Bobby Brink ‘has momentum going’ in fight to make Flyers out of training camp

Rocky Thompson said Friday morning that he wanted to see Bobby Brink make some improvements in his 5-on-5 play Friday night in Boston.

The Flyers know what the 22-year-old winger, in a fight to make the team out of training camp, can do on the power play. But it was his tracking and reloading at even strength that Thompson, the Flyers assistant who coached Friday’s preseason game, wanted to see Brink take to the next level.

Mission accomplished.

Brink’s game-tying goal in the third period came off a Bruins turnover at even strength. He also had an assist on the power play and later scored a shootout goal in the Flyers’ first win of the preseason. And Thompson said he liked that Brink’s line — he played with Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost — consistently drove play.

His reward was another game Saturday night in the team’s preseason home opener against the New Jersey Devils. It’s unclear if the original plan was for Brink, a second-round pick in 2019, to play Saturday night, or if the Flyers determined they wanted to get another look at him in a back-to-back after the way he played Friday.

“He has some momentum going right now,” Thompson said of Brink Saturday morning.

Perhaps accidentally answering the question of the original plan, the Flyers erroneously sent out a game roster three hours prior to Saturday’s contest. It didn’t have Brink’s name on it but had Tyson Foerster in the lineup. It was Brink, however, who was playing — not Foerster. The roster also had Scott Laughton’s name on it, and didn’t include Tanner Laczynski. But Laczynski was in the lineup, and Laughton was not.

Brink’s emergence is an interesting development. Foerster appeared to have a leg up on Brink last week in pursuit of a roster spot. The Flyers have limited forward openings, especially for prospects like Brink and Foerster, players the Flyers most likely want to play in games and not sit out as healthy scratches.

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It’s safe to assume that the team’s projected top-six forwards are secure in their jobs, same with the new-look fourth line of Nic Deslauriers, Ryan Poehling, and Garnet Hathaway. Scott Laughton and Noah Cates are also safe. That leaves one real opening on the third line’s right wing.

That’s the spot seemingly up for grabs between Brink and Foerster. Wade Allison also seems to be in the mix.

Foerster, Thompson said, has been “fighting the puck” in his preseason games so far.

“Things that he can execute, he kind of bobbled a few things,” Thompson said. “Sometimes it’s bad luck, bad ice. And then sometimes it’s like, ‘No, you have the puck on your stick and you can make the play.’ He’s all right. He’s a very mentally tough kid, which is good. I don’t anticipate him not being able to work through those types of things.”

Tippett, who broke out with 27 goals last season, got an up-close look at Brink’s roster battle Friday night, playing on Brink’s opposite wing with Frost down the middle.

“He’s so smart with the puck,” Tippett said of Brink. “He’s patient with it, knows when to release it, and what plays to be made. You saw on the power play, he’s hanging onto it, making plays, opening guys up … ends it off with a nice backdoor pass.”

Tippett has some experience in Brink’s position. At one point, he was a Florida Panthers prospect fighting for a roster spot.

“It’s nerve-wracking,” Tippett said. “It’s good to kind of just have a clear mind and go out and play and handle what you can control. I think if you worry too much about what you want the end outcome to be, that’s kind of when you get yourself in trouble. If you just got out and play it’s a lot easier, it takes the stress off.”

Thompson said Saturday night’s game would be an opportunity for Brink to show the Flyers how he can handle back-to-back games. He was slated to play on a line with Cates and Allison.

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On the defensive side, Egor Zamula saw his first game action Friday night vs. Boston.

The left-hander said earlier this week that he added 20 pounds to his 6-foot-3 frame and now weighs around 200 pounds. Zamula, who played in 14 games for the Flyers last season, had shoulder surgery in April and spent most of his summer at the team’s facility in Voorhees.

On Friday, he was paired with Travis Sanheim. Thompson said Zamula “made a lot of good plays with the puck.”

While the team’s defensive corps is in no way settled, Zamula’s status is complicated because he’s no longer waiver-exempt, making it more likely he’s still on the roster when camp breaks next week.

Goalie Carter Hart was slated to play the full game vs. the Devils Saturday night in his preseason debut, Thompson said. ... The Flyers are off Sunday and return to the ice Monday with another home preseason game vs. the Bruins. ... Cam York returned to practice with a regular practice group Saturday morning. ... The Flyers made four roster cuts on Saturday. Most notably, forward Elliot Desnoyers and defenseman Helge Grans were sent to the Phantoms. The prospects were considered long shots to make the team. The training camp roster now sits at 40 players.