Jackson and Noah Cates score to lead the Flyers to a 2-1 preseason win over the Boston Bruins

There’s no preseason for passion. Just ask winger Wade Allison.

When winger Antoine Roussel found himself on the receiving end of a Connor Carrick open-ice hit in the offensive zone in the first period, Allison came to his defense, dropping the gloves with Carrick. Allison and the Flyers played a physical, hard-hitting game against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center, fighting their way to a 2-1 win to kick off the preseason. Jackson and Noah Cates scored to help the Flyers to victory.

“I know it’s training camp, but [Allison’s] showing his new coach, or Torts [John Tortorella], that he’s willing to do that,” Phantoms head coach Ian Laperrière said of Allison’s physicality. ”What Torts is trying to do here is to bring that identity of sticking up for each other, and Wade proved that tonight.”

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For unproven players like Allison who are making a push for an opening-night roster spot, displaying a sense of toughness can provide an edge in the competition. Winger Hayden Hodgson also had a fight of his own in the second period. Center Artem Anisimov, who is participating in Flyers training camp on a professional tryout, blocked a big shot and came off the ice in pain early in the game.

The Bruins rose to the Flyers’ level of physicality, outhitting them, 37-29. But the Flyers blended intensity with offensive skill and outscored their Eastern Conference foe.

After having a relatively quiet first period, 23-year-old left winger Noah Cates turned heads early in the second period with diligent forechecking and crafty playmaking. Cates won a battle along the boards for the puck in the Flyers’ zone, carrying the puck up the ice and chipping it into the offensive zone. Later on during the play, Cates centered a pass for Tyson Foerster, who drew an interference call against defenseman Josiah Didier to send the Flyers to the power play.

During the man advantage, Cates got to work again. Right winger Tyson Foerster fired a shot from the left face-off circle, which deflected off of goalie Keith Kinkaid. Center Morgan Frost collected the rebound and sent a no-look backhanded pass in Cates’ direction. Cates corralled the puck and sent a wrist shot pass Kinkaid to put the Flyers up, 1-0. Cates flashed some offensive skill later in the period when he attempted a between-the-legs shot on goal from the top of the crease, which goalie Kyle Keyser denied.

“He’s a coach’s dream,” Laperrière said of Cates. “He does everything right. Doesn’t cheat. He plays the right way. And coachable. How can you not like a guy like that. I don’t know Torts much, but I know every coach likes players like that.”

If Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher hoped to see his team get some practice on the penalty kill, he got his wish. In the first period alone, the Flyers found themselves on the man disadvantage on four occasions. Two of those occasions overlapped, forcing the Flyers to kill at a two-man disadvantage.

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But the Flyers and goalie Felix Sandström buckled down and held the Bruins scoreless in the first period. Center Morgan Frost, who did not see much time on the penalty kill last season, got a few reps on Saturday night. He made one impressive play in particular when Vinni Letteri attempted to enter the Flyers’ zone. Frost swatted the puck at the blue line, stifling the Bruins’ attack, but turned the puck over in the neutral zone. Most importantly, the Flyers didn’t let their eight minutes spent on the penalty kill in the first period hamper their momentum for the last 40.

“It’s a lot of guys’ first skates, and just the little stick details and whatnot kind of got caught in the first period,” Noah Cates said. “But we cleaned it up, and we were a little bit sharper and played a better second.”

Saturday night marked the beginning of the battle for the backup goalie position behind Carter Hart. The two top contenders, Sandström and Troy Grosenick, split the game down the middle. Sandström, 25, got the start. He struggled to control a few rebounds early on, but he settled in and stood tall, turning aside 17 shots.

“I think my structure wasn’t where I want it, but I think I battled pretty well, which helps when the technique isn’t really where you want it,” Sandström said. “The guys [were] blocking some of the shots where it would be a really tough save for me, so good team effort.”

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Grosenick wasn’t tested nearly as much upon taking over for the second half of the second period as the Flyers cleaned up their defensive structure. The 33-year-old AHL journeyman saw just four shots through 10 minutes, including just one high-danger scoring chance, according to Natural Stat Trick. But center Jakub Lauko beat Grosenick in the third period to even the score, 1-1. In total, Grosenick denied 14 of 15 shots on goal.

The Flyers hit the road to face off against the Buffalo Sabres at 7 p.m. Tuesday (97.5 The Fanatic).