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Flyers get look at potential season-opening lineup in preseason loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

With a full NHL lineup, the Flyers suffered a 4-3 preseason loss Thursday night to the Islanders at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Rick Tocchet’s club scored goals on the power play, penalty kill and at even strength. Travis Sanheim, Travis Konecny and Noah Cates provided the markers.

The Flyers dropped to 2-4-0 through the exhibition slate and have one more to go before the real thing starts in a week.

“I think we’re continuing to build each and every game,” Nick Seeler said of the team picking up Tocchet’s system. “Our meetings have been really good in the room, I think each game we’re doing a little bit more than the last. It’s an ongoing process and that’s what preseason is for, is continuing to build and I think we’re getting better and better.”

• This one sure looked like a dress rehearsal for opening night.

“I wouldn’t say it’s 100 percent in stone, but the majority of it, I would say yes,” Tocchet said Thursday morning. “Most teams at this point, the last couple of games, you start to try to chunk things together.”

Rodrigo Abols and Jett Luchanko were the extras up front, while Dennis Gilbert and Noah Juulsen were the extras on defense. More on the Flyers’ final decisions here.

• Christian Dvorak looks like somebody who could play a lot of roles for the Flyers.

“So far in preseason, I’ve played winger and center, so I think it’s a high probability I’ll do that during the season, too,” Dvorak said. “I’m pretty comfortable doing both, I take pride in doing that and playing a two-way game.”

The free-agent addition delivered a nifty drop pass through his legs to Sanheim for the Flyers’ game-opening shorthanded goal in the first period.

“I think he’s a really good player,” Sanheim said. “He’s a guy that can play at both ends of the ice, wins draws and is pretty creative and can make plays. I think he’s going to fit in well.”

Dvorak had another shorthanded breakaway in the second period, but Ilya Sorokin denied him with a nice save.

The 29-year-old centered the fourth line Thursday night, but there’s clearly some versatility there.

“The guy that I’ve got to get more ice time — because the fourth line usually doesn’t play as much — is Dvorak,” Tocchet said Thursday morning. “I might move him around, I might put him on the wing sometimes with certain people. I’ve got to find him more minutes, I don’t think he’s a fourth-line center.”

• Samuel Ersson played the full game in net, stopping 23 of 27 shots.

The Flyers were slow to get back on New York’s game-winning goal with 2:54 minutes left in the third period.

“I think we’ve got to quit giving up some of those easy ones, that’s something that we’ve got to clean up for the regular season,” Sanheim said. “But I think some of the system stuff we’re definitely picking up, guys are getting a little bit more used to what’s expected. But in saying that, there are still turnovers and little things that we need to clean up that isn’t going to cut it in the regular season.”

Fifteen seconds after Konecny gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead in the second period, Anders Lee drew the Islanders even. Ersson reacted as if he would have liked that one back.

But New York’s other two goals were awfully tough to stop. One was an impressive power play redirection and the other was a 2-on-0 shorthanded breakaway.

“It’s a new system, you’ve got to go through these things,” Tocchet said. “But the Grade As, the 2-on-1s, the breakaway on the power play — they’re just freebies. You might give up about three freebies a month; you can’t give them two or three a game. It just can’t happen, you can’t give free goals in this league.”

Ersson finished exhibition play with 53 saves on 63 shots through seven periods. Dan Vladar is set to play the full game in the finale.

• Tocchet said Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube told him that Nikita Grebenkin was a sticky player.

And you can see why that was the scouting report. The 22-year-old winger hunts the puck and competes hard for it. He’s getting a great look with Konecny and Sean Couturier.

Grebenkin played seven games for Toronto last season before coming to the Flyers in the Scott Laughton trade.

• There was some good and bad from the Flyers’ power play.

In the second period, a real sloppy attempt at a zone-entry by the first unit led to a go-ahead shorthanded goal for the Islanders.

But the Flyers’ second unit got the goal back when Cates was set up by Tyson Foerster.

• Karsen Dorwart and Lane Pederson were both cleared to return from their upper-body injuries and loaned to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley after practicing Thursday morning.

Excluding two injured players in camp (Oliver Bonk and Ethan Samson), the Flyers’ roster is at 24 players. It needs to be down to a maximum of 23 by Monday at 5 p.m. ET.

• The Flyers wrap up the preseason Saturday when they host the Devils (12:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

According to PuckPedia, former Philadelphia Flyers forward Tanner Laczynski has been placed on waivers by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Laczynski is entering his second season with the Golden Knights organization after signing with them during the 2024 NHL off-season. The Minooka, Illinois native played in eight games last season for the Golden Knights, where he recorded one goal, three blocks, three hits, six penalty minutes, and a minus-1 rating.

However, Laczynski spent most of the 2024-25 season with the Golden Knights' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. In 41 games with the Silver Knights this past campaign, the 6-foot-1 forward recorded 15 goals, 22 assists, and 37 points. With numbers like these, he proved to be a key part of the Silver Knight's roster last season. 

Laczynski started off his professional career with the Flyers organization, as he was selected by the Metropolitan Division club with the 169th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. In 38 games with the Flyers over three seasons, he recorded two goals, two assists, four points, 12 blocks, 13 takeaways, 38 hits, and a minus-5 rating. This included playing in a career-high 32 games with the Flyers during the 2022-23 campaign, which was his final season in Philly. 

The Buffalo Sabres 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday was merely a distraction to the big story to emerge from the club’s final preseason game. Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who started his first exhibition game, left the contest for precautionary reasons after feeling some lower-body discomfort.

"UPL felt good getting into the game, and then after he made a couple saves, just didn't feel quite right," Ruff said after the game.  "We took him (as a) precaution....(we)didn't want to really risk anything.....We don't to take a chance."

The 26-year-old has been dealing with pain since tweaking something in ramping up for training camp in late August / early September. Concerns over the lower-body injury forced Sabres GM Kevyn Adams to sign veteran Alexandar Georgiev to a one-year deal just before the start of camp.

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 Adams said last month that Luukkonen went through tests and that it came out clear, but after rehabbing and a week of practice leading into the start against Pittsburgh, the discomfort came back after facing 12 Penguins shots in the opening 20 minutes. On Thursday, Ruff indicated that Luukkonen was undergoing further testing, that is possible that the injury is different than the one that made him miss the start of camp, but that it is possible that he could miss the season opener against the NY Rangers one week from today.

Defenseman Michael Kesselring, who was playing elevated in the in the lineup due to injuries to Bowen Byram and Owen Power, left the game in the second period. Ruff stated that the blueliner has been dealing with an injury since the start of camp and that he is also undergoing further testing.   

Follow Michael on X, Instagram  @MikeInBuffalo

Former St. Louis Blues defenseman Niko Mikkola has signed an eight-year, $5 million AAV contract extension with the Florida Panthers.

Mikkola has been a key cog in the Panthers' blueline in their back-to-back Stanley Cup triumphs and was rewarded with a massive extension. The 2024-25 season witnessed the 29-year-old set career highs in goals and points with six goals and 22 points in 76 games.

“Niko has proven himself to be a dependable defenseman who uses his speed and physicality to impact both ends of the ice,” said Panthers GM Bill Zito. “He was an indispensable piece of our past two championship campaigns, and we are thrilled that Niko will be continuing his career with the Florida Panthers.”

The 6-foot-6 defender was a fifth-round pick (127th overall) in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Blues. His team with St. Louis wasn't great, recording four goals and 20 points in 139 games. Mikkola tended to have defensive mishaps and took far too many ill-advised penalties. 

With the Panthers, that's all changed. He's defensively reliable, a more than capable puck mover and has cut down on the needless penalties while maintaining a physical nature. 

Mikkola and Seth Jones built solid chemistry in their short time together, and they'll be a key pairing for the Panthers for years to come.

Panthers Agree To Eight-Year Contract Extension With Niko MikkolaThe Florida Panthers have handed Niko Mikkola an eight-year, $5 million average annual value contract extension.

With each passing day, the Pittsburgh Penguins' roster is coming more and more into focus. 

And on Thursday, it got a little bit closer to the finish line.

Following practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, Pa., the Penguins announced a series of roster moves. Forward Bryan Rust and defenseman Jack St. Ivany were both placed on injured reserve, there were five players cut from the training camp roster, and six players were sent to the waiver wire.

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The five players re-assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's (WBS) AHL training camp are:

- D Scooter Brickey
- F Mathieu De St. Phalle
- G Taylor Gauthier
- F Aidan McDonough
- D Chase Pietila

Penguins' Pre-Season: Prospects Lead Way As Penguins Defeat Sabres, 5-3The Pittsburgh Penguins continued their winning ways in the pre-season on Wednesday when they visited the Buffalo Sabres.

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The six players sent to the NHL's waiver wire are:

- D Sebastian Aho
- F Danton Heinen
- D Philip Kemp
- F Joona Koppanen
- G Filip Larsson
- F Valtteri Puustinen

Penguins' Defenseman Out Six Weeks, Adds To Growing Injury ListThe bad news keeps piling up for the Pittsburgh Penguins on the injury front. 

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The biggest surprise among the group is veteran forward Danton Heinen, who was re-acquired by the Penguins as part of the deal that sent defenseman Marcus Pettersson to the Vancouver Canuncks in January. The journeyman forward is on his second stint with the Penguins' organization, and in those two stints combined, he has registered 29 goals and 66 points in 169 games. 

Also among the waiver group is Larsson, who was in competition with Tristan Jarry, Arturs Silovs, Sergei Murashov, and Joel Blomqvist - up until Blomqvist's lower-body injury - for one of the two NHL goaltending posts. Larsson had an impressive start to his AHL season last year with WBS, but a late injury and inconsistency following that injury put him in a tough spot with Murashov and Blomqvist.

Larsson, 27, went 12-9-3 with a 2.84 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in 26 AHL games last season.

Penguins Forward Bryan Rust Out Week-To-WeekThe Pittsburgh Penguins will be without one of their best players to start the 2025-26 season.

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With camp numbers dwindling, the Penguins' roster is now down to 39 players. They are:

Forwards (22)
- Noel Acciari
- Justin Brazeau
- Tristan Broz
- Sidney Crosby
- Connor Dewar
- Robby Fabbri
- Filip Hallander
- Rafael Harvey-Pinard
- Avery Hayes
- Danton Heinen*
- Boko Imama
- Ben Kindel
- Ville Koivunen
- Joona Koppanen*
- Blake Lizotte
- Evgeni Malkin
- Anthony Mantha
- Tommy Novak
- Sam Poulin
- Valtteri Puustinen*
- Rickard Rakell
- Philip Tomasino

Penguins' Pre-Season: Final 23-Man Roster Prediction EditionA few days ago, we had our Mailbox Monday, and I gave my final predictions for the Pittsburgh Penguins' final 2025-26 roster.

Defensemen (13)
- Sebastian Aho*
- Alexander Alexeyev
- Harrison Brunicke
- Connor Clifton
- Matt Dumba
- Ryan Graves
- Caleb Jones
- Erik Karlsson
- Phil Kemp*
- Kris Letang
- Owen Pickering
- Ryan Shea
- Parker Wotherspoon

Goaltenders (4)
- Tristan Jarry
- Filip Larsson*
- Sergei Murashov
- Arturs Silovs

Injured Reserve (8)
- G Joel Blomqvist
- F Kevin Hayes
- F Tanner Howe
- D Jack St. Ivany
- D Peyton Kettles
- F Rutger McGroarty
- F Bryan Rust
- F Bill Zonnon

Should Ben Kindel Get The Nine-Game Trial? The Case For And AgainstThere are a lot of stories coming out of Pittsburgh Penguins' training camp this year. Many of them involve young players making an impression and pushing for the NHL roster.

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The Penguins will play one final pre-season game when the Buffalo Sabres come to town on Friday before making final roster decisions.

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Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab  to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

After a much-deserved day off in which they went golfing in the Quebec City suburbs, the Montreal Canadiens were back on the Centre Videotron ice for a practice open to the public on Thursday morning.

Habs fans everywhere let out a collective sigh of relief when Ivan Demidov jumped on the ice, confirming that there was no lasting damage from Ottawa Senators’ forward Nick Cousins’ slash. Martin St-Louis was probably wise enough to pull him out of the game to prevent any other attempts on the youngster once his most gritty players were out of the game.

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Clearly, the bench boss liked what he saw in Quebec, as those were the lines deployed at practice:

Cole Caufield-Nick Suzuki-Juraj Slafkovsky

Zack Bolduc-Kirby Dach-Brendan Gallagher

Alex-Newhook- Oliver Kapanen-Ivan Demidov

Joe Veleno-Owen Beck-Patrik Laine

Samuel Blais- Jack Evans (Florian Xhekaj)- Josh Anderson

The last line was the one wearing a dark blue jersey, perhaps indicating that they won’t be in the lineup on Saturday night. Should that be the case, it would mean that Blais didn’t get to play either of the last two preseason games. That may mean the organization already knows what he can bring to the table and which role he should have on the team.

On the blueline, St-Louis reverted to the pairing that started camp; it seems he doesn’t feel like change is needed there:

Mike Matheson-Noah Dobson

Kaiden Guhle-Lane Hutson

Arber Xhekaj-Alex Carrier

Jayden Struble-Adam Engstrom

In all likelihood, this means that the Guhle and Dobson’s tweaked groins are now fine, and the coach is looking to give them another game to click with their partner. Yet another indication that even though Jayden had an audition alongside Carrier on Tuesday night, A. Xhekaj still leads in the fight for the sixth defenseman spot.

For those worrying about the fact that the Senators recalled eight AHL players from the Belleville Senators’ camp, do not worry, Ottawa is dressing them tonight for a game against the Saint-Louis Blues. Just like the Canadiens, the Senators will be playing their last preseason game on Saturday night and will be looking to get in these previous few reps for their regular players, at least that’s the hope.

Both Cousins and Hayden Hodgson were fined following the events that occurred in the last game between the two teams. Given the fact that Cousins’ slash came after the Xhekaj brothers were ejected from the game, chances are that if the Sens’ player is in the lineup, he could have to face the consequence of his actions.

The Canadiens will stay in Quebec until Friday afternoon and hold another public practice at the Centre Videotron on Friday morning before returning to Montreal. Then, on Saturday, they’ll be having their morning skate at the Bell Center for the first time since the start of the camp.

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