The Philadelphia Flyers secured a crucial win against the New York Islanders, propelled by standout performances from Tyson Foerster and Matvei Michkov. This victory puts the Flyers on the brink of returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
Instant reactions: FOERSTER, VLADAR SHOOTOUT HEROICS SEND FLYERS TO PLAYOFFS
Sep 26, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Tyson Foerster (71) and right wing Matvei Michkov (39) celebrate win against the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Philadelphia Flyers need just two standings points in their final two games to find their way back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2019-20, and an opportunity to actually host postseason hockey for the first time since 2017-18.
It did not start well for Philly on the scoreboard, falling behind 2-0 after controlling much of the first half of the first, only for a light Carolina Hurricanes roster to take over and score the only two goals of the opening frame. But Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras gave the Orange & Black life in the second, tying the game and giving the Flyers a chance to beat the Hurricanes at the Xfinity Mobile Arena (et al.) for the first time in ten tries, having last defeated Rod BrindâAmourâs squad in Philadelphia back on March 5, 2020.
With a âwin a period, make the playoffsâ opportunity entering the third knotted at two, the Flyers looked gassed for a lot of the third, while also getting jobbed on two un-called blatant elbows. The Canes outshot Philly 9-8 in the third, but neither goalie surrendered, and for the 28th time through 81 games, we got overtime!
Scoreless through the five minutes of 3v3, despite a Michkov breakaway, the Flyers won a four-round shootout to punch their postseason ticket! Dan Vladar made all four stops, while Tyson Foerster, the Flyersâ fourth shooter, ripped the puck by Brandon Bussi for the skills competitionâs only goal for the win.
PLAYOFFS HERE WE COME!
First period
Highlight: The Flyers registered the first four shots on goal of the game and were generating plenty of chances in the first ten minutes, but Carolinaâs swarming attack, and red hot power play, have Philly in a 2-0 hole through the first twenty minutes of action. By the time the buzzer sounded, the Flyers maintained a 7-6 shot advantage, and attempts were 17 apiece, but the Canes absolutely took over after their first goal.
The Flyersâ penalty kill has been hot and cold all season, and theyâve been terrible since the start of March. With Nikolaj Ehlersâ power play goal, Philadelphia has now given up 19 PPGs in 21 1/3 games since the beginning of March, killing only 44 of 63 man-advantages theyâve faced. Only the San Jose Sharks (67.7%) have a worse PK-percentage than the Orange & Black (71% before tonight) since March 1. OOF!
What I want to see next period: Well, stay out of the box, for one. Dan Vladar came into the game tied with Igor Shesterkin and Anton Forsberg for the best 5v5 save-percentage in the NHL (.926). Vladdyâs 1.82 GAA at 5v5 is the best in the league. Give the guy a chance. Also, get back to the attack. I know Carolina is a fast, aggressive team, but this is not their A-team. Sebastian Aho, Shayne Gostisbehere, Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal Jacob Slavin and Andrei Svechnikov are all out of the Hurricanesâ lineup tonight. Take advantage! Thereâs no reason they canât get this thing tied up in the middle frame.
The Flyers allowed the first goal of the game for the 50th time of the season. Theyâve been able to go 19-22-8 (.469 points-percentage) when trailing first. Theyâve come back plenty this season and theyâre going to need to if they want to end the five year playoff drought tonight, and avoid a BIG PRESSURE situation on Tuesday against Montreal.
Second period
Highlight:Matvei Michkov cuts the Canesâ lead in half with his 19th goal of the year, and TREVOR ZEGRAS TIES IT ON THE POWER PLAY! The goals were separated by 2:33 of game time. HELL YES! Michkovâs goal came nearly eight minutes into the period, and was Phillyâs first official SOG since there was 8:25 left in the first, and breathed life into the FlyGuys, whose first period effort turned a rabid crowd dead quiet until The Mad Russian found the back of the net.
What I want to see next period: Iâm not going to be greedy and say IT HAS TO BE Travis Konecny and/or Owen Tippett who win this thing in the third, but damn, it would be nice if the teamâs two best forwards put a stamp on this game and send the Flyers to the playoffs with a regulation win, allowing us all to breathe tomorrow in game 82 against the Habs.
Third period
Highlight: Vladar stood tall through traffic and contact, making nine saves in the period to force overtime.
Overtime
Carolina dominated possession, outshooting the Flyers 3-0, but Vladar stood tall. Also, I guess Michkov didnât get credit for his breakaway attempt which Bussi was able to stop.
Final note: THE PHILADELPHIA FLYERS ARE GOING TO THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS!
How did the Philadelphia Flyers perform against the New York Islanders?
The Flyers won the game against the Islanders, with key contributions from Tyson Foerster and Matvei Michkov.
What do the Flyers need to do to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
The Flyers need to earn just two points in their final two games to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
When was the last time the Flyers hosted postseason hockey?
The last time the Flyers hosted postseason hockey was during the 2017-18 season.
Who scored goals for the Flyers in their recent game against the Hurricanes?
Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras scored goals for the Flyers, helping to tie the game against the Hurricanes.
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