The Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] proved in a 3-2 Game 1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins that experience in the Stanley Cup playoffs can sometimes be overrated. On Monday, the Flyers added two black aces [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/flyers-call-up-2-top-prospects-ahead-of-game-2] to the fold, bringing up defensemen Oliver Bonk and David Jiricek from the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms, whose season ended without a playoff berth. They join No. 3 goalie Aleksei Kolosov as the other black aces on the Flyers' roster, though, unlike Kolosov, they have a much clearer path to making an impact. In Saturday's win against the Penguins, defenseman Emil Andrae played just 9:39, notably not playing even a second on the power play nor the penalty kill. Andrae's defense partner, Nick Seeler, was limited to just 14:04, including 2:07 on the penalty kill. Porter Martone Has Already Delivered His Signature Moment for the Flyers [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/b1eb65c9-7e14-46a7-b345-98ebd3461491.jpeg] Porter Martone Has Already Delivered His Signature Moment for the Flyers It has become clear that the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> would not be where they are right now without Porter Martone, and they certainly would not have won their first Stanley Cup playoff appearance since 2020 without him, either. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/porter-martone-has-already-delivered-his-signature-moment-for-the-flyers] Analytically, Andrae, 24, has been excellent this season, but it's clear that head coach Rick Tocchet [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/flyers-coach-rick-tocchet-has-rave-reviews-for-porter-martone] doesn't yet trust him in an expanded role, which is only exacerbated in the higher-stakes playoffs. That may open the door to an opportunity for Bonk or Jiricek--the latter in particular--to come into the lineup and contribute on the power play. By inserting Jiricek, who played 19:37 alongside Seeler in a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens in the regular season finale [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/young-flyers-stars-dominate-season-finale-vs-canadiens], the Flyers can still have their desired right-shot point man on the power play while preserving someone like Rasmus Ristolainen or Jamie Drysdale for more important minutes at 5-on-5 or on the penalty kill. The 6-foot-4 Czech defender shouldn't have any issues handling the physicality of the series, either; the Flyers and Penguins combined for 80 hits on Saturday night. Flyers Boss Rick Tocchet Talks Matvei Michkov, Improved Recent Play [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/cd80a6f7-45a0-4848-97c5-5b6c805b712b.jpeg] Flyers Boss Rick Tocchet Talks Matvei Michkov, Improved Recent Play Things were never quite right between <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers">Philadelphia Flyers</a> head coach Rick Tocchet and phenom forward Matvei Michkov for much of the season, but Michkov's strong finish to the season has all but erased that now. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/flyers-boss-rick-tocchet-talks-matvei-michkov-improved-recent-play] Jiricek has 85 games of NHL experience and produced 13 points in 15 games with the Phantoms, so he isn't walking into a potential opportunity cold or blind. It would be a surprise if the Flyers changed their winning lineup from Game 1, but it should be acknowledged that there is a very real chance we see Jiricek or Bonk play for the Flyers at some point in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
