Flyers complete sweep of the Rangers with a 5-1 win in final rookie game of the weekend

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Going into Saturday night’s rookie game against the New York Rangers at the PPL Center, goalie Samuel Ersson just wanted to prove that he could make it through three periods.

After all, Ersson spent most of last season rehabbing a groin injury, which limited him to just five games with the Phantoms. Not only did Ersson survive all 60 minutes, but he also played spectacularly, backstopping the Flyers in their 5-1 win over the Rangers in their second and final rookie game of the weekend.

“I’ve been thinking all summer that I want to come back with a statement to show that I’m able to handle adversity and come back and come back strong,” Ersson said.

» READ MORE: Flyers defeat the Rangers as Tyson Foerster provides game-winner in a rookie game overtime thriller

Unlike their previous game against the Rangers rookies, the Flyers struggled out of the gate in the first period, failing to kill plays quickly in their own zone and committing turnovers. As a result, the Rangers tested Ersson early and often, racking up 13 shots on goal in the first 20 minutes to the Flyers’ four.

Despite the early flurry of shots in his first game back, Ersson looked solid in net and held the Rangers scoreless through two periods. In the third, a Flyers turnover led to a Bobby Trivigno goal, giving way to continued offensive pressure from the Rangers. But Ersson closed out the game to help the Flyers complete the sweep. He finished the game with 36 saves. Meanwhile, the Flyers finished with just 15 shots.

After sitting out Friday night, top defensive prospects Ronnie Attard and Egor Zamula entered the lineup Saturday and formed the Flyers’ top pairing. Both players had highs and lows early in the game, from Zamula’s first-period goal that helped put the Flyers up, 1-0, to Attard’s delay of game penalty that put the Flyers on the penalty kill for the second time. But the duo contributed to an especially impressive sequence that saw all five skaters chip in on the Flyers’ fourth goal of the night late in the second period.

While under duress from Rangers winger Lauri Pajuniemi on the forecheck behind the Flyers’ net, Zamula got the puck to Attard, who skated the puck to the blue line and passed it away safely to center Elliot Desnoyers. After entering the offensive zone, Desnoyers passed the puck to Olle Lycksell on the left wing. He found Zayde Wisdom at the front of the net for a tap-in goal, powering the Flyers to a 4-0 lead. Attard later collected a goal of his own, a blast from the blue line, on a third-period power play to give the Flyers the final 5-1 advantage.

“We had a slow start, for sure,” Attard said. “But [Ersson] had had a great game and made some big saves when we needed it early. We just talked in between periods, clean it up, talk more, use each other, and go from there.”

In Friday night’s game, Lycksell, the Swedish winger, put his added muscle to good use when he won a puck battle in the defensive zone and scored off the rush. He leveraged his strength and scoring acumen yet again Saturday in the second period. After Desnoyers won an offensive zone faceoff, Lycksell outworked an opponent to gain possession of the puck. He wired a wrist shot low from the left circle past goalie Olof Lindbom to help the Flyers pull away, 2-0. Lycksell continued to make plays for the Flyers, factoring in on Wisdom’s goal in the second period and Attard’s power-play tally in the third.

The Flyers found themselves in the box often on Saturday night, racking up 12 penalty minutes. But a combination of experienced penalty killers and Ersson’s strong play kept the Rangers from finding the back of the net on the man-advantage. The Flyers even managed to collect a shorthanded goal thanks to brothers Jackson and Noah Cates.

After Noah won a puck battle along the boards in the Flyers’ zone, he broke out on a two-on-one alongside his older brother. Noah dished the puck to Jackson upon crossing center ice, then Jackson fed his younger brother for a shorthanded goal to put the Flyers up, 3-0.

» READ MORE: Cates brothers' bond carried them from their Minnesota basement to the Flyers

Rookie camp concludes on Sunday when the Flyers host their final on-ice session at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees (10:15 a.m.). Training camp opens Sept. 21 with on-ice sessions beginning Sept. 22.