Flyers rookie Carsen Twarynski talks penalty shot and ‘three-month training camp’

It’s been a wild eight weeks or so for Flyers rookie Carsen Twarynski.

He went to training camp just hoping for a roster spot. He not only made the team, but Twarynski also got a surprise visit when his parents showed up to the opening game in Prague on Oct. 4. He scored his first career goal Oct. 12, but was demoted to the minors nine days later.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, but I’m just trying to focus day by day,” Twarynski said Thursday night after a win over Montreal.

The Flyers have won three in row heading into a difficult weekend doubleheader.

» READ MORE: Flyers are winning; where’s the buzz? | Mike Sielski

“Honestly, it’s kind of like I’m on a three-month training-camp kind of thing," Twarynski continued. "I’ve just got to keep working hard and doing what I’m doing on the ice: being simple, playing hard, shooting the puck whenever I can.”

He was recalled to the big club on Oct. 31 and not only did he find himself on the third line on Thursday night. but he also had a career high in ice time and was in the middle of the most entertaining play of the night. He was hooked by Shea Weber while on a breakaway.

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So what does a guy do when he’s in his 10th career NHL game and has a penalty shot coming up against Carey Price, one of the game’s top goalies, in the third period of a tied game?

“I just went up to 'G' and asked him what he had on him,” Twarynski said matter-of-factly, referring to Claude Giroux. “Those guys study the goalies for shootouts. He said to try to go high, so I did. But he made a good save. I could have put it a little bit higher, maybe an inch higher. But he’s one of the best goalies in the world and made a good save on it.”

Twarynski, who said he’s had one or two penalty shots in his professional career — including a goal last season for the AHL’s Phantoms — played 13 minutes, 48 seconds Thursday and tied for the game high with six hits.

He didn’t get an assist on the Flyers’ first goal, but he did the dirty work behind the net that led to defenseman Phil Myers’ ending up with the puck for a wrist shot that beat Price. Twarynski also got back to the front of the net to screen Montreal’s goalie.

“He’s a presence out there when he plays the power-forward game,” said Kevin Hayes, who centered the third line with Twarynski and Jake Voracek to mixed results. Hayes also had six hits.

“I think Hayes’ line can play better,” coach Alain Vigneault said. “I think both him and Jake have more to give to our group, and I know they are aware of it. Their intentions are real good and they’re going to find some chemistry. I like Twarynski on that line. I thought he was skating. I thought he was physical.”

It’ll be a working weekend for the Flyers, who will play at Toronto on Saturday and at rugged Boston on Sunday. The Maple Leafs have won three in a row, and the only team in front of them in the Atlantic Division is Boston.

“It’s good that we’re carrying momentum right now,” Twarynski said. “We’ve got a couple wins in a row. It’s a lot of fun in the locker room. It makes everyone’s confidence a little higher.”

The Flyers sent Misha Vorobyev to Lehigh Valley on Friday and recalled winger Andy Andreoff as fourth-line auditions continue. Andreoff, 28, was signed by the Flyers on July 1. He was a third-round pick of the Kings in 2011 and played in 159 games for them, the most recent in 2017-18.

Andreoff spent last season with Tampa Bay affiliate Syracuse of the AHL, scoring a career-high 26 goals in 75 games. He had three goals and four assists in 10 games this season for the Phantoms.