Nikita Grebenkin didn’t get the revenge game he might have wanted when the Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs this weekend, but opportunity knocked twice when the Flyers played the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Grebenkin, 22, made the play the Flyers absolutely needed from him, and did so as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
The affable Russian forward prospect helped the Flyers survive the Canadiens on Tuesday night after blowing a 3-0 lead, getting the Flyers back even at 4-4 midway through the third period.
After Jamie Drysdale retrieved a puck in the neutral zone and evaded pressure with an outlet pass to Travis Konecny, Grebenkin picked up a short-distance pass, cut across the faces of multiple Canadiens defenders, and lasered a shot past goalie Sam Montembeault, who found himself sliding in the complete opposite direction.
Grebenkin finished the game with just 9:41 of ice time, but for the second time in three games, he’s made a key impact.
On Saturday against his old Maple Leafs, Grebenkin directly set up the Flyers’ only even-strength goal of the contest with his crafty pass to Christian Dvorak.
The Flyers blew a 1-0 lead then, too, and lost that one, but they can thank Grebenkin and the Maple Leafs for Tuesday night’s eventual 5-4 shootout win over the Canadiens.
Grebenkin was on the case and stepped up as a young player when his team needed him the most, and that should only further endear him to head coach Rick Tocchet as he begins to adapt more and more to the NHL game.
With his first NHL goal, Grebenkin is now up to a solid goal, two assists, and three points in nine games with the Flyers this season.
The former fifth-round pick hadn’t even been a lineup staple to this point, but Flyers fans love the kid and want to see him play. Now, he’s starting to back it up.
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As for the rest of the game, Bobby Brink scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season to give the Flyers 1-0 and 3-0 leads, respectively, with his two tallies abbreviated by Cam York’s first tuck of the season.
Budding superstar Trevor Zegras aided Brink’s power play goal and York’s goal, then sealed the deal with his shootout winner to secure the comeback 5-4 win.
Zegras, 24, is now up to four goals, 11 assists, and 15 points in 13 games this season, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to imagine where the Flyers would be without him.
Fortunately, with his (and Grebenkin’s) contributions, the Flyers are now 7-5-1 and occupy the last wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference behind, ironically, the Maple Leafs.
