After a four-surgery season he called "the year from hell," new captain Chris Pronger was in the Flyers lineup Thursday for the first time in the preseason.
Pronger looked a bit rusty in the opening period but seemed to find his rhythm in the second period. He spent time at the point on the power play, and he helped set up the Flyers' two power-play goals in their 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center.
Pronger was credited with just one assist, but he keyed both goals.
"You can only practice so much and try to prepare that way, but there's nothing like some good, old-fashioned, live-action hockey," Pronger said before the opening faceoff. "You can't simulate that."
Pronger, who will turn 37 next month, was paired with his old defensive partner, Matt Carle. He also was on the power-play and penalty killing units.
"Decisions need to be quicker, and obviously the pace of a game is a lot quicker," he said about facing the Devils. "So getting into that action is what you need to prepare for the season."
Coach Peter Laviolette was happy to have him back. Pronger hadn't played since an April 30 playoff game against Boston; he had back surgery on May 13.
"It's always good when he's on the ice and in the room," Laviolette said before the game. "He wanted to play tonight. It was his call."
Laviolette said Pronger has been brought along slowly.
"He has not been rushed," the coach said. "He's 100 percent healed, so it's just really about his game and getting him confident, getting his conditioning and his strength up. He's at a point where he feels he can play minutes now."
Goalie Ilya Bryzgalov looked sharp in his best start of the preseason, stopping 17 of 18 shots before being replaced by Sergei Bobrovsky midway through the second period. Laviolette wanted to give both goalies some work.
Fourteen seconds into the second period, New Jersey took the lead when Stephane Veilleux knocked a rebound past a helpless Bryzgalov.
Wayne Simmonds' power-play goal with 7 minutes, 41 seconds remaining in the second period knotted the score. Simmonds pounced on a rebound of a shot taken by Claude Giroux.
"I just tried to get in front of the net because that's my job," Simmonds said. "We worked the puck around well. 'G' found a seam and he put it on net, and I was able to get the rebound."
About 11/2 minutes later, ageless Jaromir Jagr beat goalie Martin Brodeur, but his shot bounced off the left post.
