Dvorak Shines in New Role With the Flyers in 4-3 Loss to the Islanders, But Who Didn’t?

In their second-to-last preseason game, the Philadelphia Flyers fell 4-3 to the New York Islanders on Thursday night. The Flyers have yet to win a preseason game in regulation, with their only two wins coming from the shootout.

In front of a Thursday night crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Flyers looked to get off to a quick start. An early Sean Couturier penalty looked to be a rough start for Philly, but the penalty kill made the most of it. Christian Dvorak led a shorthanded breakaway. Feeling the opposition on his back, he opted for a slick, through-the-legs drop pass that found Travis Sanheim, who buried the score.

Post-game, Dvorak said he knew Sanheim was there right after he crossed the blueline, as he heard Sanheim yelling.

Not much else would come from the first period. Nikita Grebenkin had a couple of shifts in the latter half of the period where he looked like a legitimate top-six winger – playing strong, fast, and creative.

The second period would be a lot more eventful.

Second Period Flurry

Max Shabonov scored a power-play goal early in period two to even the score for the Islanders. Max Tsyplakov earned the assist on the tip-in score. That would be the first of five goals scored in the second.

A little under eight minutes after, Travis Konecny rips a one-timer past the blocker side of Ilya Sorokin, once again giving the Flyers the lead. The lead would not last long as Anders Lee would tie the game back at two just 15 seconds later.

Philly had a shorthanded goal, then the Islanders got theirs. Adam Pelech gave the Islanders their first lead of the game after JG Pageau forced the turnover and led the 2-0 rush, with Pelech trailing behind. Pageau waited for his teammate, who potted the puck.

Noah Cates would respond with a power-play goal, cashing in on a great cross-net feed from Tyson Foerster. Cam York earned the secondary assist on the tally.

Once again, the game was tied.

Late Game Heartbreak

Both of the Flyers’ preseason wins have come during a shootout. That includes their preseason opener win against the Islanders. For a while, it felt like the Flyers were tracking for that once again.

The third period was as uneventful as they come. It looked like a product of a long preseason, mixed in with intense training camps. Both teams looked tired. The game felt destined for overtime, if not another shootout. We would never reach that destination.

The Flyers had the offense-heavy group of Tippett, Zegras, Michkov, Ginning, and Drysdale on the ice late in a tie game. Disaster was imminent.

A great breakout pass by Mathew Barzal got past Drysdale, leaving Michkov and Adam Ginning as the last line of defense vs. Anthony Duclair and Emil Heinemen. Ginning pinched Duclair, leaving Heineman a clear path to the net with Michkov trailing behind.

Heineman would cash in on the chance, making the Flyers pay. That would bring the game to its final score of 4-3, as even with the extra attacker, the Philly could not tie the game in the final three minutes.

Make sure to check out the “Live Game Thread” from Thursday’s game, and let us know if it’s something you’d be interested in for future Flyers’ games!

Read More: FINAL: Flyers Game Thread vs. Islanders 10/2

Who Stood Out for the Flyers

Christian Dvorak absolutely stood out in his new role with the Flyers. Before Thursday’s game, Flyers’ head coach Rick Tocchet said that Dvorak is a player he wants to give more minutes to. His primary role will be the 4C, but that’s sort of by default. But he is a versatile guy – he can play up and down the lineup, and on the wing or center.

Dvorak’s primary impact will be on the penalty kill. He flashed that skill, not only as a shutdown defender, but with his shorthanded potential too. We already touched on his great play leading to Sanheim’s goal. He almost did it again, this time shooting the puck himself. He was stunned by Sorokin, but the attempt was fantastic. Dvorak is going to fill in for Ryan Poehling just fine, if not even better.

Dvorak can also be used in the defensive zone to take faceoffs and play with Zegras and Michkov. His impact will be felt this season.

Nikita Grebenkin also stood out to me. No, he was not seen on the score sheet. However, it’s watching him play that makes him stand out. I was skeptical early on about giving him top-six minutes. I thought he’d be an identity line guy at best. That was a mistake.

Grebenkin absolutely belongs in that top six. He plays physical, he plays fast, and he plays a great net-front game. Grebenkin can still be considered one of the Flyers’ “bubble guys”. So, it’s easy to say that he plays that way as he’s trying to earn his spot. That’s just who he is. If Grebenkin keeps playing that same way alongside Couturier and Konecny, he is going to break through eventually.

Who Did Not

The Flyers’ third pair in Thursday’s game was nothing shy of awful. Adam Ginning and Egor Zamula looked terrible. It honestly makes me wonder if their jobs are safe. Noah Juulsen and Dennis Gilbert have not been much better, if better at all. However, Thursday night was a tough watch. Even Tocchet chimed in, saying that Zamula, a defenseman who seemingly had his spot locked in before camp even started, needed to “pick up his play”. That’s all the Flyers’ bench boss would say on the player. Sometimes, less says more. That says it all.

Emil Andrae was clearly reassigned because of his size. But at what point does their terrible play of the bottom pair/s stop outweighing Andrae’s size? I’d even be open to seeing what Oliver Bonk can do once he is healthy.

If this team wants to fight for a playoff spot late in the year, they have to figure out that bottom pair.

I also cannot say I am entirely sold on Owen Tippett playing with the Michkov-Zegras pair. That’s not necessarily because I don’t like his game. However, I don’t think Tippett should be held to the role of “defensively responsible forward”. The three clearly don’t have the chemistry of the Cates line, and that’s ok. If Tippett is going to hit his full potential, he needs to be the offensive weapon, not the safety net. Thursday night was a great example of how that can go wrong. Maybe a swap of Grebenkin and Tippett could do both players some good.

What’s Next for the Flyers

The Flyers’ preseason finale is Saturday at 12:30 p.m. EST at Xfinity Mobile Arena against the New Jersey Devils.

Read More: 14 Forwards of 8 D-Men: Where do the Flyers Lean vs. What They Should Do