Flyers Sweep West Coast Road Trip and Win Third Straight, Beat the Sharks 4-1

The Philadelphia Flyers, after a back-to-back sweep against the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings, finished off their California trip in Northern California as they took on the young San Jose Sharks this afternoon. Although the final score reads 4-1, the Flyers had to fight until the final empty net goal, as the Sharks and their young snipers would not go away.

The Flyers needed it all to come out on top tonight, as a converted power play goal gave the Flyers the lead in the third, and a huge save by Daniel Vladar kept the Sharks at a lone goal. After a stellar performance by Vladar in net and by the Flyers’ blue liners, the Flyers have won their seventh road win in a row, one shy of the franchise record.

Wilson Lifts the Bench in the Second Game Back to Start the Game

Although the first period seemed boring, there were plenty of chances on both sides, with Vladar for the Flyers and Alex Nedeljkovic for the Sharks standing tall between the pipes.

Another jolt of excitement came from the tilt between veteran enforcer Ryan Reaves and Garrett Wilson, who is playing in just his second game since the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Pittsburgh Penguins. For battling a 225-pound fighting legend, Wilson got a lot of credit for the battle he gave him, resulting in Reaves needing to get looked at by the trainers on the bench for a finger injury. Seeing the Phantoms’ former captain, Wilson, find a way to contribute to this Flyers club by starting the game with a bang gives the room morale to build on. Though there wasn’t a score in the first frame, Wilson gave the Flyers fans something to cheer loudly for.

Ryan Reaves headed right to the bench to get his finger popped back in after throwing hands with Garret Wilson 🤜💥pic.twitter.com/NK9s6yJrmq

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) March 21, 2026

Tippett Continues His Red Hot Streak, Opens the Scoring

The second period would end square as well, although this time both clubs would tally a goal in the frame. For the Flyers, Owen Tippett‘s speed and skill would finally pay off, as he was able to bring himself to a prime position to score, where he would rip it in off iron for the early lead in the second period. This is Tippett’s fourth goal in his last six games, meaning he is continuing one of his many spurts throughout the season, during which his skill and speed combo shine.

After the Flyers took the lead, the Sharks would get a number of power plays, where they would ultimately cash in a little later on Dimitry Orlov’s first power play goal of the season after he was left open at point blank. If you gamble enough, you will eventually lose, and the Flyers eventually gave up a power-play goal after showing a strong penalty kill on multiple Sharks power plays earlier.

Flyers Rejoice as Power Play Finally Strikes After Severe Struggles

With the Sharks at 31st in the league in the third period and the Flyers in sixth (in terms of +/-), the Flyers knew this was the opportunity, and maybe the only one of the game in order to break the tie. With the sixth-best third-period team up against the 31st, it only took 1:47 for Christian Dvorak to pot home not only the game-winning goal for the Flyers, but the first Flyers’ power play goal in exactly 20 power play opportunities. Although Dvorak isn’t known for his aggressive goal-scoring, he found himself wide open near the slot, allowing him to rip the puck into the top left corner on Nedeljkovic for the 2-1 lead. Though the power play had not seen a goal in 20 attempts prior, there had been good puck movement earlier in the game on the earlier three power plays, foreshadowing that the right guy would get the puck eventually, which is what happened to start the period.

The power play, however, wouldn’t be the only highlight of the period for the Flyers, as Vladar stood tall on his head to keep the Sharks off the board in the third period. Having to face the teenager in Macklin Celebrini, who came into today with 95 points on the year, on the power play is no easy task. Still, Vladar shut the door on Celebrini and the rest of the Sharks, for a final save percentage of .960 tonight. Even with the excellence of Trevor Zegras, Tippett, and Travis Konecny, it’s Vladar who has kept them as alive as they are up to this point.

With the win today, the Flyers have now passed both the Washington Capitals and the Ottawa Senators, as they are now only four points out of both wild card spots currently held by the Detroit Red Wings and the Boston Bruins, and three points out of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the last spot in the Metropolitan Division. No one should get too excited, but the Flyers are currently on pace for 95 points, which, even if it doesn’t keep them in the hunt, shows massive improvements for a team that has been trying to escape the rebuild for over half a decade now.

The Flyers look to get two more in regulation as they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at home in an all-important division match-up Tuesday at 7:00 PM.

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