Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
The Flyers dominated the New York Rangers rookie squad on Sunday evening winning the final game of the annual series 4-1.
It was not a super busy night for the Flyers goaltenders but they got the job done just the same. Martin Psohlavec got the start and shutout the Rangers for the first 31 minutes. Marek Sklenicka took over in the crease and allowed just one goal during his period and a half between the pipes.
The Rangers scored their only goal of the game on an odd play. Forward Porter Martone was the only man back in the Flyers d-zone. He was outnumbered and the Rangers totally took advantage of the situation.
It was a closer game than the final score may suggest. It was 2-1 Flyers going into the final minutes of regulation before Philly scored twice after New York pulled their netminder.
Standouts
As expected there were some changes in the line-up for tonight’s game. The top line was Jett Luchanko centering Porter Martone and Denver Barkey. Barkey was wearing #86 and the captain’s “C” on his jersey. On defense the starting pair was Oliver Bonk and Maksim Sokolovskii. That combination of players made for some entertaining hockey every single shift.
Jett Luchanko
Again tonight Jett Luchanko was a huge part of the storyline. After missing camp last season and recovering from a proceedure for a core issue this camp is key for the Flyers 2024 1st round pick. Tonight Luchanko looked even more solid than he did the night before. He played a physical game using his body to protect the puck. Obviously not shying away or playing it safe.
His puck support in the o-zone was totally on point. He has a habit of rescuing loose pucks and prolonging team possession time. He’s flying on his skates, leaving guys in the dust, and his passes are tape to tape. Keep your eye on Jett throughout this camp. He’s looking more and more like the prospect the Flyers drafted at #13 overall. …He also looks like he got the message about shooting the puck.
Oliver Bonk
You could see how hyped Bonk was for this game right from the opening faceoff. Maybe a little too excited at first but he settled in quickly and was a offensive force in this game from start to finish. He had his responsibilities covered defensively but spent much of his energy creeping up into the rush and keeping the puck moving in the offensive zone. They Flyers even had him playing in the bumper spot on the powerplay.
Bonk had a beautiful setup on Barkey’s game opening goal. He entered the zone, drew the coverage to himself, then dished a perfect pass to Barkey for the finish. He really stood out in this match. To put it simply he’s a pro out there.
Maksim Sokolovskii
Sokolovskii continued to impress tonight. His game was a bit more disciplined than Saturday’s outing which is a good thing. For a gigantic young player he is actually quite graceful. He controls the puck with patience. He makes quick decisions, but he doesn’t make rash ones.
His long reach is frustrating to opposing players. His long strides eat up the ice in no time at all. He plays a physical style game with ease. It puts you in mind of Rasmus Ristolainen where sometimes the opposition is so outmatched physically it’s almost comical. Soko was standing dudes up at the Rangers blue line. It’s a blast to watch him play the sport.
Denver Barkey was a total pro all night long. He scored the Flyers first goal and was his usual spark plug self throughout the game. When asked this week about making it through camp he said “you gotta earn it, nothing’s a given”. Well he brings that attitude to the ice in a big way. Barkey is always “all in” and he is a big part of the energy in this pipeline.
Brek Liske scored the Flyers 2nd goal of the game. He banged home a rebound from a super sharp angle on the goal line with just five seconds left in the 2nd period. It was a great effort and the type of goal that probably knocked his pop right out of the recliner. Liske was solid all game. He looked good as the high d-man on the powerplay. He was named the #3 star.
The Flyers did not spend much time with the man advantage but it looked good with Liske up high, Bonk in the bumper spot, and Luchanko threading the needle with pin-point passes through the slot. …Promising.
Noah Powell was impossible not to notice again this evening. After finishing Saturday night’s game with his gloves off he was immediately back at it again in game 2 of the series. This guy just could not find anything about this Rangers squad that he seemed to like.
Powell started the game wearing his usual #50. His jersey was destroyed in a fight and the staff had to come up with something at the PPL Center in Allentown for him to wear. He sat in the penalty box and then returned to the bench after the penalty in his shoulder pads. When the staff brought him a regulation game jersey to wear it was emblazoned with his name and the #69.
Only two players in the history of the NHL have worn that number in a regular season game. Less than 100 games total in 109 years. Therefore the first player most hockey fans associate with the number is Shoresy. …”Gotta give ’em the lumber“. Powell scored the Flyers third goal of the game into the open net while wearing it.
Porter Martone picked up the second empty net goal to cap the final score at 4-1. The Flyers sweep the 2026 Rookie Series vs the New York Rangers and return to camp at the Training Center in Voorhees tomorrow morning. I’ll be there! Check back here for updates all week long.
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I wasn’t able to catch the stream so thanks for the re-cap!