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Did you see the goal? “Yeah,” said Noah Cates, laughing too. “I saw,” added Cam York with a chuckle. The goal? That was Connor McDavid breaking ankles and stealing hearts against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. McDavid got the puck in the neutral zone, turned around, and cut across the blue line before picking up speed, spinning, and making sophomore Blue Jackets defenseman Denton Mateychuk look silly as he fell over himself. It was a 1000% better move than when the Edmonton Oilers captain turned Toronto Maple Leafs star defenseman Morgan Rielly inside-out. » READ MORE: Flourtown’s Mike Richter isn’t in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He should be. And, of course, like that one with Michael Hutchinson in net, McDavid scored against Jet Greaves. this time with a whirling backhander. “He can do anything he wants on the ice,” Cates said Tuesday. “You have a good angle, you’re in his face, you’re skating with him, that’s where I want to be. [It’s] what I try to do when I’m facing those guys; just try to put yourself in a good position, get a good angle, get a good stick.” Cates and his linemates Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster, the latter a full participant in practice on Tuesday and an option to return against the Oilers (7:30 p.m., NBCSP), often go up against the opposition’s top lines. The trio shut down Sidney Crosby’s line in a 3-2 shootout win on Oct. 28, something they did with ease last year, too. Last season, the defensive pairing of Cam York and Travis Sanheim played the majority of the time against McDavid at five-on-five. McDavid was on the ice for two goals for the Oilers, collecting one assist. He had one more assist in overtime as they split the season series. “It’s tough. He’s one of the best at changing directions quickly,” York said. “He’s going to get good chances, but you just don’t want them to be Grade A chances. That takes a group of six guys to do that.” But the Oilers are a different beast compared to the team that usually brings waves of offense. Despite Monday’s 5-4 overtime win which snapped a three-game losing streak, the Oilers have won just three of their past nine games. They’re also without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who was placed on injured reserve Monday, and while Zach Hyman is expected to return this week from a wrist injury sustained in last year’s postseason, according to Sports 1440’s Jason Gregor, it won’t be against the Flyers. Considering the presence of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, that doesn’t mean the Oilers are any less dangerous. Usually, coach Rick Tocchet says his preparation for a game is 85% about the Flyers and 15% about the opponent. When facing McDavid? “Yeah, it’s probably 50-50,” Tocchet said with a grin. The Flyers’ bench boss has faced McDavid plenty. In his two full seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Tocchet’s squad went 4-1 in regular-season games McDavid played — he did not play in one game last season — but the speedy center did put up seven points (two goals, five assists). Across his 17 games against the Flyers, McDavid has a whopping 11 goals and 22 assists. Two of his goals are game-winners. “I think whoever’s out there against him and Draisaitl, you’ve just got to take their time and space away,” Flyers captain Sean Couturier said. “That’s the key against any great offensive player: Make it tough on them. That’s really a tough job, but it’s a great opportunity, a great challenge, and I think we’re all open to it.” Veterans Day The Flyers partnered with the United Heroes League to host the military on Veterans Day. Active-duty service members hopped on the ice with players and the coaching staff, skating around, trading shots, and getting tips from the pros. “I saw one of the guys, and I wanted to go run over to him, but he was taking backdoor tap-ins from Jay [Varady, assistant coach],” said forward Garnet Hathaway, who supports first responders through his charity, Hath’s Heroes. “He was getting the same skill practice that I would go through post-practice. They’re part of the team today.” “[It’s] a very small way, a possible way, we can show our appreciation and our thanks,” he added, “because we’re as excited as they are to be here.” » READ MORE: Defenseman Emil Andrae could grow into a bigger role for the Flyers The military members got to watch a long, intense practice that saw the Flyers skate on both rinks before some players went back to the first rink to work on the power play. York said everyone he met was a huge hockey fan and “some of the guys were saying that they were bringing hockey sticks to Afghanistan.” “Always special,” said Couturier, who was spotted having a long chat with one of the members of the military near the benches. “They do everything for this country, so to give them a day like this, it’s just fun to be around and get to hear their stories. Yeah, it’s just a great day.” The service members were wearing military-themed Flyers jerseys with the No. 25 and a nameplate with words like loyalty, dedication, and heroic. Even the goalie, who took shots from his fellow service members along with some Flyers, including Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, York, and Sanheim. “It’s huge,” said Tocchet. “The sacrifice they do. ... That’s the ultimate sacrifice. So any time that stuff comes our way, we welcome [it] with [open] arms.”
