Flyers at Bruins

It won’t count in the standings, but this is otherwise a NHL game tonight between Philadelphia and the Bruins at TD Garden.

As you can see, it’s with a small minority that NHL players are sitting this one out.

GAME BLOG: FIRST PERIOD

Morgan Geekie is getting the first turn on a line with Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand (preseason debut), and Geekie worked hard to turn over pucks on the second shift of the game.

Philly’s top line of Sean Couturier between Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny turned the tables for the visitors and caused multiple disruptions of Boston takeovers in the Boston defensive zone, and Brandon Bussi (who has been rebound prone) gave up one that easily could have been converted.

The Bruins started the game with David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha.

Once again, Cole Koepke’s energy on the forecheck is noticeable, and he’s played very well with Mark Kastelic and Johnny Beecher.

Nine minutes into the opening period, Pastrnak passed up an open shot from the circle in favor of a centering feed that was picked off by a Philly stick.

The Bruins broke through on Samuel Ersson exactly 10 minutes into the game on a redirect by Justin Brazeau.

Bruins coach Jim Montgomery is starting out with a McAvoy-Lindholm, Carlo-Lohrei and Peeke-Zadorov arrangement on the blue line, something that will allow the staff sample Zadorov as the primary puck mover on his pairing.

Kastelic, who has already brawled in this preseason, got into it with two Flyers in front of the penalty boxes on the shift following the Boston goal.

Marchand turned the puck over trying to do too much inside his own zone, but the ensuing play ended with a deflection over the Boston net.

The Bruins got a powerplay with 3:50 left in the period after Bobby Brink boarded Peeke, who got right up, albeit slowly, and captured his breath on the bench.

Couturier’s frustration in the final minutes of the opening period was evident when Nikita Zadorov took up four lanes of his forechecking path on Peeke. Couturier lept in the air and smacked Zadorov in the back, probably in an effort to demonstrate interference. The refs weren’t buying.

SECOND PERIOD

The Bruins outshot Philadelphia, 17-4 in the first period, and had numerous scoring opportunities out of the cycle. They were by far the heavier team in the first 20 minutes, and speed and closing off outlets was at the front of that effort in the opening shifts.

Two high-profile regulars shaken up on their first shifts of the second period. Konecny went hard into the RW corner and something didn’t feel right as he glided slowly to the visiting bench.

Later, Charlie McAvoy got tied up with Foerster’s stick on the visitor’s fly-by forecheck and got his neck wrenched. No call, McAvoy shook it off and kept playing.

Marchand missed a shift in the first and in the second at the beginning of the second, so we’ll keep an eye on that. Late in the opening period, he got spun around and hit trying to beat two opponents on a breakout. It was unsuccessful (as noted above), not sure if any contact on the play factored in Marchand’s absence for a second time this (second) period.

Johnny Beecher took his shift.

The Bruins have announced that Marchand is questionable to return due to illness.

Elias Lindholm was the target of a pass on a zone entry, and brief Bruin Garnet Hathaway looked to have his stick perfectly positioned to steal it when Lindholm reached back with one hand and somehow snuck it to himself without breaking stride.

Flyers tie it, Konecny, putting back the rebound of Hathaway’s low shot. The book is out on Brandon Bussi, and it’s shoot low and be ready for a rebound. 1-1.

Good sportsmanship by an unidentified Flyer when he and Geekie went down and slid toward the benches, tangled up so his skates were around Geekie’s neck. A linesman was on the spot and may have coached them through the moment. No harm.

The scrums are on the rise, as the Flyers are more tenacious in the second period, obviously having taken to heart an intermission message from their coach, John Tortorella.

Coyle had a chance isolated with Ersson, was stopped, and the Bruins thought McAvoy’s follow-up would count, but it was immediately waved off.

The Flyers, mainly Hunter McDonald and Hathaway, continue jawing with Kastelic. Goalie interference on brief Bruin Anthony Richard.

THIRD PERIOD

Kastelic against the world continues into the third.

Jett Luchanko, 18, hitches a ride to McAvoy and goes for hooking, and Zacha finds PTO Tyler Johnson for the go-ahead PPG at 7:50 of the third, Boston 2-1.

The Bruins hit a couple of empty nets to make it look like the romp it wasn’t, despite the 34-13 shots advantage with a minute remaining.