The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2026 preseason got off to a rocky start with a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals at Hershey’s GIANT Center on Monday night.
Most of the Flyers’ regulars weren’t playing, so there’s no real cause for concern, and a couple of newcomers and roster hopefuls really stood out in a positive way, which is the more important thing in a game like this.
The Flyers jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on the power play thanks to Jack Studnicka just 2:42 into the game. The Capitals would respond with two first period goals to claim the lead heading into intermission, highlighted by a snipe from Ryan Leonard that beat Joseph Woll over the glove. Cole Knuble tied the game at 8:02 of the second period for Philadelphia before Dylan Strome scored another late goal for Washington to take a 3-2 lead heading into the third period. Jonny Brodzinski would net two goals – one shorthanded – in the final frame to seal the deal for the Capitals in their AHL affiliate’s arena.
Knuble was the Flyers’ biggest standout in this game. He had already been impressive throughout Rookie Camp and the Rookie Series against the New York Rangers, and he is continuing to make a case to start the year in Philadelphia instead of AHL Lehigh Valley. Knuble put himself in a great position to drive to the net and stuff home an Oliver Bonk shot that deflected toward the net and looked comfortable with the puck on his stick in this game.
“I thought Cole Knuble was flying out there. I thought he was one of the guys that was really – Studnicka was skating well. Couple guys like that caught my eye,” said Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet postgame.
“It’s been a great experience,” said Knuble postgame. “I came in with a mindset not… just for the experience. I came here to make an impact. Just try to bring compete, good attitude every skate, so it’s going well.”
Knuble will immediately get another chance to shine on Tuesday night when the Flyers visit the Boston Bruins at TD Garden.
Woll’s Flyers preseason debut was solid despite three goals against. He made some big saves, none bigger than a 5-on-3 pad save against Aliaksei Protas before the Capitals scored moments later, and hopefully gave Flyers fans and management some confidence about their backup goalie situation.
“One game is a hard sample size,” said Woll after the game. “I felt good. You know, it’s the first game in a long time, so I think it’s really just trying to get your feet back under you, get back in the rhythm. I think as we stack games here and get into the season, it’s obviously my goal to show them and be as consistent as I can for this team.”
Woll will get a night off on Tuesday as Dan Vladař and Aleksei Kolosov will make the trip to Boston with the game group. Carson Bjarnason subbed in for Woll after the second period, allowing two goals. The Flyers gave up some solid looks all night long, but the second goal and Washington’s final goal of the night caught the young goalie a little too deep in his net.
Denver Barkey, who was virtually a roster lock after an impressive 2025-26 rookie campaign, left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return. Tocchet did not have an update on Barkey’s condition after the contest.
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