Unlikely heroes come through in Flyers’ playoff-clinching win: ‘This is why you play’
Philadelphia Flyers goalie Dan Vladar reacts after a win in an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
The Flyers’ first three shooters in the shootout on Monday night were Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, and Travis Konecny. They combine for a 38% shootout rate over their careers. Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Brandon Bussi stuffed all three. The trio each went to Bussi’s left side, and he shut them all down.
The Flyers turned to Tyson Foerster as their shooter in the fourth round. He entered the evening with a career one-for-eight record in the shootout. He took on a different attack. He came right at Bussi, slowing up at the end, and fired a shot right in front of him. Rather than winding to his left, he went top-shelf on his glove side. Bussi had no chance. It ended up being the winner for the Flyers, clinching their first Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2020, igniting the loudest Flyers crowd at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in years, packed with 19,795 fans, into a frenzy.
“It’s a dream,” Foerster said after the Flyers’ 3-2 win on Monday. “This is why you play. We’re looking forward to it.”
USE THE FOERS! #CARvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/igpyACLGkE
— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 14, 2026
Foerster missed 49 games after injuring his shoulder while taking a one-timer on December 1. He led the team in goals at the time with 10. The Flyers were forced into a long stretch without one of their youngest and top scorers. They weathered through it. Since his earlier-than-anticipated return on April 2 against Detroit, he has three goals and has provided a significant lift to the Flyers’ top line.
“I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t think he was going to come back [from the injury],” head coach Rick Tocchet said postgame. “You have the target dates. But he was determined. A lot of lonely days for him, working out.”
The 24-year-old winger grinded his way back through those desolate hours. It was instrumental in fueling this Flyers run.
“He just adds the sniper for us,” Tocchet said. “That was a hell of a goal. Didn’t seem like there was a lot of room there; their goalie looked big. I don’t know how he found it. It was a great shot.”
Foerster’s youthful presence is just one of the many young forwards the Flyers possess who have helped them achieve a ticket to the postseason. But there are veterans that pave the way for them. Rasmus Ristolainen is one of them. He has been in the NHL for 13 seasons. He has played 820 games. He has been in endless trade rumors for as long as he has been around. And now, at age 31, he is finally going to the playoffs for the first time in his career.
“They’ve been fighting hard for years,” Foerster said of the older guys. “We’re lucky enough to get there. We’ve been battling all year. The fans have been great. These guys have battled so hard this year, so it’s great to see.”
On July 1, the Flyers took a flyer on Daniel Vladar, signing him to a two-year, $6.7 million deal. The most games Vladar started in his five-year career before joining Philadelphia was 29, coming in 2024-25 with the Calgary Flames.
He started 49 games for the Flyers this season. Assuming he will not suit up for Tuesday night’s meaningless regular-season finale against the Montreal Canadiens, he will finish with a 2.42 goals-against-average and a .906 save percentage, both the best of his career.
The Flyers took a chance on him. He ended up being the one to make the final four saves in the shootout, not letting in a single Hurricane goal, and sending the Flyers to the playoffs.
“The emotion Vladdy plays with, the excitement he has, it doesn’t matter who it is, he’s the guy that has always got a smile on his face,” Owen Tippett said postgame. “I’ve never played with a goalie that has been that vocal, both on the ice, off the ice, and the TV timeout, he’s always coming by and keeping us going. He’s a big part of this and he deserves this one, for sure.”
Vladar has been the Flyers’ MVP this season. He has bailed them out so many times. It is hard to imagine where they would be without him. He stopped 24 of 26 shots on Monday, a few of those coming up huge at the end of overtime. He did not allow a goal after the first period.
“He believed in himself,” Tocchet said of Vladar. “He’s a letter guy. He wanted this game … Vladdy looked at me in the eye like there’s no chance I can’t put him in the net. He earned it.”
Vladar came up when it mattered most. In April, the 28-year-old won five of six starts while recording a 1.81 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. Now, he will start his first playoff game in Pittsburgh in Game 1 of Round 1.
“We were trying to play good hockey and play with the heart that I remember the Flyers used to be back in the day,” Vladar said. “That’s the mentality here and that’s what I felt since Day 1, that if you’re going to do your best, the hockey Gods are going to help you. That’s what we were trying to do the whole year. Finally, we deserve it. Especially the fans, they deserve it, as well. We’re glad that we were able to deliver.”
Last season, the Flyers finished tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference at 33-39-10, firing previous head coach John Tortorella at the tail end of the year.
Since then, general manager Daniel Briere and president Keith Jones obtained their new, hand-selected head coach and added Zegras, Vladar, Christian Dvorak, and Porter Martone in the draft. They made the Flyers feel like a family again, something that had been missing since the passing of chairman Ed Snider.
The additions were not big and flashy. There were sounder names other than Martone still available. Vladar was nowhere near the best goaltender available. Zegras was coming off his worst year in the NHL. Briere, rather, added the right fits and banked on his current young players to develop. It drew scrutiny at first. But here we are, April, and the three additions had career years, Martone has been remarkably poised, and young players took another step
Much of that credit belongs to Briere for playing his cards right. A lot of that credit also goes to Tocchet for maximizing his players and including youth throughout the season and down the stretch.
It was apparent Monday night. Matvei Michkov, 21, and Zegras, 25, scored. Assists came from Denver Barkey, 20, and Martone, 19. Tocchet turned to Foerster, 24, in the shootout. It was a hunch — and one that paid off.
READ MORE ON MONDAY NIGHT’S WIN:
After years of turmoil and months of questions surrounding Briere’s direction and Tocchet’s development philosophy, the Flyers have 96 points and are going to the postseason.
“I was emotional,” Tocchet, the former Flyer, said. “Just really proud of the way they stuck together. This is a tough game.”
The Flyers now eye down their opponent from across the state, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The seven-game series, which kicks off this weekend, will feature the first home playoff game for the Flyers since 2018.
“Man, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Tippett said. “These guys in this room love each other. All the doubters all year. We believed right from the start, right from training camp. It’s going to be a blast. We’re going to soak it all in, but the job’s not done.”
There were doubters. Tocchet said in training camp he hung up predictions of the Flyers to finish last in the East. But Briere’s message was always the playoffs. His master plan has worked. The future is bright. And for the first time in years, so is the present.
“Maybe he didn’t say it to the media, but he said it at the beginning of the year … the goal is to make playoffs. There was always a belief in this room. Obviously, we knew that even if it was the media or the outsiders didn’t really believe in us. But we always had to believe since Day 1 that we were just trying to reach our goal.”
Benjamin Goldstein
Benjamin has been covering Philly Sports for Philly Sports Reports since 2017. He is a podcaster, writer, and founder of Philly Sports Reports. Benjamin is also an intern at the WBCB Sports Network on 1490AM. Through Philly Sports Reports, Benjamin has gotten the opportunity to meet Phillies owner John Middleton in his suite and be honored as the Philadelphia sports fan of the week for KYW News Radio. He hopes to be reporting on Philly sports as a full-time job in the future.
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