suffered an uninspiring blowout loss, and for the second straight preseason game, the Flyers lost a key player to injury,
On Monday in Hershey, the Washington Capitals ran away with a 5-2 win, and forward Denver Barkey exited the game in the second period due to a lower-body injury.
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On Tuesday in Boston, the Boston Bruins cruised to a dominant 5-1 win, and the Flyers lost Dan Vladar after just 13 minutes to an innocuous upper-body injury, forcing Aleksei Kolosov to enter the game in relief.
Like Monday against the Capitals, the Flyers got off to a decent start against the Bruins, out-shooting Boston 10-9 in the first period and heading into the first intermission deadlocked at 1-1, thanks to a solo effort from Jacob Gaucher.
Top center prospect Jett Luchanko recorded his second assist in as many nights, quietly bolstering his case to earn an NHL roster spot in the next week.
An even, scoreless second period saw the Flyers again out-shoot the Bruins, this time 8-7, but they completely fell apart in the third period.
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The Bruins scored on four of their nine third-period shots, and Kolosov was helpless on just about all of them.
Morgan Geekie’s power play redirection left Kolosov stranded, and Brian Halonen tapped in a puck that was deflected in front of Kolosov two minutes later.
Flyers Suffer Another Injury as Dan Vladar Departs Early vs. Bruins
Flyers Suffer Another Injury as Dan Vladar Departs Early vs. BruinsThe Philadelphia Flyers have lost starting goalie Dan Vladar to an innocuous upper-body injury.
With five minutes left in the third period, the Flyers were caught sleepwalking in their own end once again, and Elias Lindholm waltzed right by Danila Klimovich to bury a feed from Nikita Zadorov with a one-timer.
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To put the cherry on top of the beatdown, Mikey Eyssimont cashed in on a Flyers defensive zone turnover, when Ty Murchison passed the puck right to Dans Locmelis. Eyssimont’s one-timer beat Kolosov sliding across on the fast-developing play, and it was also the only Bruins goal that did not come between the circles and below the dots.
Overall, it was just a brutal game for the Flyers defensively, who frequently mismanaged the puck and failed to protect the good ice in their own zone.
Nobody especially stood out for the Flyers, though Spencer Gill and Cole Knuble looked in control for much of the game.
David Jiricek still has trouble handling the puck, something that wasn’t a strong suit of his even dating back to the 2022 draft, but at times flashed the creativity and playmaking that helped make him the sixth overall pick four years ago.
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Jiricek, 22, played a team-leading 22:46 on a pairing with Nick Seeler and appears poised to win the No. 6 defenseman spot, pending something catastrophic.
Oliver Bonk had moments, too, but would have committed his second penalty in as many games if Murchison’s penalty hadn’t been called first. Because Bonk is waivers-exempt, Jiricek will get every opportunity to retain his place in the lineup, though his shot needs to be utilized more.
The Flyers will return home Thursday for a preseason rematch against the Bruins at 7 p.m. at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
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