The Philadelphia Flyers (2-3-0) and Boston Bruins (2-1-1) faced off in consecutive games during the 2025 NHL Preseason. First, the Flyers hosted the Bruins, dressing a heavier NHL lineup at the Xfinity Mobile Arena en route to a 4-3 loss in regulation. On Monday, Philadelphia visited Boston, returning the favor with a lineup featuring more skaters auditioning for the NHL roster.
Rick Tocchet was open about his excitement to oversee one of the premier lines from last year’s Flyers team: Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink. Foerster made his 2025 NHL Preseason debut, healed after a bicep injury. To the joy of Tocchet, this line didn’t skip a beat. Foerster, Cates, and Brink maintained their chemistry.
“He’s [Tyson Foerster] a really good hockey player. There’s just people that are just real good hockey players; knocks pucks down, he’s strong on the puck, he makes good puck decisions. He’s a really good hockey player.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/29/2025
Other forwards under a microscope were Rodrigo Ābols, Nikita Grebenkin, and Jett Luchanko. Each of these forwards, vying for a roster spot with Philadelphia, left a positive impression against the Bruins, buying more playing time with two games remaining in the 2025 NHL Preseason.
“I think he’s [Rodrigo Ābols] played every game, so I give him a lot of credit. Camp’s hard, and he’s hanging in there for us. He knows there’s spots that could be open. He’s supplied that offense, he’s a smart guy; keep working on that consistency.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/29/2025
Then, there’s the wide-open defensive battle to represent the bottom pair as Rasmus Ristolainen (tricep) remains sidelined. Emil Andrae, Hunter McDonald, Adam Ginning, and Noah Juulsen did some good things. Dennis Gilbert didn’t stand out, and Egor Zamula might’ve played his way out of a job during a tight battle for a roster spot. Ty Murchison, listed on the game roster, didn’t log any ice time. Ginning and Juulsen played a physical brand of hockey, clogging the shooting lanes, and finished with a plus rating.
Also, Daniel Vladař went toe-to-toe with Jeremy Swayman, giving the Flyers a chance to win. Here’s what happened at the TD Garden:
First Period
Shots: 5-3, Bruins
Score: 0-0
As soon as Tocchet said Vladař would play the full game, all eyes were on the goaltender to see if he could best the performance from Sam Ersson on Saturday. Ersson went head-to-head with Michael DiPietro when these clubs first dueled at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Comparably, Vladař faced fewer shots, secured the better save percentage (86.7%SV), and won. At the risk of overreacting, Vladař is creating a position battle for the starting goaltender role.
Early on, Andrae and McDonald looked fundamentally sound together on a defensive pair. At this point in the 2025 NHL Preseason, no defensemen were particularly standing out. ‘Fundamentally sound’ is exactly what Tocchet wanted to see from his defensemen, meaning they weren’t overthinking the new defensive concepts. McDonald protected the blue line, trapping the puck in the offensive zone, and Andrae joined the attack, shooting on Swayman.
“I thought the concepts we worked on the last couple [of] weeks started to come into play. There’s some new system stuff; you got to give some people some time. I thought a lot of guys played well tonight. It was a nice effort from everybody.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/29/2025
Andrae served a minor penalty for roughing. Cates effectively cleared the defensive zone. Ginning and Juulsen blocked shots, providing value on the penalty kill. Philadelphia finished 2/2 (100%) on the penalty kill, and Juulsen raised his stock with his work on special teams.
One skater who could not remain transparent was Luchanko, who was very noticeable with and without the puck in the first period. Luchanko looked outstanding, but so did Grebenkin and Ābols. The competition against Luchanko for a roster spot with the Flyers had a larger, better sample size throughout the 2025 NHL Preseason. It’s hard to justify Luchanko earning a place before Grebenkin or Ābols, which presents Daniel Brière with quite a conundrum. Either Luchanko fits with Philadelphia, or he would have to return to the OHL.
“He [Jett Luchanko] was very assertive. Great speed through the neutral zone, made some good puck decisions; that was a really good game for him. He needed one; like I said, he hasn’t played a lot of games last year, and he’s got to get some reps.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/29/2025
Second Period
Shots: 11-9, Bruins
Score: 2-1, Flyers
A couple of forwards flying under the radar were Jacob Gaucher and Anthony Richard. During an exhibition where neither team provided many scoring chances, Gaucher sent a beautiful lead pass to Richard from the neutral zone, providing a one-on-one look against Swayman. Richard missed the shot, but again, the vision and speed between him and Gaucher were on full display.
Slowly, the Flyers began to open up Boston. McDonald located Ābols on the transition out of the defensive zone, who dished to Alexis Gendron. Gendron, a speedy forward in his own right, centered to Nicolas Deslauriers, who whiffed on the scoring chance. Philadelphia began to find a groove with the puck, but in the defensive zone, Zamula had a rough night. He turned the puck over in the slot, where Elias Lindholm missed wide of the net.
Cates gave the Flyers a lead, 1-0, with 6:22 remaining in the second period. Foerster dumped the puck in deep to Brink. Brink left the puck behind Swayman for Foerster to recover. Circling the net, Foerster centered to Cates, who sent his wrist shot past Swayman.
David Pastrňák served a minor penalty for holding. One thing Tocchet wanted out of his power play unit was better puck possession. Philadelphia did that in each game against the Bruins during the 2025 NHL Preseason. Denver Barkey showed poise with the puck, but like Luchanko, he needs to shoot instead of electing to pass when the shot is available. The Flyers finished 0/4 (0%) on the power play.
Sean Kuraly tied the game, 1-1, with 3:14 remaining in the second period. Pastrňák passed to Tanner Jeannot, who entered on the attack. Jeannot performed a drop pass back to Pastrňák, who located Kuraly cutting into the slot. Zamula wasn’t aggressive on the check, and Kuraly tipped the puck past Vladař.
Ābols regained the lead, 2-1, with 0:24 remaining in the second period. Frederic Brunet was stripped of the puck by Ābols, and Gendron read the situation, electing to lead Ābols with a bank pass down the right wing. The shot placement was perfect, sniping Swayman off the left post.
Third Period
Shots: 16-15, Flyers
Score: 2-2
Depending on the psychology behind the third pair on opening night, Tocchet suddenly has options. If the plan is to deploy physical defensemen who pinch the attack at the blue line, then McDonald and Ginning worked well along the boards, particularly at even-strength. However, Andrae is still one of the better skaters out of the defenders vying for a role on the bottom pair. Then, the best ability is ‘availability,’ and Juulsen showed he can play a physical style and excel on the penalty kill, offering a helping hand on special teams.
“[David] Pastrňák is an unbelievable player. It was a low-volume shot game. I thought a guy like [Noah] Juulsen, he had a good game. [Adam] Ginning; I thought all of them did. Those two guys stood out, but the other guys, I thought, did a nice job for us.” – Rick Tocchet; 9/29/2025
Morgan Geekie tied the game, 2-2, with 8:39 remaining in the third period. McDonald might’ve dropped some stock, crossing wires with Grebenkin, resulting in a turnover. Lindholm entered the attack and crossed a pass to Geekie with Andrae defending the two-on-one. Geekie got the puck to trickle past Vladař, forcing overtime.
Overtime
Shots: 21-15, Flyers
Score: 2-2
Philadelphia went on the power play with 1:57 remaining in overtime, assuming a four-on-three advantage. Swayman held his ground, denying Foerster at the crease with a pad save. Barkey, Luchanko, and Grebenkin possessed the puck well, but couldn’t convert the power play, which would’ve resulted in a game-winning goal.
Shootout
Score: 3-2, Flyers
Brink, Foerster, and Barkey represented the Flyers in the shootout. Pastrňák, Casey Mittelstadt, and Pavel Zacha represented Boston. Vladař denied each attempt from the Bruins, and Brink, who scored on the opening shot in the shootout, scored the game-winner.
Up Next
Next, the Philadelphia Flyers host the New York Islanders on Thursday, October 2nd at 7pm/ET.
