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[Philadelphia Flyers]

Some takeaways from Flyers’ 3-2 loss to Montreal

Brad Shaw suffered his first loss as the Flyers head coach and Philadelphia squandered a third period lead to lose 3-2 in regulation Saturday night in Montreal. The loss officially eliminated them from the playoffs but, with other teams behind them winning, dropped them further down the standings. And higher up in the draft lottery.

The basics

First period: 4:10- Ryan Poehling (Jakob Pelletier, Cam York)

Second period: No scoring

Third period: 1:24- Brendan Gallagher (Jake Evans, Christian Dvorak), 2:40- Lane Hutson (Nick Suzuki), 10:39- Nick Suzuki (Kaiden Guhle) (SHG), 19:21- Tyson Foerster (Travis Konecny, Ryan Poehling) (PPG)

SOG: 23 (PHI) – 27 (MON)

Some takeaways

Ersson good early, not so good late

Starter Sam Ersson wasn’t busy for most of the first, but stood tall in the latter half of the first when he bent but didn’t break during Montreal’s opening power play. In the second Ersson made his best save of the night when he stoned Christian Dvorak as the Canadiens came up ice on an odd-man break. Both Matvei Michkov and Jamie Drysdale were back but it was Ersson who came up with the glove save.

Left-handed larceny.#PHIvsMTL | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/XodWn0B42f

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 6, 2025

Late in the second, a nifty passing play had Nick Suzuki looking like he’d tied the game. But Ersson got his blocker on the shot which caused Suzuki to look perplexed it didn’t go in. The third period wasn’t kind to the Flyers or Ersson, as two goals in 76 seconds gave Montreal and their crowd a 2-1 lead. Lane Hutson’s shot was well-placed but it’s still one that looks ugly. Although he didn’t have much help most of the night, Ersson ended the evening with another game where his save percentage was under .900.

Poehling pretty, pretty goal

The Flyers made a great rush less than five minutes in. And Ryan Poehling made the most of it when Cam York fed the puck to Jakob Pelletier. Pelletier made a pretty pass to Poehling who backhanded the puck beyond Montreal keeper Sam Montembeault. The goal continues the maniacal streak Poehling has had, with eight goals since the trade deadline.

Philadelphia goal!

Scored by Ryan Poehling with 15:50 remaining in the 1st period.

Assisted by Jakob Pelletier and Cam York.

Montreal: 0
Philadelphia: 1#PHIvsMTL #GoHabsGo #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/I7SDvduZ1m

— NHL Goals (@nhl_goal_bot) April 5, 2025

Calder showdown

Michkov drew first blood in this contest. Not by scoring, but getting cut by a Alexandre Carrier high stick which clipped him in the nose. The double-minor power play began without Michkov but had Bobby Brink at the point. The Flyers had a good chance when Travis Konecny fed Sean Couturier in the slot but couldn’t score.

In the third Michkov was a few feet inside his own blueline and had a chance to make the clear. Unfortunately he didn’t. The same shift Montreal missed a few chances but Brendan Gallagher finally put one by Ersson to tie the game 1-1.

Make that 20 goals for Brendan Gallagher! He was ready for that one, haha,

Another huge goal, ties the game for the Habs. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/pI433m4qty

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) April 6, 2025

Meanwhile Montreal’s Lane Hutson fed some nice passes to Patrik Laine on the power play but Laine couldn’t finish. The Canadiens had a horde of bad turnovers and giveaways in the first, with 17 turnovers before the game was 25 minutes old. The Flyers were guilty of just five by comparison. Hutson’s go-ahead goal (and only his sixth of the seaon) shortly after Gallagher’s was a laser but a bad one to give up.

LANE HUTSON

The rookie sensation gives the @CanadiensMTL the lead!

: @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/oDFv8A4J82

— NHL (@NHL) April 6, 2025

Karsen Dorwart’s good debut

Less than two minutes into the game, Karsen Dorwart took his first NHL shift, getting tossed out of the faceoff circle before play commenced. It was the fourth line which ended up causing some problems for Montreal when Nic Deslauriers was late on a line change but enabled the Cates line to have some pressure in the Canadiens’ end.

Flyers interim head coahc Brad Shaw wasn’t afraid to use Dorwart onn the power play either. Dorwart shut down a chance by Jake Evans, looking anything but a deer in the headlights to make the right play. And although he ended up on the wrong end of an extended shift, the Habs didn’t score to tie things up. But one noteworthy optic was seeing how much of a two-way game Dorwart plays. Rarely was he last in the defensive zone but at times feet from Ersson in front or near the crease. He finished the first period with 3:58 of ice time, more than Garnet Hathaway, Deslauriers, Owen Tippett, and Pelletier.

Drysdale avoids injury

Drysdale took an innocent looking hit in the corner late in the first period. Initially it looked like he had possibly hurt his left shoulder and seemed to be favoring it a little bit. Fortunately Drysdale was back on on his next shift and looked fine. The last thing the Flyers need at this point in the seasonn is some injury that would set back a player back next year, especially someone who has had injury problems like the young, developing blueliner.

Not a lot of whistles but not a lot of flow

With one team attempting to secure a tighter grip on a playoff spot, and the other on life support but the plug is pulled, the game didn’t have many whistles. But it wasn’t exciting despite the occasional buzz in the Bell Centre and chants urging the Canadiens on. The neutral zone was a war of attrition essentially with neither side mounting much speed or creativity to make a strong chance to score. In short, it was a perfect road game for Philadelphia after 40 minutes.

The Flyers threw a few good bodychecks in the second on the same shift. First Hathaway took care of Gallagher with a clean, hard, open-ice hit. Seconds later Tippett ran Emil Heineman hard (but clean) in Montreal’s defensive zone. But those hits were the only highlights for the Flyers the rest of the night as they mustered zero shots on goal for the first eight minutes of the third period, giving up three goals in the third.

The dagger was a short-handed goal by Nick Suzuki that was the death knell for the Flyers on this night and officially (mathematically, however you wish to describe it) put them out of the playoffs. A late Tyson Foerster power play goal made it close late. But too late. Flyers are done with five games left to go.

Tys keeps the fight going. #PHIvsMTL | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/0fDOOTk25t

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 6, 2025

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/some-takeaways-from-flyers-3-2-loss-to-montreal/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers @ Canadiens: Coverage, how to watch, lineups, and game thread

Puck drop: 7:00 p.m.
How to watch/listen:
: NBCSP, ESPN+
: 93.3 WMMR

Pregame reading

• The Flyers are set to have a new kid debut tonight! Here’s what we might expect to see from Karsen Dorwart.
• Elsewhere in the world of prospects, Alexis Gendron is doing pretty, pretty well.

Pregame watching

Projected Lineups

Philadelphia Flyers

Tyson Foerster — Noah Cates — Bobby Brink
Matvei Michkov — Sean Couturier — Travis Konecny
Jakub Pelletier — Ryan Poehling — Owen Tippett
Nic Deslauriers — Karsen Dorwart — Garnet Hathaway

Nick Seeler — Travis Sanheim
Cam York — Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula — Emil Andrae

Sam Ersson
(Aleksei Kolosov)

Montreal Canadiens

Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Juraj Slafkovsky
Emil Heineman — Alex Newhook — Patrik Laine
Josh Anderson — Christian Dvorak — Brendan Gallagher
Michael Pezzetta — Jake Evans — Joel Armia

Mike Matheson — Alexandre Carrier
Caiden Guhle — Lane Hutson
Jaden Struble — David Savard

Jakub Dobes
(Sam Montembault)

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...overage-how-to-watch-lineups-and-game-thread/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers head to Montreal for rematch with Canadiens

The Game: 7:00 PM, NBCSP, ESPN+, 93.3 WMMR

After a quick stop at home, the Flyers are on the road again, and they’re kicking off a two game trip (so spread out that it’s hard to call it that) up in Montreal this evening. It’s set to be an interesting rematch of a huge game which unfolded just over a week ago — the first Flyers game of the post-Tortorella era was against the Canadiens in Philly, and it saw the Flyers take off running, collect a huge 6-4 win, and not stop winning in the two games since.

On the flip side, it’s been a weird week and change for the Habs — after getting whacked by the Flyers in Philly, they then got whacked by the Hurricanes down in Raleigh, but then went on to beat the Panthers back to back in their home and home series, and then took down the Bruins 4-1 on Thursday. They’ve certainly rebounded after that tough start to this stretch, and are heading into this one with some real momentum. The Flyers ran right through them in their last meeting, but the Canadiens won’t be looking to let that happen again, so that will certainly make for an interesting rematch.

Storylines To Watch​

Dorwart’s debut

We’re at the point in the season when there isn’t too much going on in the way of new and exciting developments unfolding, but the Flyers will be seeing an exception to that made as newly signed college free agent Karsen Dorwart is set to make his NHL debut tonight in Montreal. He’ll certainly be looking to make an impression in his first taste of NHL action, but we’re also making sure to keep our expectations manageable for him — this is a big jump he’s making, after all, and what’s more, he’ll be easing into things with more limited minutes on the team’s fourth line. Still, this is an exciting moment, and a nice chance for fans to get a look at another new prospect (something which will be limited down this stretch, with the Flyers out of recalls from the Phantoms).

A change up

Dorwart made a nice point of saying after yesterday’s practice that he was excited to play between Nic Deslauruers and Garnet Hathaway in his debut, and that he felt that this would leave him protected in a way, playing with such tough customers. Whether this would play out as planned was called briefly into question this morning, when Deslauriers was notably absent from the morning skate, but worry not, Flyers interim head coach Brad Shaw confirmed that he will be good to go for the game.

So Dorwart will keep his insulation, and with Deslauriers coming in while Olle Lycksell comes out, that line is set to be quite the physical, tone setting presence, and certainly an interesting insight into how the team wants to match up against the bottom of Montreal’s lineup.

Momentum check

Ahead of Monday’s game against the Predators, we talked about the new coach boost and the little run that the Flyers had found themselves on, as well as the looming fear that surely the rug was yet to be pulled out from under them, right? This overall feeling hasn’t changed, but with their win on Monday, the Flyers have been able to really nicely keep their momentum rolling. Now, they’ll have a much more difficult task ahead of them tonight, looking to get the better of what’s sure to be a highly motivated Habs team, but it will be a good test of the trueness of their momentum. Maybe regression is coming, but maybe they can stave it off a little longer.

The Lineups​

Philadelphia Flyers

Tyson Foerster — Noah Cates — Bobby Brink
Matvei Michkov — Sean Couturier — Travis Konecny
Jakub Pelletier — Ryan Poehling — Owen Tippett
Nic Deslauriers — Karsen Dorwart — Garnet Hathaway

Nick Seeler — Travis Sanheim
Cam York — Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula — Emil Andrae

Sam Ersson
(Aleksei Kolosov)

Montreal Canadiens

Cole Caufield — Nick Suzuki — Juraj Slafkovsky
Emil Heineman — Alex Newhook — Patrik Laine
Josh Anderson — Christian Dvorak — Brendan Gallagher
Michael Pezzetta — Jake Evans — Joel Armia

Mike Matheson — Alexandre Carrier
Caiden Guhle — Lane Hutson
Jaden Struble — David Savard

Jakub Dobes
(Sam Montembault)

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/flyers-head-to-montreal-for-rematch-with-canadiens/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers on pace for top-5 pick with 5 games remaining

The Philadelphia Flyers saw their three-game winning streak come to an end this weekend, much to the delight of Team Tank. A loss in Montreal on Saturday night, coupled with a few noteworthy results over the weekend, has put the Flyers in a pretty good position in terms of their NHL Draft Lottery odds.

Through play on Sunday, April 6, the Flyers have the fifth-fewest points in the league with 71 in 77 games. The Boston Bruins also have 71 points but in one more game, giving them the edge in lottery odds.

The Flyers may be at the fifth slot right now, and five games may not seem like a lot, but there is still some wiggle room for Philadelphia’s first round pick.

The dreams of the Flyers tanking all the way into a top-three pick are dead — unless they win a lottery for one of the top two picks. The San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks secured the two worst records quite some time ago.

The Nashville Predators have also come back down to Earth recently with their sixth straight loss on Sunday, so they’re pretty much locked into the third-worst record.

But the fourth slot and downward are still wide open.

Only three points separate the Bruins with the fourth-worst record and the Ducks with the ninth-worst. Sure, there are some games in hand in there, but nothing is guaranteed with these teams.

First, let’s take a look at where the Flyers stand and their remaining schedule.

Philadelphia Flyers – 71 points in 77 games​

If you’re reading this blog, you probably know how the Flyers have been playing. They had a long losing streak, fired John Tortorella, and won three of their next four under interim head coach Brad Shaw.

The Flyers have a few days off before a matchup against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden before hosting the New York Islanders on Saturday. They then head up to Ottawa, host Columbus, and finish the season in Buffalo.

The Rangers are still trying to keep their playoff hopes alive despite the Canadiens having a good grip on the second Wild Card spot. The Islanders and Blue Jackets are also still alive, but only barely. Beating a New York team is always nice, and the Flyers may pull out a win plus an overtime loss, but you can’t expect more than that.

Claude Giroux has the Senators ready for the playoffs and will be happy to take down the Orange and Black. The season finale in Buffalo could ultimately be huge for draft position, as the Sabres are currently three points ahead of the Flyers.

Conservatively, the Flyers should get at least two or three points in their final five games. Aggressively? Maybe four or five.

So, who do the Flyers have to be worried about the most?

Boston Bruins – 71 points in 78 games​

The Bruins fought for two wins after the trade deadline over the Lightning and Panthers before going on to lose their next 10 games, only earning a loser point in one of them. They got a surprising win against Carolina on Saturday before falling flat in Buffalo on Sunday.

Boston has just four games left. The Bs end their quick two-game road trip in New Jersey on Tuesday, then alternate home and road games against the Blackhawks, Penguins, and Devils.

The only game out of those four that the Bruins should win is at home against Chicago. The Penguins game is a toss-up, and the Devils are a playoff team on a three-game winning streak.

To project it out, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bruins only earned two or three points in their final four games. Anything else would be gravy.

Seattle Kraken – 72 points in 77 games​

The Kraken are in the midst of a long road trip. They’ve already won in Vancouver and San Jose but finish out the trip in Los Angeles, Utah, and Vegas. Seattle then hosts the Blues and Kings to close out the season.

Seattle went 1-4-1 prior to those two wins, and none of its remaining games bode well for the Kraken. It doesn’t help that the games in LA and Utah are back to back.

The Kraken could very well go winless in their final five games. Maybe they get two points. And that’s not great for the Flyers’ draft position with Seattle just one point ahead of Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh Penguins – 74 points in 78 games​

You might have to hold your nose and root for the Penguins if you want the draft position to improve, Flyers fans. Pittsburgh lost in Chicago on Sunday and host the Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

The Pens then play in New Jersey before hosting the Bruins and Capitals to close out the season.

The only positive in that schedule is that the Bruins or Penguins are guaranteed to get two points out of that matchup. An overtime game would be fantastic.

But still, the Penguins are three points ahead of the Flyers, who may not earn that many the rest of the way.

Buffalo Sabres & Anaheim Ducks – 74 points in 77 games​

The Sabres and Ducks are also worth keeping an eye one.

Buffalo took down Boston on Sunday for its fourth straight win and is now 7-1-0 in its last eight games. The Sabres’ remaining schedule is tough with games against Carolina, Columbus, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Toronto before hosting the Flyers in that season finale.

Anaheim has now lost two straight games following a 3-1-0 stretch. The Ducks have six games remaining against five playoff teams (Edmonton, Los Angeles, Colorado, Minnesota, Winnipeg) and Calgary.

But once again, as stated above, the Flyers may only reach 74 points this season.

---

So, with the Flyers entering their final five games of the season, a top-five pick does seem very possible.

MoneyPuck has the Flyers projected to finish with 75.5 points for the fifth slot, with Boston (74.8) and Seattle (76.9) sandwiching them.

All in all, given how the top of the upcoming draft class looks, the Flyers should have a few skilled prospects to choose from with their first selection — if they don’t trade it, that is.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...n-pace-for-top-5-pick-with-5-games-remaining/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Brad Shaw wants to be Flyers head coach: ‘It’s the pinnacle’

Brad Shaw tasted defeat for the first time as Philadelphia Flyers interim head coach over the weekend in Montreal. It was the team’s first loss since firing John Tortorella as they swept their three-game homestand thereafter.

There are only five games remaining in the season, so Shaw will only have nine games of experience as the (interim) bench boss. But there is a chance that he’s one of the favorites in the running to become the Flyers head coach on a full-time basis next season.

Shaw spoke on how he feels since taking over behind the bench and what’s next for him after the team’s practice on Monday morning.

“It’s the best job in coaching. It’s the pinnacle. I think everybody that coaches probably aspires to it,” he said. “It’s been great. It’s been a great experience.

You kind of forget how all-encompassing it is compared to being an assistant coach, so from that respect it kind of helps you keep a perspective on how sometimes the coach might not be in a good mood. There’s so many other things going on in his day outside of the Xs and Os and the structure of what’s happening on the ice. For most of the assistants, you have interactions with other players, but certainly not to the depth and/or the breadth of how many people you talk to in a day as a head coach.”

Shaw explained that he was initially a bit overwhelmed in those first few days, which can be understandable given the fact that the Flyers played a game less than 12 hours after Tortorella was fired. He’s since handed off some duties to other coaches and is settling in behind the bench.

“It’s really helped settle things down. I also feel way more comfortable kind of interacting from a little bit different point of view,” he said. “I haven’t been really given a mandate, so I’m not really in that position to talk from that point of view as far as passed these last few games, but up until that point, I’d like to try and keep things as coordinated and on track as possible.”

Anyone can understand the challenges of being thrust into a new, unexpected role. Shaw is doing his best to keep the guys in line.

“I think one of the biggest challenges is it’s kind of the substitute teacher role. We all remember school when the teacher was there and there was some pretty good discipline in the room, and as soon as you had that substitute teacher, certain people took advantage of that said substitute teacher,” Shaw laughed. “I think I pretty much know which guys are going to try that here, so I’ve tried to pre-empt it maybe with some of them and try to maybe watch it a little closer. But it’s kind of where we’re at.

“I don’t think I really have any way to really be that heavy-handed guy. I don’t. So it’s kind of a tough thing because I do have expectations, and I do have a type of game that I think leads to consistent success and can help a team achieve what we didn’t achieve this year.”

The Flyers came out of the gate hot under Shaw with three straight wins, but that didn’t mean that they were great performances by the Orange and Black.

“Even when we were winning the first three, I didn’t necessarily like how we were playing. Goals were going in the net and we were outscoring our mistakes, but how we were playing, I think it’s hard to sustain,” Shaw continued. “I think there’s a smarter game and a more team-based game that I think the majority of the teams that are going to continue after the midpoint of April do it and do it on a consistent basis. I think that’s something we have to get better at here, obviously.”

Shaw is on a shortlist of potential head coaching candidates for the Flyers. We’ve discussed a few of them since Tortorella was fired, and there aren’t a ton of great options out there, so could they just remove the interim tag?

“It’s only been three years, but I’ve loved my time here. It’s a unique city. I love the inherent pressure the fans put on you,” Shaw said. “I’ve never been booed more in three years in my life. But I think it’s good. It’s an extra indicator of what the fans think. They’re not always 100% accurate. There’s a couple times we got booed that I wasn’t really in agreement with it, but for the most part, it keeps you in check. It makes sure you are doing the little things better. So from that point of view, I’ve loved working here and I don’t know if I have to really tell Danny that I would like the job, I think it’s probably expected.”

Of course, there is a chance that Shaw could ultimately stick around as an assistant if the Flyers bring in a new head coach, but that might not be up to anyone currently in the organization.

“That would really be up to the new coach,” Shaw shrugged, “so it’s really not something you decide anyway.”

But make no mistake about it, Shaw has gotten the taste of being a head coach and wants a chance at the full-time gig.

“I’ve enjoyed my time here. The one thing that does happen when you get a little taste of head coaching, I’d really like to try it and really have the team from mid-summer. Do development camp, from Day 1 in camp you’re implementing what you think should happen,” he concluded. “I would love to try that. If that’s not in the cards, then I have really enjoyed my time here, but again, it’s almost always up to the coach coming in to decide that.”

Shaw has done a great job of developing defensemen like Rasmus Ristolainen and Jamie Drysdale since joining the Flyers. He’s not a bad choice to remain behind the bench if the Flyers want to give him a short-term contract to prove himself, but the front office could also want to go in a different direction.

Only time will tell.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/brad-shaw-wants-to-be-flyers-head-coach-its-the-pinnacle/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Olle Lycksell loaned to Phantoms for Calder Cup playoff run

The Philadelphia Flyers announced on Tuesday afternoon that they loaned forward Olle Lycksell to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, presumably for the remainder of the season. Lycksell was placed on waivers on Monday in order to facilitate the move back down to the AHL and successfully cleared them Tuesday afternoon.

Transaction: Forward Olle Lycksell has cleared waivers and has been loaned to the @LVPhantoms (AHL).

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 8, 2025

Lycksell has been fine in his time with the Flyers. He’s shown flashes here and there when given chances, but ultimately put up just five assists in his 19 games. The winger has one NHL goal to his name along with 10 assists in 45 career games.

But Lycksell has been impressive with the Phantoms in his three seasons in North America. He’s put up 125 points (50 goals, 75 assists) in 131 games and has been a point-per-game player over the last two seasons. He was named to the AHL All-Star Classic as the Phantoms representative this season.

The Phantoms are getting their All-Star back for their playoff run, along with a few prospects that have already made their professional debuts.

All eyes have been on Jett Luchanko, and the 2024 first-round pick has put up two assists in his five games with the Phantoms. Alex Ciernik has also gotten into one game after signing an amateur try-out contract last month.

Of course, there is also Nikita Grebenkin. The Russian winger acquired in the Scott Laughton trade has five points (three goals, two assists) in eight games with the Phantoms.

All of this is to say that the Phantoms may be a fun team to watch in this year’s Calder Cup playoffs. They would face off against the Providence Bruins in a best-of-three series if the season ended today, but the Phantoms are tied with the Springfield Thunderbirds for fifth in the Atlantic Division.

The injection of youth will continue next season with some of the Flyers’ other top prospects like Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, and Carson Bjarnason slated to turn pro.

But back to Lycksell.

The 25-year-old winger is a pending Group 6 UFA this summer, and unless he wants to stick around to help the youth movement in Lehigh Valley, he will probably end up leaving the organization for a chance at an NHL job somewhere else. The Flyers have great depth at the wing position at the NHL level and Lycksell hasn’t done enough to prove that he should crack that.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...oaned-to-phantoms-for-calder-cup-playoff-run/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Tuesday Morning Fly By: Still waiting to return

*Alex Bump is one of the more interesting prospects for the Philadelphia Flyers. The Western Michigan winger is in the Frozen Four, gearing up to compete for the national championship this week, but will then quickly turn his sights on Philadelphia. The 21-year-old is set to sign with the Flyers however his tournament finishes. More on his tournament and what’s next for the Minnesotan. [The Athletic]

*Flyers interim head coach Brad Shaw was fairly blunt yesterday: He wants to be the head coach of the team next season. Which, of course he wants to stay employed, but he also dove deeper into the possibility of him returning as an assistant coach with a new head coach above him. [BSH]

*In some transaction news, the Flyers placed forward Olle Lycksell on waivers yesterday. We’ll see if another team puts in a claim, but he was really just the lowest on the chopping block. The Flyers have enough healthy forwards and newly signed Karsen Dorwart is a higher priority. [BSH]

*But there is still good news! It sure seems like the Flyers are on track to finish in the bottom five of the NHL’s overall standings, guaranteeing at the very worst a top-seven pick but most likely picking within the first five selections. [BSH]

*How Matvei Michkov embraced a “boring process” to become an even greater scorer. [NBCSP]

*It’s always a struggle to get American players overseas to play in the IIHF World Championships after their NHL season wraps up. The Canadians always get the stars (or at least very good players) of non-playoff teams — could Team USA finally do the same? [ESPN]

*With Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record to become the NHL’s all-time leader in goals scored, the question of who else could possibly do it naturally came up. Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is one of the players who could be on-pace to do it if he plays until he’s 40 years old. But, the Leafs captain doesn’t even want to be a part of the conversation. [TheScore]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...esday-morning-fly-by-still-waiting-to-return/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers visit train station to face hockey team that plays there

The Game: 7:30 PM, TNT, 97.5 The Fanatic

The Philadelphia Flyers have taken the train up the coast to visit some other random NHL team that happens to play at the station where they get off. The entire roster doesn’t even need to step outside to then start playing in a game for the National Hockey League. On the other side, the tunnel rats also named the New York Rangers are going to be playing for absolutely nothing.

This is a game between two teams who have close to zero motivation. The Flyers have already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and the Rangers might as well be with their sad and elderly roster just trying to not embarrass themselves further than they already have this season.

It’s been a lovely miserable time for the Rangers. From threatening to trade the entire roster, to acquiring a problem player from Vancouver, and even more players showing their age as their window to win anything begins to rapidly close. And what they are experiencing right now might be their future for a while.

The Rangers are coming off of a 4-0 shutout loss to the Devils, a 5-1 disastrous loss to the Lightning, and then having to squeeze some points out of opponents like the Minnesota Wild and Anaheim Ducks. Whenever they face a mediocre or bad team, they can earn a win; and when any team with Cup hopes faces the Rangers, they have the upper hand. Hopefully they stay mediocre for a very long time.

For the Flyers, this is another game where the entire fan base hopes for a loss in hopes of a high draft pick. Nothing to see here. Just five more to go.

Storylines to watch​

The young newcomers for the Rangers

We have to admit, the Rangers roster is not entirely made up of grumpy old veterans who just can’t wait to put their feet up for the next few months. Thanks to some seasons ending and some players excelling in the AHL, the Flyers’ opponent on Wednesday got an injection of youth.

Gabe Perrault the most obvious name but Brennan Othmann is another former first-round pick who has been scoring at a decent clip in the minors. Perrault has played three games with zero earned points, and Othmann has been up and down, totaling 19 games played with just two assists. Still, they’re players to look out for.

Perrault scoring his first NHL point against the Flyers’ terrible goaltending and against a team that passed over him in the first round, would be just so Philadelphia.

Matvei Michkov back on the scoring path

Matvei Michkov was on a scoring tear and with the John Tortorella firing happening in the middle of it, we all thought it would just be extended further and to the end of the season. Well, he has been producing a ton except for last Saturday’s 3-2 loss to the Canadiens. It ended his point streak but facing countrymen Igor Shesterkin and Artemi Panarin tonight could spark a whole new streak.

Hell, and maybe the upcoming arrival of Ivan Demidov is pushing Michkov to force people to not pay attention to the shiny new Russian winger toy.

The impact of the York-Drysdale pairing

Brad Shaw putting Cam York and Jamie Drysdale together on a pairing is as interesting as a defensive pairing with two young players could be. Of course, York has turned his reputation from an uber-offensive blueliner to being someone who is just a steady hand defensively, and Drysdale wants to explode up the ice any chance he gets.

Through the 77ish minutes they have played next to each other this season at 5-on-5, the Flyers have 48.21 percent of the expected goals share, and just 46.32 percent of the shot attempt share, according to Evolving-Hockey. Plainly, the Flyers’ opponents have been on average better when these two are on the ice together — especially considering the Flyers have allowed seven goals and scored just three during those 77ish minutes. Not great!

But the dynamic of the two is still really intriguing. It is an early look into what could be a pairing for a long time, if both of these players solidify their roles.

Projected lineups​

Philadelphia Flyers

Tyson Foerster — Noah Cates — Bobby Brink
Travis Konecny — Sean Couturier — Matvei Michkov
Owen Tippett — Ryan Poehling — Jakob Pelletier
Nic Deslauriers — Karsen Dorwart — Garnet Hathaway

Nick Seeler — Travis Sanheim
Cam York — Jamie Drysdale
Egor Zamula — Emil Andrae

Sam Ersson
(Ivan Fedotov)

New York Rangers

Artemi Panarin — Vincent Trocheck — Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle — J.T. Miller — Mika Zibanejad
Chris Kreider — Sam Carrick — Gabe Perrault
Brennan Othmann — Jonny Brodzinski — Matt Rempe

Carson Soucy — Adam Fox
Zac Jones — Will Borgen
Urho Vaakanainen — Braden Schneider

Igor Shesterkin
(Jonathan Quick)

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...station-to-face-hockey-team-that-plays-there/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Thursday Morning Fly By: That’s one way to do it

*The Flyers gave it their all but they simply couldn’t overcome the sheer level of Suck at which the Rangers are currently operating. TyFo hat trick though, pretty neat. RECAP!

*Big story yesterday was the announcement that the Flyers’ beat writers have nominated Ivan Fedotov for the Masterton Trophy. [BSH]

*His story certainly isn’t the “traditional” kind of story that accompanies this nomination, but it sure it’s a wild one. [NBC Sports Philly]

*It’s a story that, unlike something like a medical issue or maybe a struggle with addiction, that is hard to even understand. Because this isn’t the kind of thing that happens to many people on EARTH, let alone in the NHL. [Inquirer]

*Whatever happens to Fedotov this offseason, it was a long, hard road for him to get here, and this nomination serves to honor that. If nothing else. [PHLY]

*The latest 32 Thoughts, the bulk of which focus on the excitement of the upcoming playoffs and, as such, not on your Flyers. [Sportsnet]

*We learned yesterday that longtime NHL exec Ray Shero passed away. Terribly sad news; he was only 62 years old. [TSN]

*Back to those upcoming ‘yoffs… which team is under the MOST pressure to win this year? Hard to say. [ESPN+]

*And finally, the latest edition of the BSH Flyers Farm Stars! Some good stuff happening with some of The Kids right now. [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/thursday-morning-fly-by-thats-one-way-to-do-it/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

A guide to the 2025 Frozen Four for Flyers fans

It’s that time again, folks! The Frozen Four, the pinnacle of the college hockey season, is finally upon us, with the semifinal round set to begin this evening in St. Louis. It’s a big moment for college hockey watchers, and the Flyers will once again find themselves well represented at this point in the tournament.

The action will kick off this evening with the matchup between Denver and Western Michigan (with the Broncos featuring, of course, buzzy Flyers prospect Alex Bump), beginning at 5:00 PM ET on ESPN2 and ESPN+. And this is, it goes without saying, is a big one. Denver is coming in with some serious momentum, as the reigning national champion and having defeated the top-ranked team in the country in Boston College pretty handily in their regional final, and they’re coming in to face Western Michigan, making their first appearance in the Frozen Four in program history. But the Broncos aren’t going to make this easy on them — they’ve been competitive in tight games throughout the tournament, and for them, there will be no surprises about Denver’s game. With both playing in the NCHC, there’s a real familiarity there, and, also notably, Western Michigan’s had some success against this Denver team already this year, having split their regular season series with a win and an overtime loss, and beating them in the final of the Frozen Faceoff.

Following that, we’ll see Penn State and Boston University (with our pal Devin Kaplan) facing off at 8:30 (still on ESPN2 and ESPN+). This one, too, is going to be an interesting matchup — Penn State went into their regional as the four-seed, and managed to upset both Maine and UConn, though they did have some trouble in that second game, BU is a team that isn’t going to clog up the neutral zone in the same way that UConn did, and instead is one that’s going to be able to skate with them and trade chances. BU might be the favorite heading into it, given the strength of their roster and regular season, but this one feels like it really could go either way.

The winners of these games will face off on Saturday at 7:30, and a new (or perhaps not new) National Champion will be crowned. This is sure to be an exciting slate of action.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/a-guide-to-the-2025-frozen-four-for-flyers-fans/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Friday Morning Fly By: The kids are rolling

*The Flyers are off again today but a few of the Flyers’ kids got going in the Frozen Four last night, and we’ve got a full guide to the tourney for you. [BSH]

*One of those kids, Devin Kaplan, is chasing the title with a guy From Here. [Inquirer]

*Anyway, the Flyers. In case you missed it, Chuck had some Thoughts about that Rangers game. [PHLY]

*Speaking of, Brad Shaw was pretty impressed by Tyson Foerster’s first career hatty. [BSH]

*You may have noticed, but the Flyers seem to once again have a goalie problem. So how are they going to fix it this time? [The Athletic]

*Free agency is obviously one place to look, but there aren’t really any sure things out there this summer. [Inquirer]

*And while we’re fixing problems, what if Danny Briere gets real crazy with the search for a couple of functional NHL centers? [BSH]

*The latest power rankings, in the form of each team’s Hart Trophy candidate. Oh boy wonder who will be chosen for the Flyers! [Sportsnet]

*And finally, on Alex Ovechkin’s road to the record. The breaking of which is cool as heck. [ESPN]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/friday-morning-fly-by-the-kids-are-rolling/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Where can Alex Bump fit on the Flyers this season?

Alex Bump has quickly worked his way to the front of every Flyers fan’s mind. The Western Michigan Bronco has been the driving force of his college club all season long and now, he is preparing to take on Boston University Saturday night for the NCAA national championship.

The 21-year-old left winger earned his way there through nine shots on goal — unfortunately zero points earned — Thursday night in the Frozen Four semifinal to beat down the reigning champions, David Carle’s Denver Pioneers. He covered every single inch of the ice surface playing well both offensively and defensively, just as he has been doing all season long.

Of course, this gets every single person that cares about the Philadelphia Flyers extremely excited about his potential in the NHL. A winger that has scored over a point per game in college but is also known for his defensive acumen as well is something that almost every single big-league organization covets. And as soon as Saturday night’s national championship game is done, with Bump being crowned a champion or a runner-up, he will surely be putting pen to paper as quickly as possible and making the leap to professional hockey.

There is still a question that we won’t know the answer to until he formally signs: Is Bump heading to the NHL right away, or will he be heading to Allentown and helping the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ playoff push? We do have to assume that there won’t be an amateur try-out and Bump will sign his full three-year, entry-level contract that starts this season, making him a restricted free agent in 2027. The try-out business is typically held out for players of lower caliber than someone who led his team to a national championship game and is highly regarded within the NHL organization.

If Bump heads to the Flyers as soon as possible, we can’t envision him making his NHL debut less than 24 hours after playing in the biggest game of his career so far, so that leaves next the penultimate and final game of the Flyers’ season next week as possibilities for him to play in. Two NHL games before he most likely heads to Allentown to go and play in the Phantoms’ top six to go help them out with a game or two before they go to the playoffs — that seems like the most realistic path considering how high internally the Flyers seem to be on Bump. One thing to note is that if Bump plays for the Flyers, he will be ineligible to play in the AHL playoffs.

So, if this whole scenario and Bump’s next couple of weeks pans out like this, when he’s with the Flyers, where could he realistically play? It will be up to interim head coach Brad Shaw to figure out how to put him in his lineup, but it could be fairly simple.

With the Flyers recently demoting Rodrigo Abols back down to the Phantoms, they have exactly 12 healthy forwards on the roster. That includes Nic Deslauriers, of course. The 34-year-old fourth liner is the obvious choice to be a healthy scratch as Bump comes in and barring some sort of French-Canadian blackmail, he will be up in the press box if the young winger comes to the NHL.

Now, what about the specific lines? This would of course be up to Shaw and his staff, and we can only ponder about some potential burgeoning chemistries forming in the final two games of the season between Bump and some hypothetical new linemates. But what are some options we have ahead of us?

The conservative placement​

With Deslauriers coming out, there is an opening on the fourth line next to newcomer Karsen Dorwart and Garnet Hathaway. Would a simple swap and keeping everything else the same be extremely boring and having Bump’s first two games in the NHL combine for under 20 minutes of ice time be disappointing? Yeah, certainly, but it could be the most realistic and easy to think about.

One step further into that is just a re-shuffle of the bottom six. The Flyers’ current third line is the trio of Jakob Pelletier, Ryan Poehling, and Owen Tippett. Three players that have certainly earned their placement together and deserve the opportunity they have. Pelletier has looked excellent since being removed from the fourth line and after John Tortorella’s firing. Ryan Poehling is suddenly the Flyers’ top offensive contributor with a million goals on this recent hot streak. Owen Tippett is only down on the third line because other wingers are playing better and deserve higher spots in the lineup, but he cannot go any lower.

If the Flyers want to give Bump more of a role than just as Deslauriers’s replacement on the fourth line, then he naturally would be bumping (sorry for the pun) Pelletier back down to the fourth line. It wouldn’t be the best thing to do to a player that probably deserves more than that treatment, but the Flyers kind of know already what Pelletier can be relied upon for. No questions about Bump’s readiness for the NHL would be fully answered to the best of their ability (since it is such a small sample size) with a freshly signed college free agent and fourth-line staple as his linemates.

Plus, Bump’s hypothetical steadiness on the wing could be very exciting with the speed of both Poehling and Tippett and it might be something to look out for next season.

But what if the Flyers want to just throw Bump in the deep end and see if he can swim?

Giving Bump the big opportunity​

Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, and Matvei Michkov have looked great together. It’s taking all the most talented players at their positions on the Flyers roster, and smashing them together in hopes that it works out; which it largely has. The smarts of Couturier, Konecny’s tenaciousness, and Michkov’s overall elite skill have worked wonderfully as a combination.

But if the Flyers want to find some things out, then maybe they need to give Bump the best opportunity to produce some points and shoot the puck as much as we know he can. And that would be with Couturier as his center and either Michkov or Konecny on the other side. It would certainly put more pressure on Bump to do something during these couple of games, but again, if he fell flat next to bottom-six forwards we still wouldn’t feel great, this gives him the chance to do more with more minutes and even potentially being on one of the power-play units.

Most fans would just want to see this to see this, but we also can’t see the Flyers just willingly handing over such an opportunity to a newcomer, over some of the other wingers on this team.

Moving from something concrete to experiment​

That leaves with one other line Bump could be added to. Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink on the wing and Noah Cates down the middle has been one of the Flyers’ most consistent lines ever since they have been put together. Through 530 minutes together, the Flyers have earned 57.89 percent of goals scored, 50.32 percent of the shots on goal, 50.32 percent of the shot attempts, and a remarkable 58.43 percent of the expected goals share, when that trio is on the ice. As a team preparing for the upcoming draft lottery, to have that sort of control coming from a group of three young players is impressive.

So, why not just break them up for a bit? We know that they work well together. It is an option that whoever the next head coach is, can return to whenever they want. They control play and make the Flyers a better team. With Bump’s addition, this is all about answering some questions and doing some experiments to prepare for next season.

Tyson Foerster’s recent hat trick could be a reason to just see how he can work with some more traditional talent. Why not, if they are doing a little bit of a shuffle to try out things, put Foerster up with Couturier and Michkov as some sort of reward? And then Bump just slides in next to Cates and Brink and creates a little bit of a possession-control line with three dudes who can more than handle their own in all three zones and can shoot the puck.

Would a more wholehearted re-shuffle that looks like this, be all that bad?

Tyson Foerster — Sean Couturier — Matvei Michkov
Alex Bump — Noah Cates — Bobby Brink
Owen Tippett — Ryan Poehling — Travis Konecny
Jakob Pelletier — Karsen Dorwart — Garnet Hathaway

It might be a little bit uncomfortable heading into the offseason, but it would at least be something new we could look forward to seeing as we all hope for the result to not go the Flyers’ way in the final games.

Now, we’re just left wondering what they will do. And after doing this little thought experiment, we just know that Bump will head down to the Phantoms and we’ll do the AHL version of this all over again.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-can-alex-bump-fit-on-the-flyers-this-season/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Shaw explains earlier issues with Foerster, now pleased with his development

Although there was some alleged headbutting between some of the Flyers players and former head coach John Tortorella, there were a few other spats going on between some players and some coaches. Nothing as controversial as the situation between Cam York and Tortorella, but some instances where a player and coaching staff didn’t see eye to eye. Flyers interim head coach Brad Shaw revealed one of them on Friday after practice. Earlier in the year, Shaw removed Foerster from the penalty killing units and gave him a smaller role.

“You watch his growth on the penalty kill,” Shaw said. “He really wasn’t happy earlier this year when I kind of took him off and made him sort of a bit player. He didn’t talk to me for about a month. But I thought at the time it was good for him to kind of watch. I think when you just don’t hand it over to them, I think they do pay attention. I think maybe they appreciate it a little bit more.”

Shaw says Foerster, who scored his first NHL hat trick Wednesday night against the host New York Rangers, says he believes the Flyers’ crop of wingers will see their play improve when their center ice position is enhanced with more high end talent. It’s no secret the Flyers need centers, and the sooner the better. But as it stands now Shaw says he’s been pleased with how Foerster dealt with his second year in the league. It’s been a season where the spotlight has been taken off him a bit and placed more on Matvei Michkov and a few others.

“He’s an impressive young man as far as his maturity, being a pro,” Shaw said. “I think he’s never taken anything for granted which some young players can. I think it took him a while to maybe figure out maybe where he fits in the NHL level. He seems way more comfortable in his own skin.”

Shaw also says he’s been been impressed with how Foerster, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink have worked as a unit this year, one of Philadelphia’s most consistent trios over the first 78 games. “We talked about that line in general this morning, how we want our guys to try and make plays right now,” Shaw said. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. What that line does better than the rest of our team in general is the next two or three seconds, there’s an intent there to get the puck back as soon as possible. Or to be disruptive as soon as possible. He’s a big part of that, I think Cates is a big part of that, I think Brink is a big part of that. I don’t know how you divvy up who gets what as a percentage. I think they all feed off one another.”

Shaw, who says Foerster has a chance to be a scorer but makes his best impact playingn a “real solid 200-foot game,” was also asked if he saw similarities between Foerster’s style of play and that of Capitals’ forward T.J. Oshie. “Tyson has the benefit of being a bigger body. I was with Oshie in St. Louis for some years when he was young. He came in probably a lot more raw when he showed up in the NHL scene. But there are similarities. I think they both take pride in both ends of the rink. They can both make a play, they can both score, both are tough to play against. Because there’s a physical element as well, Oshie was fantastic with the reverse hit. Foerster is heavy on the puck. I’d put them in the same category of player for sure.”

Foerster has more goals, assists and thus points in his second year. With any luck he should hit the 40-point mark this year after posting 22 goals and 17 helpers thus far. His rookie season saw him score 20 goals and add 13 assists for 33 points in 77 games. In 2022-23, an eight-game stint saw Foerster light things up with three goals and four assists in that span.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...th-foerster-now-pleased-with-his-development/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Some takeaways from Flyers’ 4-3 shootout win over the Islanders

Tyson Foerster nearly had a second hat trick in as many games, Sam Ersson was solid, and the Flyers booted the Islanders from playoff contention with a 4-3 shootout win Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.

The basics

First period: No scoring

Second period: 3:28- Tyson Foerster (Sean Couturier, Matvei Michkov) (PPG), 10:54- Anders Lee (Noah Dobson, Tony DeAngelo) (PPG), 17:58- Noah Dobson (Bo Horvat, Scott Mayfield)

Third period: 4:29- Jakob Pelletier (Owen Tippett, Ryan Poehling), 10:34- Tyson Foerster (Owen Tippett, Noah Cates), 18:59- Bo Horvat (Tony DeAngelo, Anders Lee)

Overtime: No scoring

Shootout: Travis Konecny – No goal, Bo Horvat – No goal, Matvei Michkov – No goal, Maxim Tsyplakov – No goal, Tyson Foerster – No goal, Simon Holmstrom – No goal, Owen Tippett – No goal, Tony DeAngelo – No goal, Bobby Brink – Goal, Kyle Palmieri – No goal

SOG: 22 (PHI) – 39 (NYI)

Some takeaways

Michkov not missing any time

After taking a high stick earlier in the week which caused some bleeding, Matvei Michkov was back in the lineup on Saturday afternoon. Michkov missed Friday’s practice for precautionary reasons only. Michkov managed to get a backhand pass across the crease but Sean Couturier was unable to connect. The Flyers first good chance was from Jamie Drysdale who hit the post after beating Islanders goalie Marcus Hogberg. Minutes later Nic Deslauriers also hit iron. Michkov got behind the Islanders defense and had a breakaway attempt but missed the net wide on the stickside.

Unless he puts up some multi-point games this week, it seems as if Michkov will be a nominee for the Calder. But the winner? It’s beginning to look more doubtful. Michkov hit the 60-point mark on the opening goal of the game with a secondary assist. Perhaps the best part of that play was how Michkov broke up an Islanders chance, taking the puck away from Kyle Palmieri and quickly transitioning.

Foerster fiery

The Flyers scored a power play goal on a four-man rush in the second period. Actually thanks to the official accidentally running interference on one of the Islanders, it was a four-on-one. Tyson Foerster took the puck from Sean Couturier and put a nice backhand over Hogberg’s blocker.

Foerster Roofing Co.#NYIvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/nw87UhtEuo

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 12, 2025

It was Foerster’s fourth goal in two games, upping his total to 23 for the season. That 23rd goal was followed the following period with his 24th thanks to a great pass from Owen Tippett (looking Michkov-esque on the last two Flyers goals). The 25-goal plateau is well within reach after the last two games, when last weekend many doubted Foerster would hit 20 for the season. Foerster nearly got his third of the afternoon when he looked to have an open net on a delayed penalty but the puck was deflected wide.

Tyson Foerster stays hot scoring his second of the game and tying the team lead in goals, 3-2 Flyers.
Goal: Foerster (24) Assists: Tippett (23) Cates (20)pic.twitter.com/lspPEjdJNC

— Andrew Coté (@acote_88) April 12, 2025

Clean sheet for Dorwart

After being on the radar for his NHL debut, Karsen Dorwart was relatively a non-factor through the opening 40 minutes. Dorwart found himself with the second-least amount of time (7:10) after two periods, and just six seconds more than Deslauriers. Dorwart finished with 10:30 for the game with no shots on goal and no points.

All-Star Game vibe, minus a lot of all stars

With the Islanders mathematically alive but practically eliminated, both teams opted to play a low-intensity game that kept the clock running and kept the majority of those on the ice free from a lot of physical contact. It wasn’t pond hockey where the teams were trading chances left and right, but there was an overall looseness to the tilt that didn’t have much chippiness. The lone exception was late in the second when Jean-Gabriel Pageau appeared to catch Garnet Hathaway with the butt end of his stick. Nothing came of it.

Pelletier perfect

As nifty as the Islanders passing play was on their second goal, the Flyers tied the game 2-2 on another strong passing play. Jakob Pelletier beat Hogberg with a backhand shot on a play that developed from Ryan Poehling feeding Tippett. The assist was another point for Poehling while Pelletier showed some of his potential with the nifty shot between Hogberg’s pads.

Nice rush by the Flyers ending with Jakob Pelletier sliding the puck five-hole on Hogberg, 2-2.
Goal: Pelletier (7) Assists: Tippett (22) Poehling (18) pic.twitter.com/ODMVtoDYK4

— Andrew Coté (@acote_88) April 12, 2025

Ersson strong

Sam Ersson got the start and was a little bit busy a wee bit into the contest. Stopping the play twice in the first three minutes, Ersson saw his best stop early during a three-on-one that he shut down, nabbing the first shot but being in position to ensure the rebound didn’t get by him. Roughly 13 minutes into the first an Alexander Romanov backhander was stymied by Ersson. He was perfect in the opening 20, even stoppinng Egor Zamula’s stick from going by him on one Islanders shot.

In the second the Islanders had one or two extended shifts in the Flyers end and Ersson held strong. That was despite not knowing where the puck was sometimes. After Cam York took a minor penalty in the second the New York took advantage off. A nice passing play started by former Flyer Tony DeAngelo (still on Philadelphia’s cap for a few more games) was capped off by Anders Lee tipping in a Noah Dobson pass. Ersson had basically no chance as the Islanders tied things up.

Late in the second, with the ice tilted heavily in the Islanders’ favor the full 20 minutes, New York went ahead. A great backhand pass by Bo Horvat to Noah Dobson left Dobson alone on Ersson, sliding the puck between Ersson for a well-deserved 2-1 lead.

The Flyers hung around with New York, playing rope-a-dope in the second but having a strong third period to take the lead. But if it wasn’t for Ersson keeping them in it (and the Isles missing some chances), this game would’ve been a laugher halfway through. Unfortunately (for those wanting the Flyers to win) New York tied the game 3-3 with 61 seconds left in regulation. In the shootout Ersson looked like he tweaked something in his left leg on a save on Simon Holmstrom. However, he stayed in to get the victory.

Amusing quasi-coincidentals

After Drysdale took a tripping minor in the first period, the Islanders set up to the right of Ersson. However, just three seconds later Anders Lee took a tripping minor, negating the power play but opening up the ice for some four-on-four play. The downside of course was the three-second power play was another attempt which dropped the power play success percentage back down marginally.

Poehling opts against his pound of flesh

Poehling missed a lot of time after getting hit high by Maxim Tsyplakov earlier in the season. But Poehling — playing in his first game against Tsyplaykov since the incident (and subsequent suspension) — made no attempt at getting his own revenge. Instead, Poehling had a chance to make it a 2-1 game for Philadelphia but decided to make a backhanded pass to nobody in the second period. A better option would’ve been to shoot, particularly his hot hand.

It’s not that the situation wasn’t addressed, as former Flyer Scott Laughton fought Tsyplakov earlier in the year.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...m-flyers-4-3-shootout-win-over-the-islanders/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers vs. Islanders: Coverage, how to watch, lineups, and game thread

Puck drop: 12:30 p.m.
How to watch/listen:
: NBCSP, ESPN+
: 97.5 The Fanatic

Pregame reading

• Everyone’s talking about Alex Bump right now, and we might be getting a real look at him soon.

Pregame watching

Projected Lineups

Philadelphia Flyers

Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink
Travis Konecny – Sean Couturier – Matvei Michkov
Jakob Pelletier – Ryan Poehling – Owen Tippett
Nic Deslauriers – Karsen Dorwart – Garnet Hathaway

Nick Seeler – Travis Sanheim
Cam York – Jamie Drysdale
Emil Andrae – Egor Zamula

Sam Ersson
(Aleksei Kolosov)

New York Islanders

Anders Lee – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri
Maxim Tysplakov – JG Pageau – Simon Holmstrom
Pierre Engvall – Casey Cizikas – Hudson Fasching
Matt Martin – Kyle Maclean – Marc Gatacomb

Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock
Alexander Romanov – Tony DeAngelo
Noah Dobson – Scott Mayfield

Ilya Sorokin
(Marcus Hogberg)

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...erage-how-to-watch-lineups-and-game-thread-3/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Takeaways from Flyers 4-3 overtime loss to Senators

That’s a wrap on the back to back. Despite some promising gaining of momentum as the game went on, and a big stepping up performance from their fourth line, the Flyers fell short, falling to the Senators to close out their final bit of weekend action of the regular season.

The Basics​

First period: No scoring
Second period: 11:43- Nic Deslauriers (York, Hathaway), 12:36- Tim Stutzle (Chabot, Hamonic), 17:17- Noah Cates (Andrae, Brink)
Third period: 4:41- Fabian Zetterlund (Pinto, Chabot), 7:33- Garnet Hathaway (Seeler), 12:54- Thomas Chabot (Crookshank, Stutzle).
OT: 1:40- Tim Stutzle (Batherson, Giroux) PPG
SOG: 32 (PHI) – 26 (OTT)

Some Takeaways​

The debut that wasn’t

Perhaps the most exciting thing that happened in and around this game unfolded all before the puck even dropped. Because there was some real intrigue happening heading into this game — a little over an hour before puck drop, it was noticed that Nikita Grebenkin was listed on the Flyers’ roster on their website, and the Flyers confirmed before warmups that they had recalled him from the Phantoms on an emergency basis. But… why? As we spent time racking our brains to recall any dramatic plays from Saturday’s game which might have led to a forward taking an injury and being out for this game (and coming up empty), sources indicated that the Flyers had a couple of guys who were questionable coming into this one, and Grebenkin’s debut might just be on deck.

It was an exciting possibility, with how well he’s been gelling with the Phantoms, it would have been nice to see what he could do with the NHL team, but it wasn’t to be. Everyone on the main roster was actually healthy enough to play today, and Grebenkin was sent right back to Lehigh Valley. Whomp whomp.

Fedotov time

After getting a full day off yesterday at home, as Sam Ersson got the start against the Islanders and Aleksei Kolosov backed up, Ivan Fedotov was given the nod for this afternoon’s start. And this game was, there’s no other way to put it, a weird one for Fedotov.

He showed some good flash at times, and while he did the best he could in a couple of instances where he got hung out to dry, he also did his own fair share of hanging himself out to dry. Let us explain — the first Senators goal would have been a tough one for anyone, as it saw Zamula take a poor angle and let the speedy Stutzle get inside position on him, and drive to the net. We can forgive that one. But the second goal, though it came after failed clears for the skaters, saw Fedotov sort of losing sight of the puck and being beaten over his glove, and then the third was even stranger, with him looking like he threw his stick away and then getting beaten on a shot from distance (though one that would have likely beaten him with or without possession of his stick). And then on the fourth one, we swing back around to forgiving — beaten after some stellar cross-ice movement from the Sens on the power play in overtime, while the Flyers scrambled in front, Seeler stung and Cates without a stick.

So, all in all, not a bad performance for Fedotov, but not an altogether commanding one either.

A little sleepy

If there was a concern that there might be a bit of fatigue shown on the Flyers’ part after playing in a hard-fought game yesterday, one which went a little extra long into the shootout, and having to travel to Ottawa right afterwards, it did seem to manifest to a degree in this one. The first period and into the second period saw the Flyers looking a little off, with their pace dragging a little bit and struggling to get a good volume of chances on net.

But it would be hard to call it all fatigue — the Senators also didn’t look especially sharp at the start, weren’t getting a ton of very good chances for their part either. Perhaps it was just something about this matchup that required a long feeling out period (which, notably, was not very fun to watch either).

Surge falls short

Of course, that feeling out period didn’t last forever, and once the dam was broken (or so they say) as far as the scoring goes, we were off to the races. The pace notably picked up through the back half of the game, and while the skaters at the top of the lineup were being tightly defended and finding themselves still a bit frustrated, the Flyers’ fourth line stepped up to bring them some offense — with two of their three goals on the afternoon coming from them. The Senators found a way to keep counterpunching as well to keep this one close, but the Flyers were doing enough on their side to keep them from pulling away with this one either.

But of course, the Flyers good momentum did run out eventually. The hope was that the bonus hockey period would be as kind to them as yesterday’s, but a badly timed interference penalty taken by Travis Sanheim put the Senators on the power play, and we already know what happened from there.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/takeaways-from-flyers-4-3-overtime-loss-to-senators/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Monday Morning Fly By: Two to go

*It was a big weekend for the Flyers, with back to back games going to overtime. One win, one loss. Up to you if you consider that good or bad. First up was the win over the Islanders, which was… something. RECAP!

*The yesterday they took a loss to Claude Giroux and the Senators. Again, up to you if that’s good or not! RECAP!

*Big weekend for Alex Bump and Western Michigan University, who won the NCAA title over Boston University. [ESPN]

*So maybe we’ll see Alex Bump? And the rumors around WMU coach Pat Fershweiler being a potential candidate for the Flyers’ job continue to swirl. [Inquirer]

*If Alex Bump does join the Flyers, where might he fit in? It would be cool to see him play a bit! [BSH]

*Speaking of fun players, a number of guys seem to be having a really good time but unsure if anyone is having more fun than Tyson Foerster and Jakob Pelletier. [The Athletic]

*And speaking of Tyson Foerster, Brad Shaw seems to understand why he was struggling before. And he’s really pleased with how he’s been looking lately. [BSH]

*And finally, back to whether or not you are enjoying the Flyers winning games lately, perhaps you might consider that where you draft is way less important than getting your draft pick right. [BSH]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/monday-morning-fly-by-two-to-go/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Tuesday Morning Fly By: It’s the final countdown

*That song will be in your head all day. You’re welcome. We’ve reached the penultimate game of the Flyers’ 2024-25 season, the final game at The Farg, a thrilling match against the Columbus Blue Jackets. If we’re being real, though, all eyes are on the offseason already, and the Flyers’ most pressing problem that’ll need solving before the Summer is through. [Inquirer]

*Speaking of the offseason, this list of the most covetable UFAs (possibly) hitting the market on July 1 might be relevant to your interests. [The Athletic]

*This might also be relevant: the keys to the offseason for each of the league’s eliminated teams, from draft to free agency. [ESPN+]

*There are a few not-eliminated teams that are facing quite a lot of pressure as we head into these playoffs, and most of them really cannot afford another first round exit. [TSN]

*And finally, are you familiar with the Gold Plan? If the NHL implemented it the Flyers would be doing pretty well right now. That and other things from your friendly neighborhood DGB. [The Athletic]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/tuesday-morning-fly-by-its-the-final-countdown/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Sanheim, Konecny, Michkov headline Flyers year-end awards

The Philadelphia Flyers announced their end-of-season team awards prior to Tuesday night’s game against Columbus. And Travis Sanheim took home two of the awards while Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, Bobby Brink, Noah Cates and Garnet Hathaway took home individual awards.

Sanheim won the Barry Ashbee Trophy for Most Outstanding Defenseman, marking the third time the blueliner earned the accolade and the second year in a row. Sanheim ranks first in time on ice and second in blocked shots while ranking twelfth in the league overall in ice time. The blueliner also earned the Yanick Dupre Class Guy Award Memorial Award, given to the Flyer “who best illustrates character, dignity and respect for the sport both on and off the ice.” The award is named after the late Flyer who passed away from leukemia in 1997 at age 24.

Matvei Michkov won the Toyota Cup awarded to the Flyer receiving the most points accumulated from the three-game stars announced at the end of each Flyers’ home game. The Russian rookie was the first star seven times, second star four times and third star four times. The Toyota Cup also comes with the car company making a donation to a charity of Michkov’s choosing.

Matvei Michkov: The @Toyota Cup Award Winner for being a star in his first season. ️ pic.twitter.com/EcMLX1KrWh

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 15, 2025

Elsewhere, Travis Konecny won the Bobby Clarke Trophy given to the Most Valuable Player, marking the second consecutive year Konecny took home the award. Konecny is tied for the team lead in goals while first in assists, points, power play goals and power play points. Konecny, who has 75 points in 80 games this year, also had his first five-point game this season in a wild tilt against Minnesota in October.

Bobby Brink has been a bright spot with the Flyers this year and that work wasn’t ignored. Brink won the Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy for Most Improved Player. The award, selected by the players, is Brink’s first. Brink has career highs in games played, goals, and assists while being a mainstay on Philadelphia’s impressive, hard-working third line alongside Tyson Foerster and Noah Cates.

Speaking of Cates, he took home the Gene Hart Memorial Award, given to the Flyer who showed the most “heart” during the season. The award, voted on by members of the Flyers Fan Club, was presented by anthem singer Lauren Hart earlier Tuesday afternoon. The award also comes with a donation from the Flyers Fan Club to a charity or organization of Cates’ choice. Cates has been a steadying presence on most nights, playing a solid two-way game while scoring 16 times and adding 20 helpers.

And Garnet Hathaway — who was nominated earlier in the day for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy — won the Flyers Alumni Community Leadership Award. The award is given for outstanding leadership both on the ice and off while also making a worthwhile contribution to the community. The award also comes with a $5,000 donation from the Flyers Alumni to a charity of Hathaway’s choice.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/sanheim-konecny-michkov-headline-flyers-year-end-awards/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Wednesday Morning Fly By: Fare thee Wells Fargo Center

*It’s the end of the Wells Fargo Center era and in the last game in the building with that name, the Flyers did exactly what we asked them to do: lose in regulation. Thanks, boys!

*With last night’s game being the final at home it was Flyers Awards night, and there may have been a couple of surprises. [BSH]

*Was also a big day for a couple of kids, as we learned that Devin Kaplan has been signed to his ELC and Alex Bump will join the Phantoms on an ATO, with his ELC starting next season. Welcome, children! [BSH]

*Bump is almost certainly the Flyers’ most prized NCAA prospect, so knowing he’s signed allows all of us to breathe a sigh of relief. We’re all a little scarred by that last one. [NBC Sports Philly]

*If you’re a subscriber over at Charlie’s website, he’s got a breakdown of the details of these two deals. [PHLY]

*For a bit of a cool thing, Alex Bump took us on a little dive into how he manipulates his stick to work best for him and the way he plays. We love a little peek behind the curtain. [Inquirer]

*Back to awards for a sec, Garnet Hathaway is the Flyers’ nominee for the King Clancy this year. Well deserved. [BSH]

*I think we’d all kind of love it if Danny Briere went hard this summer and offer-sheeted one of the several good RFAs that still need contracts. But there are some guys on our team that could get poached too. [The Athletic]

*Sean Couturier, who by all accounts is one of the nicest and most hardworking dudes in the entire league, put some things on the record about his time under John Tortorella. [RG]

*Several players across the league had themselves a bit of a breakout season this year; these are the most notable of them. [Sportsnet]

*And finally, every team now has a goofy trophy they give out in the locker room after wins. Most of them are very goofy. These are their stories. [The Athletic]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/wednesday-morning-fly-by-fare-thee-wells-fargo-center/