The Flyers Clinch Stanley Cup Playoffs, Beat Hurricanes in the Shootout
Kyle Ross/Imagn Images
For the first time since the 2020 bubble season, the Philadelphia Flyers are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after taking down the Carolina Hurricanes in a shootout, avoiding the sweep against a team that had beaten them nine times prior to tonight. In a game that went up and down constantly, the Flyers pulled it off at last, after efforts from the whole team came together to end this drought once and for all.
Before tonight, the Flyers had lost to the Hurricanes three times this season, all past regulation time. With the Hurricanes looking to secure the top spot in the Eastern Conference, head coach Rod Brind’Amour had no signs of mercy on him, and would not make this fight easy for the Flyers. So much so that the Flyers would have to overcome a multi-goal deficit to win the hockey game 3-2 in the shootout. Defense turned up the stick checks, offense continued the chances, and Dan Vladar stood tall like he had always done this season, and the Philadelphia Flyers are playoff bound.
Flyers Suffer Disappointing Start, go Down Two Goals in the First
With the game looking the Flyers’ way after the Hurricanes had announced a handful of stars would be benched, the Flyers were not pleased after they had given up the first goal after so many missed chances on the other side. The Hurricanes got the puck in point blank and made no mistake burying the puck for the early lead. After that, Christian Dvorak took a penalty at the blue line in the offensive zone, putting the Canes on the man advantage. On the power play, the Hurricanes would get a fortuitous bounce off of Sanheim, where defenseman Nikola Ehlers would Bank the puck in from the angle, making it a 2-0 lead early on. Something had to change in the locker room.
Power Play Strikes When it Mattered Most, Zegras Ties the Game at Two
After a disappointing first period, the Flyers would calm the situation for the start of the period, as for the first seven minutes, the Flyers settled down and found their defense and passes to be sharp.Once all was settled, it was Matvei Michkov who would break the ice for the Flyers with back to back games with a goal for the kid. Just under eight minutes in, the Flyers were right back in it. A beautiful seam pass from Denver Barkey got Michkov in his position for the wrister.
With the electric crowd on their feet, it would only get louder as the Flyers would go on their first power play of the game, after former Philadelphia Flyers Sean Walker would rip off the helmet of Flyers’ forward Trevor Zegras, who would ultimately be the one to remove the roof off of Xfinity Mobile Arena.
For the last ranked power play in the National Hockey League at 15.5 percent, the fans would not expect the second unit on the man advantage to keep the play alive and get the puck to Zegras, where patiencs would pay off, and Zegras would send the puck through the five hole on Brandon Bussi, who has been excellent all year in his rookie season.
This also means a lot to Zegras. Not only does he move into third place for most points in the first year with the Flyers, but he now has 13 points in his last 13 games, which was capped off by his power play tally. The game was tied in a huge way, and the momentum was all on the Flyers’ side, as South Philadelphia hockey hadn’t been louder.
Flyers Survive Third Period and Overtime, Win the Game in the Shootout
In the third period, both teams would stay dead even at two goals a piece. Defense was elite when it had to be, as back checking and poke checks were at their peak late in the game. Keeping the Canes off the board late was also thanks to Vladar, who was absolutely locked in the third period, and overtime, as the Flyers wouldn’t give up anything no matter what.
Tonight, Vladar saved 24 shots out of 26 total shots from Carolina for a save percentage of .923 percent on the night. Vladar was able to move past the two early goals on three shots easily, as the Hurricanes wouldn’t score in the second period, the third period, the overtime frame, or the shootout, as Vladar stopped all four of his shooters.
The Flyers, however, were also struggling during the shootout, as both squads would go scoreless in the first three attempts each. It wasn’t until Tyson Foerster, who came back early to help the playoff push that had sparked after the California trip, who ripped the puck glove side up top on Bussi, putting the Hurricanes on their edge, where Vladar would ultimately stop the last attempt from the Hurricanes. The Flyers won the hockey game after all the hard work and patience.
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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