Let's hope this isn't a bad omen for the upcoming season.
The New York Rangers rookies led their counterparts from the Philadelphia Flyers 2-0 on Friday night before their game in Allentown, Pennsylvania, was five minutes old. But they wasted that lead, as well as the 3-2 advantage they held entering the third period, and they ended up losing 4-3 in overtime on a goal by Nikita Grebenkin.
There were some positives despite the loss. Brennan Othmann scored a pretty goal in the first period, Hugo Ollas (at best the No. 4 goalie in the organization) made 31 saves and defenseman Scott Morrow had two assists in his Rangers debut.
Undrafted defenseman Corbin Vaughan stuck up for his teammates, getting into a pair of fights (one in which he did OK, one in which he lost decisively). Center Noah Laba had the primary assist on Othmann's goal and was all over the place, especially in the third period.
But there were also some negatives. Gabe Perreault , arguably the Rangers' top prospect, was largely invisible. The power play was 0-for-2 and allowed a shorthanded goal. And, of course, they couldn't hold the 2-0 lead.
Here's a look at the game from the other side by our Philly Hockey Now colleague William James.
The rematch is at 5 p.m. ET. If you're so inclined, you can stream the game on the Flyers' website.
We take a look at what reported PTO signee Andrej Sustr might be able to add to the Rangers' blue line. The 6-foot-7 defenseman is 34 and hasn't played in the NHL since 2021. Size would be the first guess.
Kim Klement-Imagn Images
The Athletic ($$) takes a look at one key question for each team. For the Rangers, it's "How much of an impact does a new coach make?" Mike Sullivan owns two Stanley Cup rings from his decade with the Pittsburgh Penguins , and the Rangers are counting on him to get things back on track after they went from Presidents' Trophy winners under Peter Laviolette to a non-playoff mess a year later. Writer Peter Baugh accurately notes that fixing a leaky defense figures to be his first task.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now:The Pittsburgh Penguins are giving their fans a chance to say goodbye to Marc-Andre Fleury, the greatest goaltender in team history. Fleury signed a PTO and will practice with his old team on Sept. 26 before playing part of their preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at home the next night. The 40-year-old is second in NHL history with 575 wins (only Martin Brodeur has more with 691) and was part of three Stanley Cup-winning teams – including 2009, when he made arguably the greatest save in franchise history.
The Hockey News: Los Angeles Kings forward Corey Perry, who signed with the team this summer, may have been injured before ever playing a game with his new club. Perry reportedly was taken off the ice in a wheelchair at Friday's practice for further evaluation. The 40-year-old signed a one-year, $2 million deal in July.
The Athletic ($$):Chris Johnston reports that goaltender Carter Hart is expected to sign a multi-year contract after being reinstated just two days ago. Further, neither the Flyers, his old team, nor the goalie-seeking Edmonton Oilers are expected to be the team Hart lands with. His last appearance came with Philadelphia on Jan. 20, 2024.
Edmonton Journal: Edmonton Oilers fans have assumed that Connor McDavid 's signing an extension on July 1 was a no-brainer. But we're up to mid-September and there's no deal. Is it time to panic?
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