Flyers Overturned Goal in Overtime Turns into Hurricanes Win
Michael Reaves/Flyers Nitty Gritty
The Philadelphia Flyers played in a dramatic sequence for 60 minutes and on, after a hard fought battle in Raleigh leading to a the 4-3 OT loss in heartbreaking fashion, as a game winning goal from Bobby Brink was ruled goalie interference. There were great performances of players getting their season started, such as Owen Tippett, Trevor Zegras, Bobby Brink, and Travis Sanheim. Overall, the FLyers were not able to get the job done tonight, even though they put up a great fight against a probable cup contender in the Carolina Hurricanes.
Grebenkin Tallies his First NHL Point
Tonight, Flyers forward Nikita Grebenkin was set to play his first regular season game for the Flyers, after being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs during the Scott Laughton deal at last seasons’ trade deadline.
Though there were not high expectations for Grebenkin after being a healthy scratch in the season opener in Florida, he showed his potential tonight, as he racked up his first ever point in the National Hockey League on an assist to give the Flyers the lead off of a goal from Bobby Brink.
Grebenkin is well liked by fans and will continue to make an impact for this team down the road, even if he stays on the fourth line.
Ersson Stands up Strong
Going into this season, one of the biggest questions had to do with Flyers goalie Sam Ersson. With a down season last year, and the addition to Dan Vladar from the Calgary Flames in the offseason, the Flyers were not set on Ersson as the starting goaltender. This continued in the preseason, as Vladar greatly outplayed Ersson in their share of games for the past month.
With all that talk, Ersson was able to limit damage tonight against the Hurricanes, who are no easy opponent. Ersson saved 35 out of 39 shots from Carolina tonight, leading to a .897 save percentage. With the defense struggling to make passes and defend the rush, this performance by Ersson may be looked at as solid, as he shutout the Canes for the first and third period, with all three regulation goals coming in the second period, where they Flyers don’t usually shine.
Overall, one game will not be enough to tell about Ersson and his future this season in Philadelphia, but tonight was a good performance to start with for Sam.
Sanheim Starts his Season Strong
This season, defensively, the Flyers will heavily rely on Travis Sanheim to perform as he has in the past. Tonight was a great show of what Sanheim is capable of doing, as he played 38 shifts and scored the eventual game tying goal in the third period.
In his 38 shifts, Sanheim played a total of 29 minutes and 34 seconds, which is usually around his par. Sanheim staying out on the ice is important, and will a theme for this year, as it has been for the last few seasons.
Along with his two shots and a goal, Sanheim blocked four shots tonight, had a takeaway, and no giveaways. This performance tonight by Sanheim is more than the Flyers ask for, and hope it continues throughout the long season.
Still in Search for First Win
After two games played, the Flyers have lost in regulation and in overtime, but have not brought two points to the table yet. Both losses have been one score games against two top tier teams in the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes.
Though only two games in out of 82, this loss hurts the Flyers and the fans, as it came in heartbreaking fashion. Controversy came in the final minute of the overtime period as Bobby Brink scored what he thought was his first overtime winning goal, but after review in Toronto, the play was deemed goaltender interference on Sanheim.
Whether Hurricanes’ goalie Frederik Anderson gave contact to Sanheim or he was ran into, this loss by the Flyers was very disappointing, and we will have to wait until Monday night’s home opener against the Florida Panthers to get another shot at a win.
Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
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