Two NHL debuts and Flyers win another season opener, this one in shootout

Two NHL debuts and Flyers win another season opener, this one in shootout originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers’ thing for season openers continued Friday night.

John Tortorella’s club kicked off the 2024-25 campaign with a 3-2 shootout win over the Canucks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Morgan Frost won it in the fifth round of the skills competition. Travis Konecny kept the Flyers alive after Jake DeBrusk scored for the Canucks to open the third round.

The Flyers improved to 8-0-2 in their last 10 season openers and 3-0-0 under Tortorella.

Tyson Foerster and Cam York scored the Flyers’ goals. York’s came 2:48 minutes into the third period to tie the game.

Samuel Ersson was very good in net.

The Flyers have taken their last three matchups from Vancouver, which dropped to 0-0-2 on the season.

The two teams meet again in a little over a week when the Flyers host the Canucks for their home opener next Saturday.

• The Flyers’ lineup featured 12 players 25 years old or younger, highlighted by the NHL debuts of Matvei Michkov and Jett Luchanko.

Michkov showed how he just finds another gear when the game gets later. The 19-year-old winger had four shots in the third period after having none through the first two periods.

He started to really create with the game tied at 2-2. One of his looks turned into a rebound opportunity for Luchanko. He also went through the legs for a shot in close on the power play.

Michkov committed a penalty but essentially drew two of them. He played 18:32 minutes and was pretty good despite not scoring.

Luchanko, who turned 18 years old not even two months ago, became the youngest player in franchise history to make his NHL debut. The speedy center had a shot and minus-1 rating in 14:36 minutes.

He was a tad behind in coverage when Teddy Blueger gave Vancouver a 2-1 lead in the second period. Overall, though, Luchanko did not look overwhelmed or out of place.

• Making his first season-opening start, Ersson recorded 24 saves on 26 shots. Eight of those stops came on five unsuccessful Vancouver power plays.

The Canucks grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first period after Rasmus Ristolainen and Ryan Poehling couldn’t connect on a defensive-zone exit, resulting in a turnover and wide-open look for Nils Hoglander.

Even with the goal, Ersson was huge in the opening stanza, stopping 11 of 12 shots.

Poehling helped make up for the mishap when he assisted York’s third-period equalizer.

Ersson carried over what he did in the preseason (67 saves on 69 shots). This is a prove-it year for the soon-to-be 25-year-old as he enters his first full season as a No. 1. The Flyers have always liked his mindset.

“I understand that nothing here is going to be given to me,” Ersson said Tuesday. “It doesn’t matter. That’s not how things work, you have to earn everything still, especially in this league. You’ve got to put the gas in and just go all the time.”

Carter Hart had started in the team’s previous five season openers. The Flyers parted ways with the franchise goalie this summer as the Hockey Canada sexual assault case plays out.

Vancouver netminder Kevin Lankinen stopped 29 of the Flyers’ 31 shots. He turned away Michkov, Foerster and Sean Couturier in the shootout.

• The Flyers’ power play, a huge storyline heading into the season, started 1 for 1 with Foerster’s game-tying goal in the first period. It went 1 for 4 on the night.

The Flyers nearly started 2 for 2 but Joel Farabee couldn’t convert a slam dunk at the doorstep in the second period. The 24-year-old knew he missed it. But he was also the reason the Flyers scored on their first power play when he delivered a perfect pass to Foerster.

Last season, the Flyers’ man advantage started 1 for 20 and finished the year at a league-worst 12.2 percent.

• After playing only 1:52 minutes shorthanded all of last season, Owen Tippett was on the penalty kill for 1:53 minutes in the opener.

You have to think the Flyers believe his speed can put a ton of pressure on an opposing power play. And Tippett is now one of the Flyers’ highest-paid forwards, so they’re likely going to look for him to be an all-situation player.

• Nick Seeler was placed on injured reserve, a stint that will be backdated to Oct. 1, when he took a puck to the peroneal nerve in his right leg. The second-pair defenseman is considered day to day, but the Flyers did call up Emil Andrae, who was the team’s extra blueliner Friday night.

Erik Johnson filled in for Seeler and played 15:45 minutes.

• The Flyers are right back at it Saturday when they visit the Flames for Calgary’s home opener (10 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

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