PHILADELPHIA (AP) - New captain Chris Pronger, recovering from two offseason surgeries, made his preseason debut in the Flyers’ 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.
Pronger, who last played April 30 during a second-round playoff loss to the Boston Bruins, underwent procedures on his wrist and back. But general manager Paul Holmgren and coach Peter Laviolette are optimistic he’ll be ready for the regular season. And on Thursday, he took a big step, registering an assist, one shot, two blocked shots, and even a 2:00 roughing penalty.
Jaromir Jagr, one of the Flyers’ marquee offseason signings, scored the game winner, his fourth of the preseason, on a power play at 12:48 of the third.
Martin Brodeur and Ilya Bryzgalov, former All-Star goaltenders for the Devils and Flyers, respectively, started. Brodeur (25 saves) went the duration. Bryzgalov was replaced at 10:30 of the second by Sergei Bobrovsky, after 17 stops.
Stephane Veilleux scored for New Jersey.
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