Nikita Grebenkin and Ethan Samson impress again in Flyers’ rookie series loss to Rangers

ALLENTOWN — It’s always hard to beat a team twice in a row, and the Flyers’ rookies learned it on Saturday night.

The young rising stars did work hard, but they didn’t behave while in Lehigh Valley. Taking on their New York Rangers counterparts at the PPL Center for a second straight night, the Flyers lost, 5-2, in a game marred by whistles, a slow pace, and a few scrums and scraps.

Here are our observations from the capper.

Nikita Grebenkin was impressive for the second straight game, as he continued to show strength on the puck and an ability to drive through the defense and create space for himself and his linemates. He followed up his overtime game-winner from Friday night with the primary assists on each of the Flyers’ goals. The Russian, who was acquired by the Flyers from the Toronto Maple Leafs at the trade deadline, played 11 regular-season and seven playoff games for Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.

“I’ve said it before with him, he plays with a ton of bite. He’s a highly skilled player, but he is not easy to play against at all,” said Phantom coach John Snowden, who is running rookie camp.

Another familiar face for Snowden, who was elevated to the top minor league job in July, is Ethan Samson. The defenseman — who led all Phantoms blueliners with 12 goals this past season — scored a nifty tally from the left faceoff circle. After not playing on Friday, Austin Moline sent a pass off the wall to Grebenkin, who found Samson before he walked down to the circle and fired off the shot.

» READ MORE: Sielski: The Flyers have needed a star for a long time. Matvei Michkov can break into that realm.

For the second straight game, the 2021 sixth-round pick looked strong and was one of just six skaters with a positive plus-minus. One of the critiques regarding Samson at the end of last season was his need to make simple plays. Snowden, who was an assistant coach last season, said they are working on it, but he likes how Samson is not afraid to carry the puck up the ice.

“I think at the end of the day, you still want to make plays,” Samson said. “You don’t want to give it away. So, just trying to look for the easy option is the safest play, and if you can find that, and if you can find something else, you can try that, too. Just to limit turnovers.”

Alexis Gendron is on the cusp of his second full pro season, and things are progressing nicely for the forward. He registered his second goal of the series on Saturday, after 2025 draft pick Luke Vlooswyk helped create a turnover in the neutral zone. Grebenkin carried the puck in and fought to get the puck to Gendron, who sent a wicked wrister past Rangers goalie Callum Tung.

“I mean, that’s my goal, for sure,” Gendron said of taking steps toward the NHL, after notching 20 goals last season. “I’m just trying to prove that I can be an NHLer. I’m not just an AHL guy. Sure, it’s hard, and I’m still young, but just trying to prove that I can play at that level, for sure.”

After there were two fights on Friday night — one featuring Jacob Gaucher and another involving Sawyer Boulton — Samu Tuomaala shockingly dropped the gloves. The Finn is not known for his bite and snarl, and according to HockeyFights.com, has never fought at any level of his career. But he held his own against Rico Gredig, a Rangers sixth-rounder in 2024, who also doesn’t have a fight listed on the site.

Carson Bjarnason started slowly but ended strong on Friday night. On Saturday, he didn’t have much help. While he stopped 14 of the 17 shots he faced, two of the goals were on power plays, with the second coming on a slam-dunk goal during a five-on-three. The lone even-strength goal he allowed came off a three-on-one rush. Joey Costanzo, a former teammate of 2025 first-rounder Jack Nesbitt with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League, entered the game in the second period after not playing Friday. In camp on an amateur tryout, he looked athletic in net and stopped 12 of 13 shots. The Rangers’ final goal was an empty-netter off an Alex Bump turnover.

» READ MORE: Bump or Bonk? Rank the Flyers’ top prospects and see how your picks stack up against other fans'

Oliver Bonk, who Snowden said on Friday night was expected to play in the second game, did not play. When asked postgame, the coach did not have an update but said Bonk not playing was more about maintenance and getting him ready for the main camp. ... Forward Denver Barkey and defenseman Andre Mondoux did not play. Nathan Quinn, a 2025 draft pick, and Moline slotted in. ... Aside from Samson, Karsen Dorwart, Grebenkin, Moline, Vlooswyk, and Gendron were the only skaters with a positive plus-minus; all were plus-1. Spencer Gill was minus-3 but once again played without fear and showed confidence when carrying the puck up the ice.