The Flyers held a two-group practice day on Thursday at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. Group 1 practiced on the Flyers' rink at 11 a.m. EDT, while Group 2 was on the Phantoms rink for a noon session.
On Friday, the Flyers' game group is scheduled for a morning skate at the FTC before heading to Boston for a nationally televised (NHL Network, 7 p.m. EDT) preseason game against the Bruins at TD Garden.
The Flyers looked considerably more energetic and engaged during Wednesday's 2-1 road loss to the New York Islanders than they did in Monday's 6-0 loss in Newark to the New Jersey Devils. Philly also received strong goaltending from Felix Sandström (first period) and Samuel Ersson (second and third periods) in the second game.
Here are some notable happenings from Thursday:
NHLer-laden practice group
The 11 a.m. practice group largely featured NHL roster players and young players being rewarded for strong early showings in training camp and/or are in the mix for opening night roster spots.
Forwards: Sean Couturier, Noah Cates, Morgan Frost, Ryan Poehling, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Cam Atkinson, Joel Farabee, Scott Laughton, Nic Deslaurieres, Garnet Hathaway, Tyson Foerster, Samu Tuomaala.
Defensemen: Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, Marc Staal, Nick Seeler, Sean Walker, Egor Zamula, Victor Mete.
Tippett, Konecny, Atkinson, Sanheim, Ristolainen, Staal and rookie hopeful Zamula have yet to appear in a preseason match over the first two games of the Flyers' six-game schedule. Number one goalie Carter Hart also has yet to play.
Zamula, who underwent left shoulder surgery in April is ahead of his initially projected rehab schedule. The player said that he added muscle over the summer and reported to camp at 200 pounds.
Atkinson puts in full practice
The Flyers got some good news on Wednesday when Konecny was a full participant at the main non-game practice. He'd been off the ice for a couple days with an undisclosed minor injury. Afterward, Konecny said he felt fine and was to go for whatever game he's first inserted in the preseason lineup.
Konecny was back on the ice for Thursday's "A" practice. There, he was joined by Atkinson: a second dose of good news.
A late scratch from Monday's game in Newark due to lower-body soreness (wholly unrelated to the neck surgery that forced him miss last season), Atkinson did an off-ice workout on Wednesday and then practiced in full the next day.
Strong start for Poehling
Signed by the Flyers to a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent, 24-year-old center Ryan Poehling has been a standout thus far both in the scrimmages last weekend and in Tuesday's preseason game in Elmont. Apart from scoring the Flyers' first goal of the preseason late in the game against the Islanders, Poehling had a solid all-around showing.
Poehling paced the Flyers on Wednesday by going 10-for-14 on faceoffs. He also had two notable scoring chances of note in the third period in addition to the goal he scored.
Poehling, originally a Montreal Canadiens first-round pick in 2017 (25th overall), possesses a combination of above-average skating ability, decent size, and two-way upside. Thus far in his career, his offensive game hasn't progressed as much as hoped at the NHL level but he's been involved in the offense so far in camp. However, his primary duties are still to provide a checking presence, flanked by Deslauriers and Hathaway.
York skates on his own
Cam York did not play on Wednesday or join the practice group on Thursday. However, he did a solo skating session and is considered day-to-day.
