Bobby Brink takes steps forward, penalties hold the Flyers back and more takeaways

RALEIGH, N.C. — The first two games of the Flyers’ season were a big measuring stick for the young club.

They held their own in both games, a 2-1 loss to the Florida Panthers on Thursday, and a 4-3 overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

Facing a team that swarms and presses — and one many consider the best in the Metropolitan Division — the Flyers came back twice before falling in overtime. The game-winning goal by Seth Jarvis came shortly after a Bobby Brink tally was disallowed by the NHL’s Situation Room because they said Travis Sanheim impaired Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen’s ability to play his position in the crease.

» READ MORE: Flyers have potential first win wiped away on questionable call; earn point against Carolina

Here are two positives and a negative from Saturday night’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Hurricanes.

Flyers general manager Danny Brière has stressed that patience is important as the organization works its way through the rebuild. Brink is a clear example of how critical that is, because as the GM said in a Q&A with The Inquirer in September: “We were patient with Bobby Brink, it’s starting to pay off.”

Playing in his third NHL season — and what should be his second full year — the 24-year-old has become a more confident winger in a short span. Brinks’ first season where he didn’t go down to the American Hockey League was 2024-25, and he had 41 points in 79 games. Brink also had eight points in the final nine games of the season after John Tortorella, who often criticized Brink and famously scratched him for his first game in his home state of Minnesota, was fired.

He has picked up right where he left off in 2025-26.

After he played well and was on the ice for the goal by Cates against the Panthers, Brink broke through in North Carolina.

“I felt good,” Brink said. “Bounces were going our way for our line tonight, and linemates made a bunch of good plays and ended up getting a few past their goalie there. But, yeah, I mean, pretty good effort from our line, and I thought the whole team played really well.”

Brink notched a goal and an assist, had a great chance in the second period on a two-on-none where he was robbed by Andersen, and should have been credited with the overtime winner.

All night he kept his feet moving, carrying the puck up the ice, driving down the boards to break through checks, around the wall to keep puck possession in favor of the Flyers, or to pressure the Hurricanes.

It’s a dynamic shift by the 5-foot-8 forward who Tortorella said couldn’t spell “check” two years ago. Now, the new bench boss, Rick Tocchet, was specifically pointing him out.

“I thought there was really some great efforts from some guys. I thought Bobby Brink was outstanding tonight,” the coach said.

Added Sanheim: “He was flying tonight. We said we’re not sure what he did, but you know that line’s just been great for us going back to last season, and you expect it every night now. They’ve proven it, and they’ve been our best line so far.”

You could tell when Tocchet was talking postgame how exasperated he was by how many penalties his squad took in the first two games.

“Once again, three penalties, three penalties again to start the game,” he said. “It’s tough. We did it in Florida, five [power plays in the game].”

The Flyers took four penalties in the opening frame, with only Garnet Hathaway’s being a coincidental with Jackson Blake; the Carolina forward 99 seconds earlier oversold a tap by Noah Cates on the glove.

But regardless of that, taking penalties and giving the Hurricanes three power plays in the first 20 minutes is counterproductive to getting the team into a game and lines rolling. Several players, like Jett Luchanko and Nikita Grebenkin, each making their debuts, played less than 3 minutes each in the first period.

“There’s some guys there, I couldn’t get them out there because the penalties,” said Tocchet, “and at that time, you’ve got to go with three lines. You’ve got to go with guys who are skating, so that’s why went with the guys at the end.”

Matvei Michkov didn’t appear to find his groove and did not get an overtime shift. “I just wanted the guys I thought were skating,” Tocchet said. Michkov also took a penalty early in the third period with the Flyers looking for the equalizer. He did come to the defense of Travis Konecny, who was rocked by William Carrier.

“The goalie [Sam] Ersson was great. The penalty kill hung in there. We’ve just got to stop giving freebie goals,” said Tocchet about the penalty kill. “That’s the one thing, we’ve got to, that’s the one thing, can’t give free goals.”

The plus is the penalty kill was 4-for-4, and currently ranks tied for eighth in the NHL in effectiveness (88.9%). They have been shorthanded nine times in two games — with one goal allowed to Florida — with the Columbus Blue Jackets leading the league with needing to kill six penalties.

And, on the flip side, the power play did get on the board, with Owen Tippett scoring.

There were a couple of eyebrows raised when Dan Vladař was given the net for opening night of the season instead of Sam Ersson.

But Tocchet did say on Friday that, “We’re going to probably rotate them for a while and see who takes the lead.” After Vladař put together an impressive 32-save performance on Thursday against Florida, Ersson followed suit with his own 35-save performance.

The Swedish netminder likes to see shots as it helps him get into the game. He certainly saw plenty in the first period, stopping all 15 he saw, including several across the three first-period power plays for the Hurricanes.

“We weathered it,” Brink said. “You know when you come here, they’re going to come out hot, [and the] fans are going to be into it. So weathered it, and I think we put forth a strong effort, got back in the game. Erss played unbelievable and kept us in that game the whole night.”

Ersson called the night a “mental roller coaster” but there is no denying that when he sees shots he can stop them. And he can stop those tricky ones in tight too as he robbed Jordan Martinook as he crashed the crease and Jordan Staal, who jumped on the rebound in the first.

» READ MORE: The Flyers still believe in goalie Sam Ersson. But can he take the next step and become a bona fide No. 1?

He stole a goal from Blake in the slot in the first period before making two saves on Nikolaj Ehlers with the game tied 2-2 late in the second; one of the saves was on a one-timer from the Dane.

And, after allowing three goals on 12 shots in the middle frame, he settled down and stopped all 11 in the third — getting some help from Noah Juulsen, who knocked a puck out of the crease.

“A lot of shots against; they seem to shoot it from everywhere, too,” Sanheim said. “And again, with the penalties, you’re obviously going to give up shots in the power play. So he did a great job for us back there.”