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Gudas ejected from Flyers' preseason win

Radko Gudas, the Flyers' most physical defenseman, played in his first preseason game Monday, and he lasted less than the one period before being ejected at the Wells Fargo Center.

Radko Gudas, the Flyers' most physical defenseman, played in his first preseason game Monday, and he lasted less than the one period before being ejected at the Wells Fargo Center.

Gudas, who sat out the first five exhibition games because of an injured right wrist, received five minutes for boarding the Rangers' Jimmy Vesey, five minutes for fighting, and a game misconduct.

A suspension may be forthcoming, which could affect some of the Flyers' roster decisions if it goes into the regular season. Gudas' history of transgressions is against him, but the fact that a bloodied Vesey returned in the second period may help his cause.

The Flyers blew a 3-0 lead but won it on a flashy individual play by Jake Voracek 27 seconds into overtime, giving them a 4-3 victory. Voracek weaved around the Rangers defense - including Ryan McDonagh - and deposited his second goal of the night.

The Flyers got earlier goals from Jordan Weal (on a delayed penalty), Voracek (five-on-three), and Travis Konecny (power play). Konecny, who is tied with Brayden Schenn for the team's scoring lead with four preseason points, and Weal (two goals) are battling for roster spots.

"He's aggressive, he competes, he's not scared of going to the net, and wins a lot of battles," Claude Giroux said of Konecny, his linemate in the captain's first preseason appearance since returning from the World Cup. "He's definitely fun to play with."

The Flyers' first goal was scored against Henrik Lundqvist, the last three against Mackenzie Skapski.

Rookie defensemen Ivan Provorov had another strong game for the Flyers (3-2-1), contributing an assist and playing a team-high 25 minutes, 44 seconds.

"I'm feeling more and more comfortable with every game," he said.

The Flyers will be shorthanded when the season starts Oct. 14 in Los Angeles because Schenn will be suspended for the first three games. The NHL-mandated suspension stems from an incident in last season's playoffs.

If Gudas gets suspended, the Flyers would have only 19 skaters to choose from in their opener instead of 21. Schenn and Gudas would count as two of the 21 skaters teams are allowed to keep.

Five defensive spots figure to belong to Michael Del Zotto, Shayne Gostisbehere (two assists), Gudas, Nick Schultz, and Mark Streit.

The Flyers will probably keep seven D-men, which means Provorov, Sam Morin, Andrew McDonald, and Brandon Manning are battling for two spots.

Morin was having a strong game Monday before his giveaway led to Brandon Pirri's goal, getting the Rangers within 3-2 early in the third period. Vesey later tied it after a bad clearing attempt by goalie Steve Mason.

The Flyers have two exhibitions remaining - Thursday in New York against the Rangers and Saturday in Boston.

Coach Dave Hakstol said that he would have "parts" of his opening-night lineup in Thursday's game and that the lineup he uses Saturday will be "pretty close" to the group he plays in the Oct. 14 opener.

"We still have some things to figure out in terms of personnel and combinations," he said before Monday's game. "We've only got so much time to look at things, and obviously we're running out of days."

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull