Scrimmage 2: Recap, Notes and Quotes

Two goals by Flyers captain Claude Giroux, including the game-winner in overtime, lifted Team Orange to a 7-6 victory over Team Black on Tuesday in the second of three intrasquad scrimmages scheduled during Philadelphia training camp at the SkateZone in Voorhees. The final scrimmage is slated for Saturday.

In addition to Giroux's two goals for Team Orange, Joel Farabee, Jakub Voracek, Tyler Pitlick, Carsen Twarynski, and Sean Couturier . A hat trick for Kevin Hayes paced Team Black in a losing cause.Travis Konecny and Nicolas Aube-Kubel also scored for Black.

The scrimmage itself was overshadowed by the early departure of Team Orange goaltender Carter Hart during the first period. While teams are not permitted by the National Hockey League to disclose the nature of any absence or in-game departure in training camp or in Phase 4 when games return, teammates said that Hart's issue did not seem to be anything that would cause him to miss an extended amount of time.

"I think it's nothing too serious," Hayes said of Hart. "Obviously, it's important to get in game shape and get game-ready but if you have something that's minor that you don't want to push, it's not a big deal to get off the ice like that. I don't think it's anything major."

Hart never got settled in during his brief outing. He yielded three goals -- including a stoppable one by Hayes from a flat angle -- against two saves before exiting.

STARTING LINEUPS

Team Orange

Claude Giroux - Sean Couturier - Jakub Voracek
Joel Farabee - Derek Grant - Tyler Pitlick
Andy Andreoff - German Rubtsov - Carsen Twarynski

Ivan Provorov - Matt Niskanen
Robert Hägg - Justin Braun
Tyler Wotherspoon - Nate Prosser

Carter Hart
Alex Lyon

Team Black

James van Riemsdyk - Kevin Hayes - Travis Konecny
Scott Laughton - Nate Thompson - Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Connor Bunnaman - Morgan Frost - Michael Raffl

Travis Sanheim - Phil Myers
Shayne Gostisbehere - Mark Friedman
Egor Zamula - Andy Welinski

Brian Elliott
Kirill Ustimenko

EVENT SYNOPSIS

Unlike last Saturday's scrimmage, the one on Tuesday was played with three periods (25-minute running clock, except for stoppages in the final minute of a period). Unlike the first scrimmage, where defenses were ahead of the offense, Tuesday's scrimmage was a wide-open affair early. There were odd-man rushes galore and the teams quickly alternated three goals apiece as Hart and Brian Elliott combined for just three saves over the first eight minutes.

Hayes' off-angle goal gave Team Black a 1-0 lead in the opening minute. Farabee answered right back for Team Orange, stripping Mark Friedman of the puck at the Team Black blueline, soloing against Elliott and beating him through the five hole.

Konecny soon made it 2-1 in Team Black's favor, sniping a shot from the left hash marks high to the long side over Hart's glove. Within seconds of the next center ice faceoff, Voracek scored from the slot to re-tie the game at 2-2.

Team Orange struck again two shifts later, as an unchecked Pitlick snapped a shot through the five-hole for a 3-2 lead for his side. At this point, there had only been one save made (Hart) against the combined five goals. Ellliott's first save came against a pinching Tyler Wotherspoon off a good pass by Scott Laughton.

Hayes made it a 3-3 game not long thereafter, finishing off a 2-on-1 rush.

That was a whole lot of pond hockey in a short period of time. Thereafter, the scrimmage settled into more of an accustomed flow, and the slew of turnovers that led to the many early odd-man rushes slowed down as well.

"It's tough right now. Guys don't want to kill each other out there. There's obviously still some rust, a little bit of summer hockey in us. We're trying to get back to playing the right way. Until you get hit open ice, it's tough to change your game. It could have been a little loose at the first. For me personally and as a line, we're just trying to play the right way. Get some rhythm and find our chemistry. Find each other out there. Try to get going offensively," Couturier said afterwards.

Indeed, apart from the combined four goals they scored as a trio in the scrimmage, the Couturier line dominated the majority of its shifts in terms of puck possession. The two-time Selke Trophy finalist felt it was a step in the right direction.

"I think we still have some work to do. I think today's scrimmage was already better than the other one. That's a good thing. We're improving. Our pace is getting better. Guys are skating better. Execution is a little better. We can build on that. Just slowly get back into it here and get ready for the first exhibition game actually," Couturier said.

After Hart exited the game, Alex Lyon came in to relieve him. The fourth goalie in the Flyers' camp, rookie Kirill Ustimenko, was on the Team Black squad but he actually faced shooters from both sides because Elliott's workload was extended a bit further than in the first scrimmage and because Lyon had to take minutes that were initially slated for Hart.

Before the end of the first period, it was 4-3 in Team Black's favor, as Aube-Kubel scored in a scramble around the net. Team Black had a chance to build a two-goal lead right before the frame ended but James van Riemsdyk (for the second straight scrimmage) was denied on a penalty shot.

In the second period, Couturier got the game re-knotted at 4-4. Then, on the filthiest shot of the day, Twarynski went bar down with a tracer of a shot that put Team Orange ahead, 5-4.

In the third period, very shortly after Giroux unsuccessfully attempted a change-of-pace move on a penalty shot attempt against Elliott, the Flyers captain scored a pretty goal from the slot to open a 6-4 lead. Team Black scored a "mystery goal" that made it 6-5 before Hayes forced overtime and completed his hat trick.

"I thought [the scrimmage] was pretty good. It was fast-paced, definitely a little faster than last time. The ice wasn't great, but it wasn't great for both teams. I'm not sure how it's going to be in the bubble, so practice on that. I thought it went pretty well. Obviously at the beginning it was kind of goal after goal, but once we settled down it was pretty good. The hardest part is you can be in the best shape of your life, but you've got to get back into game shape, stops and starts and doing the right things on the ice. I think every day we get towards that. I think today we get one step closer to our final project," Hayes said afterwards.

Overtime did not last long. Couturier got the puck to Giroux, and the captain found the back of the net for a 7-6 final.

NOTEBOOK

* In addition to the aforementioned penalty shots for JVR and Giroux, there were unsuccessful penalty shot opportunities for Team Black's Shayne Gostisbehere and Team Orange's Andy Andreoff. In the scrimmages, penalty shots have been conducted in soccer-like fashion. Once the shooter moves in from the center ice faceoff dot, defenders are allowed to pursue on the back check (starting from the attack zone blueline, as if caught up-ice on a breakaway). It's a live puck if the shooter does not score.

* Gostisbehere was quite effective in this scrimmage, on both sides of the puck. He stepped up at the right times in the neutral zone and at the defensive blueline, breaking up plays. He jumped into rushes several times. He was also skating well both north-south and laterally; an element missing from his game much of the regular season.

* Although the Couturier line was the best trio on the ice for either side, the Team Orange line of Derek Grant centering Joel Farabee and Tyler Pitlick worked tirelessly and won the lion's share of their puck battles throughout the day. On the other side, the Kevin Hayes trio had a big day in terms of goal production but an uneven scrimmage in terms of how they fared overall. Hayes was fine but wingers James van Riemsdyk and Konecny (apart from his nice goal in the first period) seemed a little frustrated at times.

* As he's shown numerous times this season, very few defensemen can defend a 2-on-1 rush as expertly as Matt Niskanen. The veteran has put on a clinic several times in reps during practice, and he did it again during Tuesday's scrimmage.

* Team Black made a line combination tweak in the third period, placing Aube-Kubel on a line with Morgan Frost and Connor Bunnaman while moving Michael Raffl to a line with Nate Thompson and Laughton. The reconstituted Frost line clicked, especially on back-to-back shifts mid-period where they buzzed around the offensive zone. Aube-Kubel was quite strong on the forecheck on those shifts. Whichever line Aube-Kubel played on was better for his presence.

* In general, Frost had a markedly better day on Tuesday than he did in the first scrimmage. During one sequence earlier in the game, he was knocked down to the ice by Couturier on a defensive zone exit. To his credit, on what easily could have been a turnover resulting in a short-ice counter for Team Orange, Frost stayed with the puck and got it to safety. In the third period, with the game tied, Frost nicely tied up Couturier's stick on an offensive left circle faceoff for Orange; a circle where Couturier was the top draw man in the NHL this season. Offensively, Frost made one of the prettiest passes of the day, threading the needle with a feathery pass to Egor Zamula in the third period.

* Twarynski, when he's at his best, hounds the puck and shows a lot of north-south tenacity. That's how he made the team's opening night roster out of training camp last September. He's done similar things in camp this month. Although he's by no means a slick puckhandler or creative playmaker, Twarynski can really hammer the puck when he shoots it, and has underrated hands when he sets his mind to it. The goal he scored in Tuesday's scrimmage was unstoppable; perfectly placed to the top-shelf and unleashed in a hurry. The 2019-20 season for Twarynski ended up being injury-interrupted and inconsistent after his outstanding camp, but he's been making a push to edge higher on the depth chart within the Black Aces on the extended playoff roster.

* There has never been a question mark about German Rubtsov's commitment to playing a 200-foot game. On Tuesday, the Team Orange center made a nice play on the backcheck to break up a developing rush. What the Flyers organization wants to see from Rubtsov beyond that is significantly more assertiveness with the puck on his stick -- he has the skill to do so. Ever since suffering an early season shoulder injury on a harmless looking play in an AHL game for the Phantoms -- not as serious as the one that abruptly ended his 2018-19 season after a strong offensive start, necessitating shoulder surgery but serious enough to force him out of the lineup for a few weeks -- Rubtsov seemingly contented himself to play almost exclusively a "safe" and defense-oriented game. On one shift in the third period of the Tuesday scrimmage, Rubtsov flashed some of the offensive skill he has with a slick one-on-one move in the offensive zone; the type of play he's capable of making more often.

* Zamula once again showed poise beyond his years against the Team Orange forecheck, and used his mobility well. His defense partner throughout camp, right-handed shooting veteran Andy Welinski, has quietly functioned well in supporting the 20-year-old.

* Friedman had a strong AHL/NHL season and a good camp overall this month, but Tuesday was not his best day. Apart from the sequence where he lost the puck to Farabee, who went in and scored, there were two occasions where Friedman was a little overaggressive challenging in the neutral zone and ended up out of position.

* It is an uphill battle in training facilities around the league to maintain ice conditions in late July temperatures. Locally, outside temperatures have been in the mid-to-upper 90s this week. The conditions inevitably reflected the scorching hot temperatures outside. Voracek has been practicing without his visor during camp because of the heat and resultant fogging of the face shield. Hayes also mentioned the heat in his post-scrimmage media availability.

QUOTEBOOK

Assistant coach (and part-time linesman) Ian Laperriere on the team's conditioning: "That's one thing I'm really pleased and surprised and was personally my biggest worry being four months away from being able to go to the gym and go to the rink and skate. I'm pleased and very surprised and I'm glad our guys did their work..... Everybody is getting better every day. They came in in pretty good shape to be off for four months. There's still work to do. The players know. System wise, conditioning's going to come with it. But I'm very pleased with the way the guys showed up."

Sean Couturier: "I feel pretty good. My legs are there. I feel in pretty good shape. It's just the timing, the game shape. That's something that I'll have to work on during the actual games. Scrimmages, we can improve that, but until you play a real game, it's different. I'm just looking forward to that first exhibition game and getting going."

Shayne Gostisbehere: "I feel pretty normal out there right now. I think just the first couple days was just more a win thing than feeling right. Just testing my leg out was good. I got to make some plays out there. Try to get back in that lineup per say. I think for myself, just going out there proving I'm a good player. Just getting my bearings out there and feeling okay. .... [I feel] like ten times better. Just having a clear mind going into any sort of play. Not thinking is this movement going to hurt or is this going to hurt. Just having a clear mind and focusing straight on hockey. Making those plays, making those reads and trusting myself. It's definitely nice. It's definitely a nice change. Obviously, I've been dealing with it for a while. I think for myself, it's been a tough road. I think getting better every day is my goal."

Kevin Hayes on his hat trick: "I wanted to take my bucket off and throw it on the ice. I know Yeosie [assistant coach Mike Yeo] wanted to do something. I don't think the guys watching realized I had a hat trick."

Hayes on postseason matchups: "I think no matter who we play, this team has a ton of confidence. We had a great season. As you guys have noted, we're a very tight team. We're all pulling the same rope, whether it's the top guys getting all the points and the third/fourth line guys doing their job. It's a full team effort every night. It's been fun all year. I know the so-called best teams that had the best seasons are in the round robin. I think no matter who we're playing, our coaches and our players have lot of confidence playing against anyone."

Morgan Frost: "I think it's been good so far. Kind of just tough to come in and get the condition. The first couple days of camp were pretty tough, feeling a bit sore. Now that time's gone a bit on, I am starting to feel better. Even conditioning wise in the scrimmage today, I felt better. I think the coaches have done a good job of getting everyone ready."

Frost on where he feels he can still improve: "Even in scrimmages and drills, I think a few too many times I'm turning the puck over or get taken off of me. I recognize that. It's the best league in the world. Just try to learn as much as I can and get better at those little things. Try to manage the puck better."

Frost on Nic Aube-Kubel: "I think honestly, through the whole organization, he's probably been the most improved player. He works really hard and he does everything. He's fast and he's strong. He gets to loose pucks quick and he wins puck battles. I think this year he really learned how to play the pro game and play it the right way. He's going to be a really good player. He already is. It's nice being on his line."

Laperriere on standouts among the Black Aces: "Laperriere on standouts among the Black Aces: "Everybody looks pretty good, but there's young guys like Zamula there. I didn't know much about him. He skated here for a month before camp started. For a kid who had some health issues and jumping with the big boys, he looks really good. We got guys like Friedman that we saw last year for a couple games, but they really did their work. They know it's a young guys' game and they might have a chance down the stretch during our run. They did all the work to make sure they were ready to go."

Egor Zamula (via translator Slava Kouznetsov): "It was a really quick [back surgery] rehabilitation. He was back in Russia, feeling really good. Could not wait until he was able to return to the United States to start practicing and getting ready for the season.....It's a great opportunity to be on the ice with the high level players. He's really enjoying and feels like he is growing every single time he's on the ice with the players. He's getting something new and feeling better every day."

Laperriere on Couturier: "He's got the quality about him. He's committed to the game. You see that in the Crosbys and McDavids of this world, every summer, every training camp they come back better because they did work over the summer. Coots got that quality in him. Right away, he could have been a good defensive player when he came in as a 19 year old. Could have had a pretty good career, but he wasn't satisfied. A guy who's passionate about the game, committed to the game, they are never satisfied. He works on the other aspects of his game. That's why he's the player he is today and why he's nominated for a Selke. I hate to use that word -- a perfect player -- but he's the closest thing you'll find. There's no cheat in his game. You know what's great about Coots, he's a great example for the young guys like Frost and Farabee, just to look at him, see what he does on and off the ice. He's one of our leaders for a reason."