With just 2:28 remaining in the first overtime period and the score tied at zero Noah Cates won the offensive zone faceoff back to Cam York. York passed the puck to Matvei Michkov. Michkov passed it along the blue line back to Cam York at the right point.

With Cates setting up the screen in front of the Penguins net York fired a wrist shot from the point. It wasn’t a laser in fact it was already wobbling as it sailed through the slot. Arturs Silovs who had played an outstanding game in the Pittsburgh net never saw it coming as it sailed past his glove.

Cam York led his team with 5 shots on goal in this game but the 5th one was the only one that really mattered. The Flyers had played almost four full periods of scoreless hockey before York’s shot hit the back of the net. One goal was all it took to end the Penguins season and send the Flyers to the 2nd round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Goaltenders Battle

Dan Vladar and Arturs Silovs treated us to 77:32 minutes of scoreless playoff hockey. Both netminders were spectacular. Dan Vladar stopped all 42 Penguins shots to earn his 2nd shutout of the series. Silvos stopped 31-of-32 shots that he faced.

Vladar the MVP of the Flyers regular season was also the #1 star in this deciding game. It’s an odd thing to say when the team allowed 42 shots on goal but the Flyers played really well defensively in this game. The Penguins were desperate and determined to put a puck in the Flyers net. They were relentless.

For the most part the Flyers protected the dangerous areas, kept the porch clear, and the lanes closed. There was only so much they could do before the situation fell into the very capable hands of their netminder. There were times when the Flyers were held up in their own zone in desperate need of a line change as the Penguins pounded pucks at the net. Vladar made stop after stop to keep his team in this game.

Unpredictable

As I said in my Game Preview Wednesday morning the Flyers came into this series red hot, the Penguins came in ice cold. This game was going to be unpredictable because the two teams seemed to have finally leveled out. Almost four full periods of shutout playoff hockey is just about as leveled out as it gets. Even the regulation periods felt like overtime.

The Flyers played well defensively the forwards did a diligent job of back-checking and keeping second options to a minimum. They were gobbling up rebounds and getting pucks out of harms way ASAP.

Offensively the Flyers struggled all night. Strong individual efforts led to a lot of the their best chances. They were out of synch with each other, passes rarely connected, nothing was crisp. With a lesser performance in the Flyers net the Flyers may be gearing up for Game 7 in Pittsburgh right now. But despite all the adversity they found ways to stay in this game and eventually win it. It’s a testament to their character as a team.

Stay Gritty

Although they weren’t getting bounces in this game the Flyers did many things right. They stayed out of the penalty box for the most part. Both teams went 0-for-2 on the power-play. This was probably the cleanest game of the series.

It was a physical game and the Flyers out-hit the Pens 45-26. One of the moments that summed up the Flyers commitment to this victory was Christian Dvorak getting repaired right in the tunnel so he could quickly return to the bench. He had just taken a monster hit into the glass from gigantic Pittsburgh forward Elmer Soderblom.

Trainers were doing their best to clog the bleeding over Dvorak’s right eye. At the same time they were swapping out his jersey so he could return to play as the league does not allow players on the ice with a significant amount of blood on their uniform.

The Flyers were all in. Things weren’t necessarily coming easy for them but they persisted. They knew they needed to put an end to this series. And they did whatever it took to get the there.

This team that “had no chance of making the playoffs”. The team who was going to “get swept in the first round”. This young rebuilding Flyers team has defeated Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games and is headed to round two against the Carolina Hurricanes. What are the odds of all that?

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

The Philadelphia Flyers have been playing with house money, as they say, since they took a commanding 3-0 lead in this series last Wednesday night. They now have just two chips left on the table. If they don’t finish the job tonight in Philly they will be facing elimination for the first time in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Game 7 if necessary will be played in Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Leveling Out

These two teams came together at a very interesting time. When this series started the Flyers were in the middle of a winning streak that continued on into the playoffs. The Penguins were in the middle of a losing streak. Neither was going to last forever.

The young rebuilding Philadelphia hockey club had just clinched by beating the best team in the East in their 81st game of the regular season. Goaltender Dan Vladar stopped the final shot in the shootout against the Carolina Hurricanes and after defeating the Montreal Canadiens the very next night the Flyers were on their way to face the Penguins in the post-season.

Flyers vs Penguins

Game 1 was a nail biter in Pittsburgh with the Flyers hanging onto a one goal lead in the final minute of regulation. No one knew what to expect before this game started. The Penguins had been the better team during the regular season but the Flyers were coming into the post-season full of confidence and success.

The Penguins, on the other hand, had just lost their last three regular season games and remained frozen in the standings as they watched the Flyers eventually tie their season total of 98 points.

The Flyers stunned the hockey world when they shutout the Penguins in Pittsburgh 3-0 in Game 2 of the series. The Flyers and their young core of players had proved themselves to be “for real”. They didn’t crack under the pressure of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in fact they excelled.

The series moved to Philly and the Flyers rocked the Pens in Game 3 soundly defeating them by the score of 5-2. The Penguins have been facing elimination every game since.

Turning Point

Saturday night at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Broad Street the table was set. The party was about to begin as the teams met up for Game 4 and the city was gearing up for a satisfying sweep of their cross-state rivals.

In reality a victory in this game would have been the Flyers 7th consecutive win. Their 10th in the last 11 games. It would have been the Penguins 7th straight loss. This was the night when things started to level out.

The Penguins spoiled the party for Philly in Game 4 and also won Game 5 in Pittsburgh on Monday night. As the Flyers have allowed the Penguins back into this series they’ve also allowed their biggest stars back into the game. The Penguins top players have been finding holes in the Flyers defensive system that seemed almost impenetrable during the first three games of the series.

Which versions of these two teams will show up for Wednesday night’s pivotal game 6 in Philadelphia is anybody’s guess. We’re back to square one, things have leveled out.

Scumbag Hockey

Much has been said about the dirty play in this series so far. Depending on which version you believe both teams apparently are the only team playing an ungentlemanly adaptation of our beloved sport. And also both teams have the refs in their pocket 110% of the time. The whole thing has made for some really entertaining digital conversation.

Fact of the matter is there has been a ton of dirt in this series and it seems pretty obvious where the majority of it is coming from. Let’s just say that there’s only one team that can’t seem to stop ripping the other team’s helmets off. Only one team has resorted to pulling hair, embellishing, or shooting pucks into the opposing bench after the whistle. But that being said let’s break this down strategically instead of emotionally.

Pittsburgh does not fear the Philadelphia power-play, nor should they. The Flyers ranked dead last in the NHL with the man advantage this season. Every Flyers Fan already knows just how frustrating and realistic the situation is. There’s no reason to sugar coat it, their power-play is not intimidating.

Conversely Pittsburgh’s power-play was ranked 7th in the league this season. The Penguins penalty kill was ranked 6th. As far as the Penguins are concerned they are not really putting themselves at considerable risk by using underhanded tactics to bait the Flyers into retaliating or taking foolish penalties.

The Flyers need to keep their composure, stay out of the box, and stay focused on the task at hand. The 4th line needs to reestablish the dominance they displayed early in this series. When the Flyers play the fundamentally sound hard hitting style of hockey that got them here they are a very hard team to play against. They need to lock their systems in place, stick to their gameplan, and put this thing to bed. Tonight.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

Game 5 was yet another opportunity for the Flyers to close out this Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. The Pens avoided being swept by the Flyers this past Saturday night with a 4-2 win in Philadelphia.

The Flyers once owned a commanding lead in this series enjoying a 3-0 advantage. Suddenly they are looking at a 3-2 lead with the Penguins stealing momentum and looking to tie things up on Wednesday night in Philly.

Line-up changes

Some line-up changes for this pivotal Game 5 in Pittsburgh. Juulesn out Andrae in. And the big one, Michkov out Bump in. This move has caused some division among the fanbase, not a rift necessarily but Philly fans are opiniated, passionate, and vocal in their loyalty.

Just for the record Bump pretty much settled the argument with his performance in this game. BUT also keep in mind, there’s no reason that the Bump-Michkov discussion has to end with and either-or solution.

Denver Barkey started the game on the top line and the Flyers came out with jump. Bump came out banging and the energy level was high. However as the opening period settled in Pittsburgh started to take control of the pace.

It was an odd flip of the script as the Penguins were taking pucks away from the Flyers who were taking to much time making decisions. The Pens were the speedier team in the 1st period. The Flyers were not doing their usual job of policing their porch and the Penguins were setting up and roaming freely through the dangerous area in front of the net.

The 1st scrum of the night was followed by a bit of a warning for both coaches. The on ice officials put the whistles away for the most part in this game but they made it clear from the start that they were not going to put up with a scrum at every stoppage of play. And Just for the record, Rasmus Ristolainen was the first Flyer to lose a helmet in this match.

A bad omen

The Penguins scored on their 1st shot of the game 2:45 into the opening period. Mantha to 6″-8″ Elmer Soderblom who beat Dan Vladar glove side. It was the first point of the series for both players. The Flyers were not just allowing the Penguins back into the series, they were allowing their stars back into the game.

The Flyers got their 1st power-play of the night and they spent it beating the heck out of the glass behind the net. Six shot attempts, five shots wide. Not sure if the boys were feeling the jitters or if it was the fact that they were finally facing the Penguins team we expected to show up in Game 1.

Flyers had some good pressure as time was running down yet it still seemed like the perfect time for the intermission and a chance to regroup.

The intermission did nothing to slow the momentum. Just 3:23 into the 2nd period Connor Dewar ripped a rocket over the shoulder of Dan Vladar. The puck was in and out in a jiffy but after a closer look the goal stood and the Pens were up 2-0. Sidney Crosby picked up the primary assist.

Take it back

Six seconds later Alex Bump validated Tocchet’s decision to give him a spot in the line-up. Bump burst up the right hand side of the ice and around the defense. Instead of continuing his push towards the front of the net he released a shot beating Arturs Silvos short-side to cut Pittsburgh’s fresh two goal lead in half.

Sidney Crosby was downed by some friendly fire taking a shot to the inside of the knee in front of the Flyers net. He headed straight up the tunnel but eventually did return to the ice.

With 4:45 remaining in the period Travis Sanheim tied the game at two. Sanheim fired the puck from near the side boards and benefited from a redirection off a Pittsburgh defenseman in front. Rasmus Ristolainen picked up his 2nd primary assist of the game and now leads his team in points for the series with a goal and 4 assists.

Luke Glendening was the 2nd Flyer of the night to have a helmet ripped off his head with no call. This has been a reoccurring theme in this series since the very 1st period of Game 1. Not just the Penguins pulling the Flyers helmets off but also the officials not penalizing them for doing so.

Back breaker

Dan Vladar seemed to be struggling a bit through the first two periods. He just didn’t look like his usual self. His positioning was scrambly, his rebound control was off, his glove wasn’t sharp. Then this happened. Kris Letang fired a shot from the point that was going way high and wide.

Vladar caught just a piece of the shot as it sailed towards the glass behind the net. The puck ricocheted off the glass, hit Vladar in the back, and went into the net with 2:48 remaining in the middle period. This fluke goal proved to be the game winner.

Before the period came to an end Anthony Mantha crashed into Vladar taking him into the net and the net off its moorings. Mantha got up took a swing at Konecny then landed a combination of punches on Travis Sanheim including an uppercut to the jaw that snapped his head back. Somehow the official who was right there did not see any infractions taking place.

Gimme a break

Another well timed intermission soon followed. The Flyers needed to readjust so 18 minutes of down-time could be just what the doctor ordered. The Flyers needed to figure out a way to reinsert their game plan into this match-up. The rejuvenated Penguins had them off their pins.

Dan Vladar started off the 3rd period with a fantastic pad save against Bryan Rust who was allowed to walk right out front with the puck. Unfortunately for the Flyers things had picked up right where they left off.

Crosby was back on the ice for the third period, and his line was swarming. Vladar made another huge stop on Rakell point blank. Vladar was settling in but the Flyers solid net front coverage was still MIA.

Philadelphia was creating plenty of chances of their own but they were also whiffing shots high and wide of the net over and over again. They were surely keeping the the folks in the good seats on their toes. Plenty of high velocity low precision shots ringing off the glass.

Final push

The Flyers pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker with two minutes remaining in regulation. Alex Bump stopped the first Pittsburgh attempt at the open net. Sidney Crosby shot wide of the empty net thus in effect icing the puck. This set up a Flyers faceoff in the offensive zone with 39.6 left on the clock. Tocchet utilized their time out.

The Flyers could not control the puck in the zone and again it was Crosby who had the best scoring chance in the final seconds hitting the post on a diving empty net attempt. Eventually time ran out on the Flyers push for a comeback. Travis Konecny cross-checked Crosby to the ice as the horn sounded leading to the final pile up of the night. The Penguins stayed alive by winning Game 5 by the final score of 3-2.

This is coming back to Philly

After the game Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said he thought “Bumper was great, Barkey was good”. “Other guys need to hold onto pucks and win battles in the corners”. Dan Vladar gave the Penguins credit, “they are a really good team there’s a reason they are in the playoffs”.

Alex Bump was the Flyers most effective player on the ice tonight. With a goal, two hits, and a team high 4 shots on goal in his 15:29 time on ice. On the flip side Porter Martone has kind of faded into the background along with the core of veteran players who need to find their footing and step it up for Game 6.

The Flyers will have one more low risk chance to close this series out on Wednesday night in Philly. If they fail to get the job done at home it turns into a one game series in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Safe to say Wednesday is not a “must win” but it’s gettin’ pretty darn close.

Extra Credit: This game proved to be perhaps the last low risk opportunity to rest Dan Vladar while giving Samuel Ersson some time on ice to keep him in game shape. Vladar was not sharp tonight and Ersson has not seen competition since April 14th vs Montreal. Ersson has won 5 of his last 7 starts. Vladar stopped 18-of-21 shots tonight for a .857 SV%.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

The Philadelphia Flyers are hoping to prove that their Game 4 loss at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins was just a bump in the road on the way to the next round. The Penguins would love that win to be just the start of an against all odds comeback.

Teams have come back from 3-0 deficits in the past but not very often. It’s happened just four times in the history of the NHL. The Flyers pulled it off in 2010 vs the Boston Bruins and it was glorious. This Flyers season has taught us that anything can happen on any given night. And it’s important to remember works both ways.

Although Pittsburgh won Saturday’s contest they are still facing elimination and will be every game until this series is over. Game 5 will be played in Pittsburgh tonight at 7PM. If necessary Game 6 will be in Philly on Wednesday.

Goaltending

It’s too early to know who will be given the start for either team but here are your options. For the Penguins Stuart Skinner started the first three games of this series. He lost all three but that was not necessarily his fault. Skinner played well, the Flyers were better.

Pittsburgh started Arturs Silovs in Game 4. That move could have been made to rest Skinner or just to shake up the team and shift the mojo. Either way he got the win that they needed and you have to wonder if the Penguins will stay with the winning hand. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

For the Flyers Dan Vladar started all four games so far, winning the first three and taking the loss on Saturday. Vladar was a “game-time decision” before Game 4. He had gotten a bit banged up in Game 3 and skipped practice the following day.

In hindsight it may have served the Flyers well to have started Samuel Ersson instead. With the 3-0 advantage it would have been a good time to rest Vladar and give Ersson some much needed ice time to keep him in game shape.

Ersson had a shaky start to his season but was very solid down the stretch. It’s not like you are throwing the game away by putting him between the pipes. So we’ll see what the situation is for both teams when the starters are announced later today.

Stay Gritty

As a series goes on you start to hear words like fortitude, resolve, and persistence. It’s not easy going into these battles every couple days and giving it your all every single shift. Especially in a physical series like this one. These are the Stanley Cup Playoffs and this is no time to hold back. All gas, no breaks, all the time.

It starts to take a toll on the body. When you see both the quality and the quantity of the hits being thrown by guys like Couturier, Tippett, and Seeler we tend to focus on the nail but the hammer is taking the impact as well.

These guys are asking their bodies to be relentless and resilient at the same time. Both teams are expected to give their all. One of them will be expected to start the entire process all over again against the next opponent.

You see players like Denver Barkey setting up camp in front of the other teams net and taking all the abuse that comes along with being there. Saturday night Barkey’s hard work paid off as he scored his first NHL playoff goal from right there at the top of the crease. Relentless tenacity.

The other Bump in the road

Based on the lines being drilled at practice on Sunday morning it looks like Alex Bump just may get a spot in the Flyers line-up for Game 5. Bump was skating on a line with Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster.

That left Matvei Michkov skating with Garrett Wilson and Carl Grundstrom. Wilson and Grundstrom are expected to be healthy scratches for tommorrow night’s game so what does that say about Michkov’s status?

The very mention of this has caused division among the ranks of Flyers Fans on social media. Michkov’s ice time has been dwindling in this series. He’s been skating just over ten minutes per game. The entire subject is a hot potato and I guess we’ll see where it lands but for right now the focus needs to remain on the Penguins in Pittsburgh at 7:00 PM tonight!

Extra Credit: When we last tuned in, as the horn sounded ending Game 4 Bryan Rust had a hand full of Porter Martone’s hair and was full on trying to pull him around by it. He didn’t even take his glove off first. It was mondo bizzarro. These two teams are going to be real happy to see each other again tonight. Maybe the Flyers should start taping their helmets on.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

Philadelphia is a quirky, slightly off-putting, yet very loyal place. Not everybody gets us and that, pretty much as a rule, is of little concern to the local population. That’s a brotherly-loving way of saying “no one likes us we don’t care”.

It would seem that even our fellow statesmen to the West do not enjoy our company very much. The 1st round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been a blast so far. The cross state rivalry between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins is alive, well, and just as fun as ever.

Philly 4-for-4

Let’s be honest when it comes to the “Philly 4-for-4” for many local sports fans ice hockey is not at the top of the pecking order. As previously stated, Philly is a very loyal place so there is certainly an allegiance to the Flyers, but when it comes to following the team closely many won’t get up to speed until the band wagon arrives to pick them up.

To be fair the other professional sports teams in the area did have a bit of a head start. The Phillies started their run in 1883 and they are recognized as the longest running “one name one city” pro sports franchise in America.

The Eagles started playing games at the Baker Bowl on North Broad Street in 1933. The 76ers began playing games at the Philadelphia Arena at 45th and Market in 1963. Previously the Philadelphia Warriors were the city’s pro basketball team from 1946 until 1962 so the transition was pretty close to seamless.

A string of minor league hockey teams were based out of Philly over the years but before the Flyers there was only one attempt at establishing a pro hockey franchise in the city. The Philadelphia Quakers lasted just one season in the NHL. They went 4-36-4. Their 1930-31 season held the record for the worst winning percentage in pro hockey for 45 years.

So when Ed Snider and his crew brought the Philadelphia Flyers to Broad Street they were starting from scratch with a lot of people. When my big brother discovered the “Broad Steet Bullies” we both immediately fell in love with the sport and our parents thought we were nuts. They didn’t know any better, they didn’t grow up around it.

Don’t sweat the sweep, or lack there-of

Human nature is a comical thing. If we can’t laugh at ourselves we become miserable people, because we’re fickle and funny by default. Some folks this week were so darn confident that the sweep was inevitable. You could not even get them to knock wood even when they were specifically requested to do so. Never trust a not-knocker.

They were looking forward to “the sweep” like it was an event that was guaranteed to take place on Saturday night at 8PM. Just over a month ago they were saying the Flyers had absolutely no chance of making the playoffs. One week ago they were saying that even if the Flyers get swept in the 1st round it will be good experience for the young players. This morning they can’t believe the Flyers didn’t win four straight against a very formattable opponent.

Credit where credit is due

When this series got underway the Penguins were favored to win. Before the Flyers took a commanding lead in the series Pittsburgh was considered the better team. They’re a star studded high scoring squad with a ton of playoff experience. Their power-play was ranked 7th in the league. As a team they scored 50 more goals than the Flyers over the course of the regular season. The Flyers are a young rebuilding hockey team that’s been playing over their heads. That was the general consensus.

There’s a more detailed breakdown of the stats in yesterday’s Game 4 Preview here:

As the Flyers were battling the Penguins into a 3-0 deficit the public opinion about Pittsburgh’s hockey club was taking a beating as well. “These guys are too old and slow to compete”. This discourse was not only robbing the Flyers of the accolades they deserved it was also setting up what proved to be unrealistic expectations for Saturday night’s Game 4 in Philly.

Flyers Hockey

The Flyers have had to put a ton of hard work into making this series look easy so far. They are not leading this series 3-1 by accident or because they are playing a weak opponent. They are still sitting in a very good position because of their unified effort as a tight team that is stepping up to a difficult challenge.

The Flyers have had to be in go-mode since the Olympic break just to salvage their season after a disastrous January. If you include the end of the regular season a win on Saturday night would have been their seventh win in a row. The Flyers haven’t won seven consecutive games in years. It would have been their 10th win in the last 11 games. C’mon.

And if the Flyers historic run to the post season has taught us anything it’s that no matter how bad the odds may be you gotta play the games and see where it takes you. We all know about the 3.8%, and never giving up hope, and all that awesome stuff. But no game is a given or a guarantee.

Don’t panic

The Flyers must remain calm and stick with the systems that got them to this point. When they play their fundamentally sound style of hockey as a unit they can be such an impressive team to watch. They’ve battled hard to put themselves in this position. It’s been a blast. They still hold the upper hand in this series but the job is not yet finished.

One more thing. When it comes to the Penguins aging core of stars maturity has been more of an issue than age. The Colorado Avalanche is one of the oldest teams by average in the league and they just won the President trophy for having the best record in the NHL this season.

We all slow down a bit with age. In hockey you have to make up for that loss of leg speed with your head and your hands. You play smarter with a better understanding of the game because of your experience. Your hands can always get more precise and accurate.

The Penguins have come into this series with an emotional fragility that has taken its toll on their ability to focus on the task at hand. With age should come knowledge, wisdom, and composure. The Penguins are attempting to fight this battle without utilizing what should be their most powerful weapons.

Enjoy the ride

The Flyers get their next opportunity to close out the series on Monday night in Pittsburgh. You would expect the Flyers to come out strong realizing their position of power and the need to keep the Pens from stealing it from them.

Pittsburgh will be facing elimination for the second game in a row. Saturday night’s victory may revitalize them a bit. Don’t expect either team to take this one lightly, the chips are down. These are two teams who can’t stand each other locked a grudge match that has been waging on for years. This is NHL playoff hockey in its most raw and rabid form. Savor it.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

The Flyers shocked a lot of people when they won the first three games in this Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The rebuilding Philadelphia hockey club found themselves in their own barn on a Saturday night in late April looking to pull off a sweep against their cross state rivals.

This series has been contentious, hard hitting, and full of the type of drama we’ve come to expect from these two teams come playoff time. In other words, it’s been a lot of fun. The stage was set, the fans were pumped, and the battle of Pennsylvania was about to resume on Broad Street.

A Flyers win would send them to the next round undefeated in the post season. Goalie Dan Vladar started the game in the Flyers net. It was a “game-time decision” after he was banged up in Game 3 and didn’t participate in the team practice on Friday. Pittsburgh looked to adjust their mojo by giving Stuart Skinner the night off and going with Aturs Silovs for the start.

Philly vs Pittsburgh

The Penguins were playing to keep their season alive. They came out with a renewed jump in their skates. Pittsburgh was doing a good job of keeping pucks in the Flyers zone. When the Flyers did enter the offensive zone the Penguins managed to keep the Flyers breaches brief.

The atmosphere in the building was electric and the excitement level high. The Flyers were slightly disjointed, nothing major, but their systems were breaking down a bit here and there. More than halfway through the opening period the Flyers had already been through their 1st man advantage and still had just one shot on goal.

Denver Barkey committed an absolutely accidental high sticking infraction against Samuel Girard giving the Penguins their first power-play of the night 14:19 into the opening period. Sidney Crosby used this opportunity to score his 1st goal of the series on a one-timer from the circle just five seconds into the man advantage.

Seconds later the captain almost struck again. Dan Vladar made and excellent side to side pad save on Crosby keeping the momentum from drastically shifting.

2nd Period

In the opening minute of the period Kris Letang questionably crushed Trevor Zegras into the boards behind the Pittsburgh net. Zegras looked shaken and it sure looked like boarding but play continued.

The puck made its way down to the other end of the ice. Flyers goalie Dan Vladar went behind the net to retrieve a puck as it wrapped around the boards. Vladar misplayed the puck when pressured by Richard Rakell. The puck squirted out in front of the net. Rakell dove to beat Vladar to the puck and guide it into the open net. Pittsburgh had taken a two goal lead just 1:03 into the 2nd period.

The Penguins kept the pressure on. They were swarming. At one point Christian Dvorak made a skate save stoppping the puck on the Flyers goal line. Things were dangerously closed to getting out of control.

All this activity in and around the Flyers net put a serious dent in the boisterous enthusiasm of the crowd.

Get a grip

Flyers Fans were on hold but you knew the place would explode if the Flyers could give them the opportunity. Then, as if right on que, Trevor Zegras put together a fantastic individual effort to maintain a prolonged possession in the offensive zone. Zegras then threaded the puck to Denver Barkey who had himself planted right in front of the net for the tap in. And just as anticipated the place exploded.

Barkey’s 1st

This was Barkey’s first goal of the NHL playoffs. Barkey plays a dedicated game and is always willing to take the heat that comes along with setting up camp right in front of the opposing team’s net. The game went to the second intermission with the Penguins ahead by just a goal.

Both teams came out in the 3rd period looking to take control of this game. The Flyers wanted their sweep. The Penguins were playing for their lives.

The Penguins took a two goal lead when Sidney Crosby made a soccer style play with his skate to get a loose puck off of the boards and kick it to Kris Letang. Letang fired a slapshot from the slot that sailed past Vladar 4:27 into the 3rd period.

Konecny’s 1st

The Flyers cut the lead back to one goal when Christian Dvorak passed from the corner to Travis Konecny who one-timed a rocket over the glove of Arturs Silovs. With 12:57 left in regulation the Flyers were within a goal. Konecney had his 1st goal of the series and the excitement in the building was fully restored.

Play was wide open at that point with both teams creating multiple chances. The Flyers were coming on strong but the Penguins were not laying back with their lead. Both teams were adamantly seeking that all important next goal which would either tie the game or put it out of reach for the Flyers. It was hard hitting full throttle NHL playoff hockey.

With just two minutes left in regulation the Flyers were looking for an opportunity to pull their goaltender for the extra attacker.An icing by the Penguins gave the Flyers a chance to set up for a faceoff in the Pittsburgh zone with 1:21 remaining on the clock. But this was not to be the night for a dramatic comeback and a sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Pens quickly gained control of the puck and hit Connor Dewar with a stretch pass. Dewar sunk the puck into the Flyers gaping open net with less then a minute left in regulation. As time ran out the final score was set 4-2 in favor of the visiting Penguins.

Travis Sanheim and Sidney Crosby came together at the boards and went down to the ice in a tangled mess as the horn sounded. The on ice officials jumped in as if something was happening. That seemed to trigger a response from both teams.

Brian Rust grabbed hold of Porter Martone, got his helmet off, and started pulling his hair. Rust grabbed a handful of Martone’s hair and pulled his head back maybe trying to pull him down? He did this with his glove still on. It was absolutely bazar. Again I feel it’s necessary to tell you that I wish I was joking but I’m not.

What’s up with this team pulling helmets off? It’s become a running theme for a team that so often claims to be the perpetual victim of some form of what many now call scumbag hockey.

Keeping things baffling Trevor Zegras was the only player on the ice who was penalized. He was given a ten minute misconduct at 20:00 but the record doesn’t state exactly what he was found guilty of doing.

Next Up: The Penguins live to fight another day. The series returns to Pittsburgh for Game 5 Monday night in Pittsburgh 7:00 PM.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

As we all know, on March 18th of this year the Philadelphia Flyers were assessed a 3.8 % chance of making the playoffs. This Saturday night the Flyers have a “very good chance” of sweeping the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1st round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Flyers overall chance of winning the series is currently listed at 98%.

Many have had to eat their words over the Flyers good fortune but that’s no big deal, it’s all part of the game. Anything can happen on any given night. Predictions come and go. What makes this Flyers team something special is the fact that they needed to make it happen over and over again. It was a long road back. The hole they dug for themselves during the month of January seemed insurmountable to many. But not to them.

The Flyers didn’t “come out of nowhere”.

Lots of people are under the impression that this is a total Cinderella story. It’s not. Philly’s favorite hockey club enjoyed a great start to the 2025-26 season. Over the holidays the Flyers held a 19-10-7 record and were sitting just 2 points out of 1st place in the Metropolitan Division. Then the calendar flipped and so did the Flyers. During their skid which turned into a free-fall the team lost 12 of 15 games.

The skid

Flyers MVP goaltender Dan Vladar did miss two weeks in January due to injury. The skid is often blamed on Vladar’s injury. It certainly didn’t help the situation but it was not a clear cut case of cause and effect. In fact the skid started before the injury even took place.

Vladar lost his last 3 starts before the injury and the next 3 after his return. The Flyers only won only 4 games in the entire month of January and Samuel Ersson won two of them. The Flyers tragic skid was not just about goaltending, it was a team effort. The month long free fall led right into the Olympic break.

Fresh Start

The Flyers had to battle back for the remainder of the regular season to solidify the fact that January was just an outlier in an otherwise successful season. Which is exactly what they proved it to be. Samuel Ersson had a rough start to his season leading up and into January. He turned that around and was fantastic down the stretch.

After the Olympic break the Flyers did not need to morph into an entirely different creature to catch back up to the pack. They just needed to return to being the team they had been throughout the first half of the season.

This team is a very tight knit group that never stopped believing in each other. They focused on one game at a time as they slowly climbed back into contention. They clinched a post season spot by winning game 81 against the #1 team in the East in a shootout.

So there’s two popular misconceptions on the cutting room floor right there. I’m going to be ambitious here and go for one more because this Flyers team deserves more credit than they are currently being given.

The Pens are no push over

It’s taken a lot of hard work to make this look so easy. As a Flyers Fan it’s quite tempting to write the Penguins off as a ghost of yesteryear that the Flyers are easily pushing aside. It may be fun to say, but it’s also robbing the Flyers of the recognition they deserve for the way that they’ve handled themselves so far in this series.

The Flyers and Penguins both finished the regular season with 98 points but the tie breaker fell in favor of Pittsburgh. The Penguins had more regulation wins 34 compared to the Flyers who had 27.

It you enjoy sitting on the edge of your seat the Flyers were very entertaining to watch this season. They had 14 overtime wins and a league high 10 shootout wins. But it’s the regulation wins that make the difference in the standings hence the Penguins were awarded second place behind the Carolina Hurricanes.

Light the Lamp

The Penguins scored 50 more goals than the Flyers during the course of the regular season. The Flyers notched 240 goals for, and allowed 239 goals against. Pittsburgh scored 290 goals while allowing 258. So the goal differential for the Flyers was 1 as compared to Pittsburgh’s 32. The Penguins power-play was ranked #7. Crosby and Rust scored 29 goals each, Mantha had 33. The top goal scorer on the Flyers was Owen Tippett with 28.

It wouldn’t be totally out of character for the Penguins to snap out of their funk and postpone the party on Pattison Avenue Saturday night. A sweep is not a sure bet. A series win is not guaranteed. The teams split their regular season series at two games apiece and the Penguins wins against the Flyers were decisive.

I’m not saying all this to pump up the Penguins, quite the opposite. And, just for the record, they are still the most annoying hockey team on the face of the planet. I’m listing these stats to underline the fact that the Flyers are playing some great hockey right now against a formattable opponent.

Credit where credit is due

The Flyers aren’t just pushing over some sagging dynasty. They’ve been working their butts off to get where they are in this series. Policing the area in front of their net. Blocking shots, cutting off passing lanes, standing up at the blue line.

They’ve cranked up the physical aspect of their game to an almost comical level. How much time have you spent watching replays of the big hits in this series? The Flyers have been digging deep, skating hard, and relentlessly holding their ground.

Dan Vladar has been excellent in the Flyers net. The young guys have not cracked under the pressure in fact they’ve excelled. Porter Martone at only 19 years of age scored the game-winning-goals in both Games 1 and 2. The Flyers are creating epic moments in this series that are going to go down in Philly sports history.

Folks will be talking for years to come about the night that every player on the ice got sent to the penalty box at the same time. About Zegras punching the “party box” glass on the way by after scoring the tying goal.

You’ll tell the one about the night Sidney Crosby had a near death experience after Garnet Hathaway clubbed him like a baby seal …and your grandkids will think you’re just embellishing your stories again.

Above and Beyond

The Flyers have been playing, as a team, at a level that has surpassed the high gear they shifted into down the stretch. You gotta give credit where credit is due. The Penguins are totally frustrated. The odds are now stacked against them. They’re in a hole that many before them have not been able to climb out of. Not because they “suck” at playing ice hockey, but because the Flyers are absolutely dominating them.

Next Up: Flyers vs Penguins Game 4 in Philly Saturday night 8PM.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

It was eight years to the day since the Flyers last hosted a playoff game. The home ice arena was a sea of orange, AC-DC blasting on the PA, and chants of “let’s go Flyers” proceeded Lauren Hart singing a rousing rendition of God Bless America. Stanley Cup Playoff hocked has finally returned to the city of Philadelphia. Where it belongs.

This was Game 3 of the best of seven 1st round series. The Flyers came in leading the series 2 games to none after winning both games in Pittsburgh. Teams have come back from 3-0 defecates in the past, but not very often. The Penguins came to Philly to fight for their lives.

Philly vs Pittsburgh

The Flyers 4th line of Sean Couturier, Garnet Hathaway, and Luke Glendening came out to take the opening faceoff against the Penguins top line centered by Sidney Crosby. This has been the match-up all series so far. The Flyers 4th line has been excellent and tonight was no exception.

Tempers flared right out of the gate. The Flyers were swarming around the Penguins net. Konecny, Martone, and Dvorak in close plugging away. The ref lost sight of the puck. It was clearly loose by the side of the net. The whistle was blown, Malkin had his hands all over Martone’s face, and everything started to boil over. In other words things picked up right where they had left off in Game 2.

First Blood

The Penguins got on the board first with a power-play goal, their first of the series. Tic-tac-toe. Crosby, Rust, Malkin from the side of the net 4:18 into the game. The secondary assist was Crosby’s first point of the series.

It took the Flyers a little bit of time to settle into their game. They were a bit out of synch, nothing major. Jitters perhaps, maybe it took a bit to get used to the excitement in the building. Getting used to being loved instead of hated.

The dive heard round the world

With 1:13 left in the opening period the teams were lining up for a faceoff in the Penguins end. Garnet Hathaway was skating by Sidney Crosby adjusting his stick. The blade of his stick made incidental contact with Crosby’s helmet or shield. Crosby dropped to the ice and remained there lifeless.

Hathaway in total disbelief was given two minutes for high-sticking. Crosby was given his first ever embellishment penalty. He somehow made it to the penalty box without assistance.

You’re gonna need a bigger box

The second period started marred by penalties. First it was 4-on-4 to start. Things were plenty chippy from the get go. It went from even strength back to 4-on-4. Then we even saw a 4-on-3 Flyers power-play. All of this came and went having zero effect on the scoreboard.

Eventually the game got back to traditional 5-on-5 hockey but not for long. Travis konecny was robbed with a fine stop by Stuart Skinner. TK did not make contact with the goaltender but Rust tackled him to the ice anyway. Rust continued to attack while Konecny was down and the ref jumped in to lend a hand by keeping the Flyer from protecting himself.

This set off a chain reaction that ended with every single player on the ice going to the penalty box. There was a long delay and discussions with both coaches. Rust was the only player given a double minor thus giving the Flyers a two minute power-play. There were five players crammed in the Flyers penalty box, six in the Penguins.

Turning Point

With the Flyers on the power-play Porter Martone passed the puck to Jamie Drysdale. Drysdale sent the pass to Zegras who teed up a one timer from the right faceoff dot to tie the game 5:18 into the second period. During the celebration Zegras pounded on the glass of the jam packed Flyers penalty box on the way by. That has been the exact shot Zegras ends every pre-game warm-up with all season long.

Garnet Hathaway made a nice play to keep the puck in the offensive zone while heading off for a line change he was just about on the bench when Rasmus Ristolainen scored the go-ahead goal. Risto fired a wrist shot from the same dot as Zegras beating Skinner under the pads between the legs. The assists went to Juulsen and Couturier.

Moments later Nick Seeler fired a beautiful wrist shot from the point that beat Skinner high glove side to give the Flyers a 3-1 advantage. Juulsen and Couturier picked up the assists on this goal as well.

The sold out arena was at max volume with the crowd chanting the Pittsburgh goaltender’s last name in mocking fashion. The game slowed considerably at this point. The Penguins antics had long grown tiresome. Pucks were locking up against the boards with lots of chopping and players taking turns going to the penalty box.

The Penguins had a nice offensive surge at the end of the second period. They were on the attack. Dan Vladar and his defensive core held the Penguins at bay. The Flyers once again were finishing checks and defending their net while outscoring the Penguins. The system was back in place.

Dan Vladar

Some scary moments at the start of the 3rd period. Flyers MVP goaltender Dan Vladar got his skate blade knocked off with a shot. He recovered to make a second kick save but was not anchored in and extended himself. Without the metal blade the plastic holder has no friction on the ice. A trainer came out to speak with him and he stayed in the game.

Moments later Bryan Rust charged the net and bowled over the Flyers netminder. Rust’s knee knocked the blocker off as his weight came down on Vladar’s right arm at the joint. The trainer returned to the ice. The discussion was longer this time. Vladar was obviously experiencing discomfort. Again he chose to stay in the game.

At 10:21 Pittsburgh scored again on the power-play. Karlsson fired a slapshot that beat Vladar on that blocker side to bring the Penguins within a goal. 3-2.

With 7:30 left in regulation the Flyers scored another power-play goal of their own. Stuart Skinner had just totally robbed Noah Cates with a glove save on a breakaway. On the same shift Trevor Zegras threaded a perfect pass to Cates right in front of the net. Cates took the pass, shifted to his forehand, and tucked the puck into the far side of the net. The Flyers went 2-for-3 with the man advantage in this game.

The Penguins had their final power-play opportunity with 6:32 left in regulation and the Flyers still up by two goals. There was a faceoff in the Flyers end. The crowd was boisterously cheering “let’s go Flyers”. There was a slight delay as an on ice official escorted Sidney Crosby to his bench. He wanted a fresh pair of gloves for the faceoff. …I wish I was kidding, I am not.

The Penguins pulled their goalie with three minutes remaining. Owen Tippett made a nice steal at his own blue line tipping the puck ahead and then winning the foot-race to retrieve it and put it into the open net. Final score 5-2 Flyers.

Tippett has been the definition of a power-forward in this series. He had 11 hits in this game alone. He’s been a speedy, hard hitting , offensive powerhouse.

As time was running out the capacity crowd at the Xfinity Mobile Arena rose to it’s feet. The noise swelled into a roar of appreciation. The Flyers have the Pittsburgh Penguins just one loss away from elimination.

Extra Credit: Just weeks ago it was commonplace for people say. “If the Flyers do somehow make it to the playoffs, even if they get swept, it will be good for them to get the experience”.

This group of players who never stopped believing in each other have taken this thing to a totally different level in this series. There are times when I don’t even recognize them. It’s been beyond impressive.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

The Flyers return to Philly tonight for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers currently hold a 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first two games on the road.

The Penguins and the Flyers both finished the regular season with 98 points. Pittsburgh ranked higher because of the tiebreaker stats thus being awarded home ice advantage. That means the Flyers needed to win at least one game on the road during the course of the series. Mission more than accomplished.

Porter Martone

Porter Martone has scored both game winning goals in the series so far. At only 19 years of age he is the 1st teenager in NHL history to have accomplished such a feat. Since joining the Flyers down the stretch Martone has been very impressive. He has slid into this line-up like a seasoned pro.

Flyers Penguins

The Philadelphia Flyers have put on a clinic so far in this series. They are doing so many things right. The goaltending of Dan Vladar has been stellar. He allowed two goals in Game 1, and earned a shutout in Game 2 stopping 27-of-27.

He currently has a 1.00 GAA and a .956 SV% in the playoffs. Vladar has been a very calming and vocal leader on the ice and in the locker room. Awarded the Team MVP in the regular season he’s been outstanding in the first two games of this series.

Defense

The Flyers entire team has been doing a fantastic job shutting down the Penguins prolific offense. The Defensive core has been solid but the forwards are also playing a defensibly responsible strategy. The Penguins power-play was ranked #7 during the regular season. The Pens are 0-for-7 with the man advantage so far in this series.

The Flyer have been adamant about policing the area in front of their net. They have been clearing Penguins out of the crease. They’ve been effectively shutting down passing lanes through the slot and blocking shots before they even get to the net. Philly’s ambitious defensive play in this series had caused building frustration for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they have not been handling that frustration well.

The Flyers have managed to keep Sidney Crosby off the score-sheet throughout the first two games. Crosby at 38 years of age is still a prolific scorer. This season he notched 29 goals and 74 points over 68 games played. To put that in perspective, Travis Konecny was the Flyers point leader with 68 points in 77 games played. Owen Tippett was the Flyers top goal scorer with 28 goals over 81 games.

Stay the course

The more the Flyers show composure and stick to their fundamentally sound style of play the more Pittsburgh has broken down and fallen off the rails. The Flyers are a quicker team and are doing a better job defensively than the Penguins. The Penguins frustration has taken them off their game. You might expect the younger less experienced Flyers to be the more emotionally fragile team but that has not been the case.

It would not be a surprise if the Penguins finally found their focus. They are a high-scoring star studded team that could come back to life at any time. They Flyers can not let their guard down. The fact that the Pens are now on the road could prove to be an asset to them. Less pressure. The fans in Pittsburgh were voicing disapproval by the end of the 2nd period on Monday night. The arena was near empty by the end of the game.

Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner who can be streaky has been solid in the Pittsburgh net. The Flyers have outscored the Pens 6-2 so far in this series. Skinner has allowed five goals over two games. Often this would be enough for a high scoring team like the Penguins to win hockey games.

The difference is the Flyers have been the better team. They are faster, more disciplined, and totally unified. They are playing as a unit. The Flyers need to stick to their guns and stay with their game plan even if the road gets a little rocky.

Going into Game 3 in Philly tonight all the Flyers have to do is be themselves.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise

There’s a huge difference between “doing something quickly” and “rushing it”.

After the Flyers Game 1 victory in Pittsburgh one of the main stand-outs was the fact that the Flyers are quicker on their skates than the Penguins. Pittsburgh had to make some adjustments after Saturday night’s loss. It couldn’t be a carbon copy of Game 1 or they would just lose again. You might think an experienced and wiser opponent may come up with a brilliant strategy to counteract the differential in skating ability.

It appears their plan was just do everything faster. At first the uptick in speed was definitely noticeable. By the end of the 1st period they had 19 shot attempts and 2 shots on goal. They were rushing things. Not playing smart, shooting into shin pads, there was nothing wise about their approach.

The Flyers really didn’t have to adjust much. The Penguins fresh approach was making things easier on the Flyers not harder. The officiating was more of a challenge than anything. Five-on-five play was scarce. Pittsburgh had plenty of opportunities in the opening period. They went 0-for-3 on the power-play. By the first intermission the Penguins didn’t look fast, they looked panicked. As they say, haste makes waste.

Porter Martone

For the second game in a row Porter Martone scored what would turn out to be the game winning goal. Christian Dvorak passed from behind the goal line to Travis Konecny at the side of the net. Konecny teed up a shot from the circle. Pens goalie Stuart Skinner was committed to the right post square to the shooter. The shot deflected off of a Penguin and onto the stick of Martone who buried it into the gaping side of the net 6:21 into the 2nd period. Martone is a clutch goal guy.

Garnet Hathaway

Much has been said about the role that Flyers captain Sean Couturier has been playing for his team. He has been centering the 4th line and the contribution that move has been to the team has been huge. Couturier looks at home in this role and he’s excelling. One of the by products of this move is he’s on the ice a lot with Garnet Hathaway. You can see the effect this has had on Hathaway as well.

Hathaway was already having a good game on Monday night. He was winning foot races, forechecking aggressively, and making his presence known physically. Hathaway has also been a staple in the Flyers penalty kill this season.

With just 2:17 left in the 2nd period and Luke Glendening serving a hooking penalty Owen Tippett had control of the puck in the Pittsburgh zone. Skinner squared up to Tippett at the left hand post. Tippett passed off to Hathaway who was coming up the slot. Hathaway smacked the puck into the open net for the shorthanded goal and a 2-0 Flyers lead.

Dirty Stickwork

One of the 1st lessons you learn as a hockey player is to have control of your stick. Keep your stick down. Keep your stick down, you could really hurt somebody. You hear it over and over again until it sticks. Using your stick as a weapon out of frustration or inadequacy is frowned upon at every level. When someone is called a dirty player, or a cheap-shot, or a hack it is not some sort of slang complement.

For some reason traditionally the Penguins have never been embarrassed about delving into this behavior. And it’s baffling that it’s often overlooked. Some calls are made but plenty are not. Somehow it’s acceptable because they always do it?

At one point earlier in the game Tippett skated by an official and showed him a hand full of blood. The ref looked for a second and went about his business. Martone was intentionally tripped by Skinner away from the play. No call. Martone also at one point was skating to the bench checking for blood after a stick to the face. No call.

At the end of the 2nd period Travis Konecny took two sticks to the face. He went to the bench bleeding. The original double minor went to review. Evgeni Malkin caused his stick and Rasmus Ristolainen’s stick to go up and into Konecny’s face cutting him.

The play was reviewed to ascertain which stick actually cut him. In what world should that even matter? Malkin was holding and directing both sticks! It was ruled that Risto’s stick caused the injury and Malkin’s stick didn’t seem to break the skin, so a two minute minor was assessed. The gymnastics they are going through for some of the calls in this series are totally baffling. In a league where at tap on the gloves now gets you two in the box it’s hard to fathom the rational.

Shutout

Dan Vladar stopped 27 of 27 shots to post the shutout. He was spectacular in the Flyers net. As the 3rd period got underway the Penguins were swarming at times. They knew the implications of losing both games at home. Saturday they lost their home ice advantage. Tonight they were losing their chances of bouncing back in this series.

Vladar was up to the challenge. After registering only two shots in the 1st period the Penguins were quickly catching up to the Flyers in shots-on-goal. Through out the first six minutes of the final period Vladar made challenging save after challenging save. He stopped Rust all alone point blank from the slot. He stopped a rocket by Crosby from the circle. The Flyers were back on their heels a bit and their system was breaking down. Vladar was perfect. He weathered the storm until the ship righted itself.

Stuart Skinner also played a good game. As time was getting short things could have gotten a lot worse for the Penguins. Skinner stopped Coots and Glendening on a 2-on-0 breakaway. He stopped Owen Tippett on a penalty shot. Goaltending was not the Penguins problem in this game, the Flyers were. Even their own coach agreed.

Seconds after Pittsburgh pulled their goaltender for the extra attacker the Flyers put the puck into the empty net. Hathaway to Couturier who passed to Glendening for the shot. 3-0 Flyers.

Boiling Point

With just 1:47 remaining Kris Letang steam-rolled Noah Cates in the Penguins zone. Cates didn’t even have the puck. It was not a clean hit and it caused all heck to break loose. Letang also punched Cam York in the face. Seeler jumped in. Mantha jumped in, 34 penalty minutes were handed it out.

Faceoff in the Penguins zone. Parker Wotherspoon cross-checks Owen Tippett. Tippett is bleading from the face. Noel Acciari jumps in. Rasmus Ristolainen jumps in, another 32 penalty minutes are handed out. What was the point to all this mess? The game was already lost, the stands were already empty, it certainly was not the flex the Penguins thought it was.

The Flyers ended up with a power-play that lasted throughout the remaining time in regulation. They played catch with the puck just inside the Pittsburgh blue line as the Penguins sat on their bench in stunned silence. Slowly passing the puck back and forth as time was running down keeping any threat to Dan Vladar’s beautiful shutout far, far out of reach. It was a smart and classy way to end the trip to Pittsburgh.

Next Up: Flyers vs Penguins Game 3 in Philly Wednesday 7PM.

Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store

Cool Matvei Michkov merchandise