Flyers' kids put on nice show to deliver win in regular-season finale originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Flyers had to like what they saw from their youngsters Tuesday night in a 4-2, regular-season finale win over the Canadiens at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Porter Martone, Oliver Bonk, Matvei Michkov and Alex Bump provided the team’s goals. All four players are 22 years old or younger. Martone, Bonk and Michkov were first-round picks.
“It just kind of shows the growth and the youth movement here,” Martone said. “What we’ve got in the prospect pool and down in the AHL in Lehigh and the players contributing up here in the NHL. It’s awesome to see that youth, but that youth doesn’t grow without the veterans in this room and what they do to help us get to the NHL.”
Bonk and Hunter McDonald each made their NHL debut and had an assist.
A night after clinching their first playoff berth since 2020, the Flyers rested 10 of their regulars.
Rick Tocchet’s club will head into the postseason with 18 wins over its last 25 games.
The Flyers finished 43-27-12. They made a 22-point jump from last season, when they finished tied with the Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s worst record (33-39-10).
The Flyers swept the Canadiens (48-24-10) in their three-game regular-season series. They won the first two matchups in Montreal.
• It was a strong showing from the Flyers’ kids.
Bonk made it 2-0 in the first period when he uncorked one. The righty-shot blueliner celebrated with a big fist pump.
“I’m just trying get better every single day, a little bit better,” Bonk said. “I definitely can say I’ve taken some strides since I was practicing here, but there’s still a lot to do. Definitely happy with the result today, though.”
McDonald made a good read and hit to keep the puck in the offensive zone before Bonk’s goal. The 6-foot-4 defenseman had a plus-3 rating.
“That’s what I want to bring to this team and this league,” McDonald said. “Obviously I can keep getting better out there, but I think I showcased [my game].”
Fans also got their first look at David Jiricek in a Flyers jersey. The 22-year-old defenseman came to the Flyers in the Bobby Brink trade. He went scoreless, but he did show his powerful shot in the second period.
Martone continued to impress. He has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in nine games with the Flyers. He assisted Bump’s goal, which gave the Flyers third-period insurance.
Bump is a legit shooter. His ability to find the back of the net has been promising.
“I said to [president of hockey operations Keith Jones] after the game, ‘Man, I’ve got to get this guy in the lineup somehow,'” Tocchet said. “He’s going to get in; we’ve just got to figure when. But I really enjoyed his game tonight.”
• Samuel Ersson converted 27 saves on 29 shots.
The 26-year-old was super reliable after the Olympic break, giving the Flyers six wins in seven starts.
“I think the whole team, we put on a good run during that time,” Ersson said. “That was huge. It felt like we almost played the playoffs up until this point. Every game was so huge for us. I think we’ve got a lot of good feelings, good confidence, we’ve got some momentum going in here.”
The Flyers never trailed in this one. Montreal twice cut the deficit to one, but the Flyers responded each time.
Ersson made a sharp glove save on Oliver Kapanen a little over halfway through the third period to keep the Flyers in front.
“I’ve noticed since the break, he really looked big in the net, calmer,” Tocchet said. “I think he’s worked on not only the physical aspect of his game, but the mental.”
Canadiens netminder Jakub Dobes stopped 21 of the Flyers’ 25 shots.
• Michkov had two assists to go along with his goal.
“Mich had a terrific game,” Tocchet said.
The 21-year-old winger ended the regular season with 20 goals and 51 points. That’s a real positive considering how everything went before the break in February.
“I think he’s just getting information and he’s starting to understand it and apply it,” Tocchet said. “I think early on, he maybe didn’t understand it as much and maybe got frustrated. … I think the communication’s a lot better, too, with the language barrier and stuff like that. It’s helping.”
The Flyers were 11-0-0 this season when Michkov recorded a multi-point game. No doubt he is an X-factor in these playoffs.
• The Flyers now get set for a first-round matchup with the Penguins.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs kick off Saturday. We’ll see if that’s when the Flyers and Penguins get underway in Pittsburgh. The schedule has not yet been announced.
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