The Philadelphia Flyers took to the ice with five players 23 and under playing a part in the team’s 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Sean Couturier, Nick Cousins, Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov and Travis Konecny were among the youth to make their marks.
Nick Cousins, Sean Couturier & Shayne Gostisbehere are 23. Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny are 19. They totaled 8 points in the 2nd period.
— Ryan Bright (@philabright) October 15, 2016
Youth Aplenty For Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers are a team mixed with veteran presences and youth looking to make their mark. It was the youth that helped the Flyers score four goals in the second period to give them their first season opener victory in the last five tries.
Sean Couturier led the bunch as he recorded his third career two-goal game. Playing on a line with Travis Konecny and Jakub Voracek proved to be vital for the 23-year-old forward.
Couturier would record his first goal less than a minute after Boyd Gordon gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead. An outlet pass from Shayne Gostisbehere to Konecny would get the Flyers into the offensive zone. Couturier would follow up a rebound and bring it around Jeff Zatkoff to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead.
His second of the game and third for the Flyers would come off a nice feed from Konecny that Couturier would one-time past the Kings goaltender.
Nick Cousins would also see himself with two assists in the game. The forward would drop a pass to Gordon who would get things started in the second period for the Flyers. He would get the secondary assist on Streit’s goal.
Things didn’t start off well for Shayne Gostisbehere as he would take a Kyle Clifford skate to the face. The defenseman would not miss a shift, however, as he captured as assist on Couturier’s first goal.
Tell me he's not a hockey player.
Wow. #FlyersTalk pic.twitter.com/e6JMOupjyC
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 15, 2016
Rookies Shine In Debut
Travis Konecny found himself with his first two NHL points on both of Couturier’s goals. His second assist was an impressive no-look pass. The speed of Konecny was evident throughout the night as he would get three shots of his own.
“I’m happy. We got the win,” Konecny said. “That’s the most important thing. It’s always fun to get the win in your first game. There’s a couple things I can still work on though.”
Fellow rookie Ivan Provorov made his presence known as he recorded his first NHL point on Streit’s goal. He also saw time on the power play and penalty kill. The rookie would dish out four hits and two blocks in the game as well. He also wasn’t afraid to admit his early struggles.
“I thought I played OK,” Provorov said. “A few shifts were shaky but I thought I played good after that. I can play way better and I’ll be better (Saturday).”
After only the Flyers first game of the season, the youth of the team showed it’s ready to make an impact for the team. With veterans such as Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds, it’s promising that the young guys can get things going for the team when needed.
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