Tomas Hyka Makes His Mark, But Flyers Lose Bryz's Preseason Debut

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We're not gonna go nuts analyzing this one, save for letting those of you who didn't watch the Flyers second preseason game know that they lost it by a 4-2 count and didn't look quite as good as the (almost entirely different) Flyers group did the night before. Despite dressing a more veteran group on Wednesday night and starting their new starting goaltender, the boys lost at home to the Maple Leafs and were generally outplayed for most of the game.

There was understandable rust combined with some bad luck on deflections getting past Ilya Bryzgalov, and really, we're not going to lose any sleep over a lackluster first preseason game from a team that saw a ton of turnover in the offseason. One forward stood out among the group though, both before and during the game—Tomas Hyka.

More, plus video highlights, below.

Several beats tweeted that Hyka had been sent back to his junior squad, but the Flyers called him back before he boarded the plane today. The 18-year-old Czech forward was given ice time with Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell, including on the powerplay. Hyka scored the Flyers' first goal of the night, pulling in a pass from last night's standout player, Matt Read, and beating Jonas Gustavsson. Hyka then made himself at home in the Wells Fargo Center, cupping his glove to his ear as he skated along the boards in celebration of the goal.

(Photo: AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

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