Flyers Get Blown Out At Home To Lowly Rangers as Their Playoff Chances Get Slimmer by the Day
Mar 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) and defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) reacts after allowing a goal against the New York Rangers during the second period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Flyers, trying to bank on their sustained momentum after a clutch shootout win vs. the Penguins, got embarrassed tonight at the Xfinity Mobile Arena vs. the Rangers. In a game in which both their leading goal scorer, Travis Konecny, and defenseman Nick Seeler returned, they were blown out 6-2. The game was over after the 1st period against a New York team that is currently starting a retool. The Flyers and Rangers finish their season series, with the Rangers finishing at 3-1-1.
Daniel Vladar looked exhausted tonight, and it could be a sign of a heavy workload for the goalkeeper who has been fantastic all season. He missed plenty of shots that he just couldn’t properly corral or adequately rebound. It was easily Vladar’s worst showing of the season, and it raises some concern.
Even with the difference in goals, the Flyers still outshot the Rangers 33-27. The Flyers only shot 15 times against the Penguins on Saturday, so this was a much-needed improvement as they showed much more life offensively. Rangers goalkeeper Igor Shesterkin saved 32 out of the 34 shots.
The first period was all Rangers, and it wasn’t pretty one bit for the Flyers. By the time the clock hit zero, the Rangers were already up 3-0. Just 64 seconds in, Vladar had a shot that he stopped by Matthew Robertson, but he couldn’t hold on to the puck as the rebound went right to Noah Laba to make it 1-0. Both Jamie Drysdale and Noah Cates couldn’t stop him. Speaking of Drysdale, he did not have a great period on the ice. He was put in a tough spot on the second goal and then got taken out along the boards by Gabe Perreault, which allowed the Rangers to get the puck to Mika Zibanejad, who scored. He continues to destroy the Flyers, with his 25th goal in 52 games vs Philadelphia.
Rookie Alex Bump, who scored on his NHL debut on Saturday, made his home debut. He also made his way into the penalty box for the first time for high-sticking, which led to the Rangers’ third goal of the period on the advantage. Alexis Lafreniere got a pass from Zibanejad, which was his 25th assist vs. the Flyers, to go along with all his goals. Both Zibanejad and Lafrienere both recorded goals and assists in the first period.
The Flyers created plenty of chances in the 2nd period, including two shots from Bump that were both saved by Shesterskin. Owen Tippett also got a breakaway, which he also couldn’t convert. The Flyers were able to score in this period when they received a power play from Adam Fox shooting the puck over the glass. They were able to get on the board when Matvei Michkov buried it from the left post off a pass from Drysdale.
30 seconds later, the Rangers extended their lead back to three when Gabe Perreault scored on a power play after Konecny got called for holding. They then added two more goals, both on the power play late into the period, when Cam York dove for the puck and got called for tripping. Perreault set up Zibanejad once again to make it 5-1. 20 seconds later, the Rangers got their sixth when Vladislav Gavrikov sniped a shot from 59 feet, which the shot just eluded Vladar. New York went three-for-four on the power play, which just showcased the Flyers’ defensive collapse tonight.
Vladar’s night was done after the second, when Samuel Errson entered to finish the third. Late in the final period, Sean Couturier was able to finally score with a goalie in net for the first time since December 7, off an assist from Luke Glendening, whom the Flyers had just recently claimed off waivers for his first assist as a Flyer. Besides that, both teams traded shots and skated out the clock, with the final score 6-2 in favor of the Rangers.
The Flyers are now seven points out of a playoff spot with 19 games to go and are now behind two points to the Washington Capitals, as the Flyers also have a game in hand. They’ll continue their homestand by facing them Wednesday night in a huge matchup, which could make or break the Flyers’ season. Their playoff hopes are already slim, but losing at home in blowout fashion to the worst team in the conference could just be the icing on the cake.
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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