After three road games to kick off the 2025 NHL Preseason, the Philadelphia Flyers dressed a heavy NHL lineup, featuring a sprinkle of prospects aiming to break into the opening night roster, at the newly minted Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Boston Bruins, comparably, did not.
Along with the attention on a handful of prospects, most fans were prepared to see how skaters, etched into the NHL roster, would complement each other. Would there be room for flexibility? How quickly could new additions find chemistry with more established Flyers? Could the power play create excitement?
Rick Tocchet discovered line chemistry. There is room for flexibility, such as the philosophy of driving competent pairs with a revolving third wheel. Finally, to energize the crowd, Philadelphia converted on the power play.
Yet, the Flyers weren’t without their warts. Rasmus Ristolainen (tricep) won’t be available to start the 2025-2026 NHL Regular Season. There’s a wide-open opportunity for a defenseman to break onto the scene. However, there’s a lot of meat left on the bone. Daniel Brière and Tocchet need prospects to seize the opportunities, or else the stance in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft could become very defensive.
Here’s how Saturday’s tilt played out in Philadelphia:
First Period
Shots: 10-9, Bruins
Score: 1-1
Tocchet put Christian Dvorak and Matvei Michkov on a line centered by Trevor Zegras. Putting a reliable winger like Dvorak on that line with Zegras and Michkov served the Flyers well. When Tocchet dresses another heavy NHL lineup in a preseason exhibition, it’ll be interesting if he looks at Zegras and Michkov with Travis Konecny, or if Dvorak gets an extended look with that tandem.
Jeffrey Viel served a minor penalty for interference. Along the crease, Dvorak crossed a quick pass to Travis Sanheim, who scored on a snap shot, 1-0, with 11:03 remaining in the first period.
Dalton Bancroft served a minor penalty for tripping. Zegras and Michkov nearly stretched the lead for the Flyers (more on that later), but Konecny had a quality chance from in close on Michael DiPietro.
“We had some good looks. There’s still some stuff that we got to clean up, but there were some good looks that we discussed. [We] haven’t had a lot of time; haven’t had a lot of meetings on it [the power play], but Yogi [Jaroslav Svejkovský] and Jay [Jay Varady] had a couple of times out in practice where we did some plays. It was pretty good.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/27/2025
Rodrigo Ābols, who played in each preseason game, served a minor penalty for interference. Tocchet remains intrigued by Ābols, rewarding his preseason performances with more ice time. On the penalty kill, Dvorak, Konecny, Garnet Hathaway, and Sean Couturier cleared Boston out of the defensive zone.
Alex Bump fumbled the puck behind Sam Ersson. His gaffe proved costly and likely drained his chances of cracking the opening night roster with Philadelphia. John Beecher quickly swooped in to score on Ersson, 1-1, with 0:01 remaining in the first period. It was an unforced error, haunting the Flyers as the game remained tight.
“He’s [Bump] been playing a lot. Everybody’s made mistakes like that. So, you just move on from it. It’s not a big deal. He knows.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/27/2025
Second Period
Shots: 19-18, Bruins
Score: 3-3
Konecny served back-to-back minor penalties. The first was for slashing, which Adam Ginning put in a solid effort, defending the crease and allowing Ersson to make saves. The second was a tripping call. Nick Seeler blocked a shot from Bancroft, but Bancroft jumped on the puck and tried again, 2-1, with 16:03 remaining in the second period. Philadelphia finished 2/3 (66%) on the penalty kill.
Getting to the dirty areas paid off. Zegras backhanded a puck toward the net, Michkov took a jab at it, but Nikita Grebenkin finished a hard-effort scoring play. Grebenkin batted the puck out of the air and into the net, 2-2, with 12:48 remaining in the second period. With his performance, Grebenkin pulled away from Bump, making him more likely to make the NHL roster.
Riley Duran served a minor penalty for holding. In the first period, Zegras and Michkov showed flashes of what Flyers fans want out of the power play. Zegras entered the attacking zone with the puck, dished to Michkov, then Michkov used his playmaking vision to relocate Zegras for a snappy power play goal, 3-2, with 6:56 remaining in the second period. Philadelphia finished 2/4 (50%) on the power play.
Grebenkin nearly extended the lead with a penalty shot. Mason Lohrei threw a broken stick in an attempt to slow down Grebenkin after a turnover. During the penalty shot, Grebenkin had DiPietro beat, but clanked the puck off the post.
“He’s [Nikita Grebenkin] a sticky guy; he comes up with loose pucks. That’s what we need, right? He finds the pressure, and he goes to it. He’s not shy. There’s really good parts of his game. We got to clean up some stuff; a lot of turnovers at the center ice, he’s got to clean up. Other than that, though, I thought he had a good game for us.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/27/2025
Not everything Michkov did was golden. He forced a costly turnover, creating a three-on-zero rush for the Bruins. Georgii Merkulov centered a pass to Bancroft, who scored his second of the exhibition, 3-3, with 4:02 remaining in the second period.
Third Period
Shots: 27-27
Score: 4-3, Bruins
Evaluating Michkov with other linemates came with ease. Tocchet wanted to see chemistry develop during the 2025 Flyers Training Camp, and Michkov made plays with Dvorak, Zegras, and Grebenkin. Those names are all new arrivals, and Michkov has seemingly generated a natural chemistry. We knew Michkov had all the individual traits to be a star in the NHL, but this is the cherry on top.
DiPietro, thought to be the third goaltender on the depth chart for Boston, nailed the assignment against a mostly NHL lineup. He deserves his flowers, going head-to-head with Ersson. Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo are the goaltenders on the NHL roster for the Bruins, but DiPietro ought to stick around. If he keeps this up through his development, an NHL opportunity is bound to come his way.
Regarding the opportunity to stand in for Ristolainen, Ginning might secure that chance. Helge Grans hasn’t performed well enough during the preseason, including the loss to the Washington Capitals. Competing with Ginning at this point in the 2025 NHL Preseason are Dennis Gilbert, Emil Andrae, and Egor Zamula.
Hathaway and Mark Kastelic got into a small scrum, but enough to earn simultaneous minor penalties for roughing. At four-on-four, Grans was burnt in open space by Viel, who scored the game-winning goal, 4-3, with 6:15 remaining in the third period. DiPietro closed out the Flyers, stopping efforts from Michkov and Couturier in the closing minutes.
Up Next
Next, the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Boston Bruins on Monday, September 28th. The puck drops at 7pm/ET.
