Flyers Use a 26 Second Surge to Deliver a 6-Goal Statement Against the Devils
Nov 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Tyson Foerster (71) reacts with teammates after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils in the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Tonight’s game against the division rival New Jersey Devils had to be circled on the calendar as an early-season test for this growing Flyers squad. Not only did tonight mark the quarter point of the season, but the Flyers did a beautiful tribute to Flyers icon Bernie Parent before the game, honoring the life and legacy of one of the greatest goaltenders in NHL history.
The first period has not been the friend of the Flyers this season. Tonight, they flipped that script in a loud way. The Devils scored first. Timo Meier got the scoring started when he gloved a rebound, put it on his stick, and wristed it past Daniel Vladar for the opening goal.
It felt like business as usual for the Flyers this season. Nothing could be further from what happened in the first.
Noah Cates tied the game up with a snap shot off a rebound past Devils goalie Jake Allen. Three minutes later, the Flyers exploded for 3 goals in 26 seconds. The first was by Matvei Michkov from a beautiful outlet pass by Sean Couturier to Michkov, who was streaking out of the defensive end and on a breakaway, he went five-hole on Allen, to put the Flyers on top.
Before fans could even settle back in from celebrating the Michkov goal, nine seconds later, Tyson Foerster took a cross-ice pass from Noah Cates and banged it past Allen.
Seventeen seconds later, the same pair struck again. Cates dished to Foerster, and this time he wristed a shot past Allen, who had to feel rattled after that explosion. The three goals in 26 seconds mark the fastest three goals scored in franchise history. The Flyers fans in attendance were about as loud as they have been all season after that. After the game, Rick Tocchet said he was pleased that they gave the fans something to cheer for.
What was impressive was that the Flyers didn’t take their foot off the gas, Bobby Brink scored a goal in the second, but Nico Hischer got one to bring the Devils back to within 3, and in the third, he tallied another after Sheldon Keefe pulled Allen to bring on the extra skater, but Trevor Zegras pulled the lead back to 3 on a breakaway, and that’s where it ended, 6-3.
This was the highest goal output for the Flyers this season, and in a rivalry game on home ice, this was a huge way to close out this mini home stand. The thing that was impressive tonight wasn’t just the three-goal explosion; it was that this is the blueprint for what the Flyers have to do to consistently win hockey games: put shots on goal. Tonight, they had 29; granted, they were outshot by the Devils, who had 35, but they were putting shots on goal, and they proved that when they can get in the neighborhood of 30, the offense buzzes.
While the offense deserves all of the flowers for this win, the neutral zone play was much improved tonight, as was evident by the Flyers winning the takeaway battle 7-2. They needed it because the Devils kept fighting all game and never waved the white flag in this game. They kept pressure on the Flyers, and the defense stepped up. Vladar made some high-level saves tonight, quite a few that would have made Parent very proud. His play tonight kept the Devils at bay and genuinely pushed away the Devils at every momentum turn, of which there were quite a few later in the game.
In a night where the offense exploded for 6 goals it would be natural to look at Foerster who had 2 goals, or Cates who had the 2 dishes on those goals and a goal himself and think that was the story line of tonight’s game, but I want to look at someone who didn’t light up the stat sheet tonight, but was instrumental in the win tonight. The captain, Couturier, did all of the little things tonight to put his teammates in positions to win. He did have 2 assists in the game, but that wasn’t all he did. He kept pucks alive on the boards, which is something that he and the rest of the Flyers have struggled with this season.
This was a great win; the offense showed up with that killer instinct that we know they have and kept their foot on the gas pedal all the way to the end. This game was more than just 2 points; it was 2 points against a heated rival who has been playing good hockey this season. I feel like we will look back at this game later in the season as a turning point. It was more than just a win; it was a declaration of belief from a team hopefully coming into its own.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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