Rasmus Ristolainen’s stock trending up, Ronnie Attard’s down in Flyers’ preseason loss to Canadiens

The Flyers headed north of the border for the second of seven preseason games ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season.

But featuring a lineup with a good mix of veterans and players with a few NHL games under their belt — and several with Quebec ties — the Flyers lost 5-0 to the Montreal Canadiens.

Here are three players who impressed and three who did not.

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The defenseman is already a long shot to earn a spot on the stacked Flyers blue line, and his game on Monday night did not help him plead his case.

Attard played 15 games for the Flyers in 2021-22, two the next season, and was a late call-up last season when Jamie Drysdale and Nick Seeler were out of the lineup. He played in 12 games and had two assists to up his NHL points total to six (two goals, four assists).

At 25 years old and a restricted free agent after this season, he had a plus-minus of minus-3 on the night along with several turnovers and misplays. On the Canadiens’ first goal, he was stripped of the puck inside his own blue line by Jared Davidson, who fed Luke Tuch for the score.

Later in the second period, he turned the puck over as he tried to chip it up the boards. Montreal got a good chance on net and Attard’s defensive partner Louie Belpedio was forced into taking a penalty to avoid a goal. In the third, he went to pinch off Josh Anderson in the neutral zone but released him too early and Anderson ended up scoring as he streaked to the net, giving the Canadiens a 4-0 lead.

Petersen is an intriguing goalie. Last season, the Phantoms rode him in the playoffs and he was impressive, even posting a 22-save shutout against the eventual Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears in the second round. But when he steps into an NHL crease, his game struggles.

The soon-to-be-30-year-old came on in relief for Eetu Mäkiniemi midway through the second period. Mäkiniemi is in camp on a professional tryout contract and played a cool, calm game stopping 11 of 12 shots. Petersen looked good initially, sliding across and making a big-time save on a Patrik Laine one-timer.

But in the third period, the wheels fell off. Was it all his fault? No. Attard lost Anderson on the fourth goal and nobody tied up Alex Barré-Boulet as he camped out in front for the fifth one. But Petersen should have had David Savard’s shot from the right face-off circle and Emil Heineman’s quick shot from the slot.

A number of guys didn’t leave much of an impression in Montreal but Eklind is fighting for a spot among the forward group and needs to be more noticeable. As Brendan Shanahan once said, he wanted to be remembered for being involved. Eklind needs to be involved.

A big hulking winger at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, he was throwing his body around during scrimmages but wasn’t doing much of that on Monday. He finished minus-1 in more than 13 minutes of ice time.

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No matter what Ristolainen did in this game, just having him back on the ice was big for the Flyers. The last time the blueliner suited up in orange and black was back on Feb. 10 due to multiple surgeries “in the same place,” including a repair to a ruptured triceps tendon in April.

He told reporters on Thursday, “I feel good. I’m fully healthy and ready to go.” On Monday, he showed it.

He may have had some rust to shake off but Ristolainen was reliable on the blue line, playing alongside his partner from last season Egor Zamula. In a goalless first period, he made some hits and plays and the pairing finished the game as the only players on the Flyers who did not have a negative plus-minus. Zamula played a game-high 23 minutes, 34 seconds, and Ristolanen was right behind him at 21:38.

Signed to a two-year deal this summer, Richard flashed the speed that he has been showing off in scrimmages at the Flyers Training Center.

A veteran AHLer, Richard does have NHL experience with 24 games under his belt between the Nashville Predators, Canadiens, and Boston Bruins. In the first period especially, he controlled the puck well and created space and chances for his linemates. He was also on the Flyers’ first power-play unit that was busy in the opening frame with three opportunities.

Foerster seems eager to shoot often and from anywhere in the game. Skating on a line with Richard and Sean Couturier, according to Natural Stat Trick, the trio had a Corsi For percentage of 76.47 during five-on-five action. The speed of Richard certainly helped open up the ice for Foerster, who finished the game with three shots on goal and eight shot attempts, three of which were on the power play.

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Montreal native and Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière served as the Flyers bench boss. His starting line was comprised of guys with Quebec ties in Nic Deslauriers (La Salle), Jacob Gaucher (Longueuil), and Elliot Desnoyers (Saint-Hyacinthe). … The Flyers’ penalty kill was equally busy but went 4-for-4.

The Flyers play their first home preseason game on Thursday when Patrick Roy and the New York Islanders visit the Wells Fargo Center (7 p.m. on NBCSP).