NEW YORK — With the puck on his stick, Nolan Patrick had less than a second to decide his next move. As the Rangers attempted to clear the zone, each team skating four aside, Philadelphia forced a turnover. After Jordan Weal made a close-quarters pass to Patrick, the 19-year-old rookie, playing in his fourth preseason game, was surrounded by blue sweaters, inches from the blue line, with his back to the goal.

In a blink, Patrick used one stickhandle to create a passing lane, floated the puck through Gabriel Fontaine, and onto the stick of a striding Travis Sanheim. With open ice ahead of him, Sanheim walked the puck down from the blue line and unleashed a slap shot that beat Henrik Lundqvist high to the glove side.

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On Monday, all eyes were on Patrick, whether it was the Rangers, those watching at home, or the Flyers brass. In that moment, Patrick showed the skill and vision that long had him projected as the first pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.

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Instead, Patrick was selected second following an injury-riddled draft eligible year. But with a clean bill of health, he will begin the season in Philadelphia hoping to provide a spark for a team that hasn't won a playoff series since 2012, one that finished tied for 26th in 5-on-5 scoring a year ago.

Two years ago, Patrick tore up the Western Hockey League to the tune of 102 points in 72 games. Had he been born four days earlier, he would have been eligible for the 2016 draft and, while he may not have challenged Auston Matthews or Patrick Laine, would have been a slam dunk at No. 3.

Instead, Patrick returned to the Brandon Wheat Kings for his fourth tour of WHL duty and played in 33 games — less than half the season — due to a groin injury that wasn't properly treated the previous offseason.

"I don't really think about it too much," Patrick said Monday. "I'm not thinking, 'This is amazing playing again.' I'm just taking it shift-by-shit and trying to contribute as much as I can."

The Flyers' expectations for Patrick are high. You can hear it in how his teammates and coaches talk about him and how the Flyers have been deploying the rookie in training camp. Patrick has been skating between Jordan Weal and Wayne Simmonds on the Flyers' presumed second line. Philadelphia has shifted long-time center Claude Giroux to the left on its top line, centered by Sean Couturier. If Giroux can be an offensive force in that spot, Patrick can help justify the move by being effective in his role, rounding out the top-six.

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"It's another step in the right direction," Patrick said of his performance against the Rangers. "Obviously, you never want to lose, but a lot of the systems we've been working on have been improving, and we're going to keep working."

It was hard to imagine the Flyers starting the regular season with Patrick in the AHL. He hasn't officially been named to the opening day roster, but that seems like more of a formality at this point. Good showings of late, albeit in the preseason, are helping Philadelphia breathe a bit easier as his penciled-in name on its regular season roster is slowly written over in permanent ink.

"As the speed of the games go up, there's always more to learn," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said. "There are some great areas tonight to look at for him to be able to learn from. Over the last week he's done a little bit more offensively each and every night. He's impacted the game offensively each of our last three games, and that's been a real positive."

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Perhaps what was most impressive about Patrick's assist Monday was how quickly the play transpired. One of the most difficult transitions for an amateur player joining the NHL ranks is the lack of time and space afforded to him. Facilitating possession or creating scoring chances in small areas is a skill in itself and, the microprocessor a player functions through often needs to be recalibrated when making the jump to the NHL to work at a faster pace.

"Every game, he's getting better," Giroux said. "He's feeling more comfortable, he's keeping the puck, and making plays. His hands in traffic, it's pretty fun to watch. He doesn't have a lot of time and he finds a way to make a little pass and that little play."

Patrick called it an instinct play, echoing Hakstol. The subtext of that analysis though is, in situations where skill and vision is required to produce a result, Patrick's instinct is to make the right decision.

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"It was a heck of a play to put Sanheim down the left side there," Hakstol said. "Those are the kind of things that he can do that's hockey sense, knowing what's around him and being a step ahead."

The Flyers have three more preseason games, all at home, before they begin the regular season next Wednesday. It's a difficult stretch out of the gate for Philadelphia, which opens on a four-game road trip, including with a back-to-back against the Sharks and Kings. They finish a West Coast swing at Anaheim, before making a stop in Nashville to face the defending Western Conference champion Predators on their way back to Philadelphia.

It's not an easy stretch for any team or player, let alone a rookie center trying to prove his worth, having to potentially line up across the likes of Joe Thornton, Anze Kopitar or Ryan Getzlaf, all top-of-the-line players.

The type of player the Flyers hope Patrick can one day become.

"He's going to be a pretty good player," Giroux said.

Oh, so Philadelphia hopes.