Flyers experience playoff atmosphere for first time in years: ‘It was awesome’

Philadelphia has not seen playoff hockey in its city in eight years. Sunday was about as close to a playoff atmosphere as you are going to get. The Flyers felt it.

“All I heard before I came here was that the fans are passionate here, so I wanted to experience it myself when I get,” Daniel Vladar said. “So it was great.”

The Flyers’ 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday afternoon propelled them into the third seed in the Metropolitan Division, placing them in playoff position for the first time since mid-January. Since the Olympic break, the Flyers have steadily raised their level of play, earning control of their playoff fate with five games remaining.

“The team’s done a great job since training camp,” head coach Rick Tocchet said postgame. “A little bit of a roller coaster sometimes, but for the most part, this team has stuck together all year. Really proud of them.”

Tocchet took a lot of heat earlier this season for how certain aspects were being handled, particularly the development of Matvei Michkov. However, in the Flyers’ most important game of the year, they stayed level-headed and were prepared. That falls on the shoulders of Tocchet and his staff.

“You should be stressed if you’re not prepared, and we’re prepared,” Tocchet said on his pre-game message. “I think our team’s prepared to play. Now, whether we execute and all that stuff, you know, who knows. But, for the most part, we were prepared to play the game [Sunday], so why get stressed?”

For a franchise trying to reestablish itself, Sunday meant more than just two points. Over the last decade-plus, the Flyers have drifted out of the city’s spotlight. The Flyers have not been particularly relevant since their run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010, where they were bounced by the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. Since then, Flyers fans have starved for relevance. Sunday’s win not only put them back into pertinence in the city, but also ignited a fire inside the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

In the Flyers’ biggest game since the bubble during the pandemic, the game-winning goal came from 19-year-old rookie Porter Martone. He became the youngest player in franchise history to score in overtime, and also got a taste of playoff atmosphere in Philadelphia.

“It was awesome,” Martone said. “[Trevor] Zegras got me in a pretty good headlock there, so I didn’t really get to see it much. But it was awesome to get that win in front of these fans.”

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The Flyers have pulled the city back in — and it was unmistakable Sunday afternoon.

“We knew they were going to bring high energy and great atmosphere,” Christian Dvorak, who scored the game’s opening goal, said postgame. “They were into it early. It was awesome to get them a win.”

The message to the many young players who have entered the Flyers organization over the last few years — like Martone, Michkov, Tyson Foerster, among others — has been to wait and see what the crowd is like when the games really matter. It has felt like a black hole — a playoff-caliber atmosphere that few players in this locker room have ever experienced. They are finally seeing it.

“We kind of owed them a W here because … I don’t think we played up to our standards at home,” Vladar said. “I’m glad that [Sunday] we got the win for them. They deserve it for sure.”

When Martone scored his overtime winner, the outburst at the Xfinity Mobile Arena was one that we have not seen in years. It was a taste of what playoff hockey can be in Philadelphia. What relevance can feel like for the Flyers organization. And it was delivered by the kid who has played just four NHL games. It was not just rejoicing, it was relief. It was more than a goal. It was a glimpse of what could be, not just later this month, but for the future.

“It was awesome,” Martone said. “The past two games, the crowd’s showed out. It was loud. And to get them that win was huge.”

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