Flyers Deliver Ot Win, Climb To Within Two Points Of Playoff Spot

Flyers deliver OT win, climb to within two points of playoff spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers grabbed another massive win by beating the Stars, 2-1, in overtime Sunday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Trevor Zegras won it for the Flyers, who went to OT for the 26th time.

“He had a great game tonight,” Rick Tocchet said. “I thought his effort in overtime to win that puck battle, that was as good as it gets. … It was a big game for him against that Dallas team.”

Travis Konecny gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with a power play goal in the second period. But the Flyers’ power play surrendered the game-tying goal with 2:07 minutes left in the middle stanza.

The Flyers (37-24-12) played a really strong game, though, and recovered from that mistake. They’re a red-hot 12-3-1 over their last 16 games, a stretch in which they’ve allowed only 2.19 goals per game.

“It’s really fun playing extremely meaningful games this time of year,” Rasmus Ristolainen said. “Every night, it’s a big one, so it’s very exciting.”

The Flyers were able to build off their 5-3 road win Saturday night over the Red Wings. Tocchet’s club has battled in the second game of back-to-back sets, going a commendable 6-5-1 so far. Last season, the Flyers were mostly uncompetitive at 1-10-2.

“Maturity has a lot to do with it,” Tocchet said. “Mental toughness, we talk about that all the time. The leadership in the room. All of that stuff. Sometimes back-to-backs play in your mind. I think if you play the smart game, you can win those hockey games.”

The Flyers split their two-game regular-season series with the Stars (44-18-12). They were rolled by Dallas, 5-1, back in mid-November at American Airlines Center.

• Tocchet’s club gained more ground.

The Flyers pulled to within just two points of both third place in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot.

They have nine games left.

“Even after the Olympic break, there’s a lot of belief in the room and that’s good,” Tocchet said before the game. “That’s all that matters. There’s a little bit of us against the world type of thing. I like that, a lot of guys like that. … I think they should have a swagger. But saying that, it’s going to be tough. We know we’re going to have to have a lot of focus. Hopefully there are a lot of ice bags after games; that’s the way we have to play.”

• Samuel Ersson stayed perfect at 5-0-0 since the Olympic break.

The 26-year-old was very sharp, denying 17 of 18 shots. He made a magnificent stop on Wyatt Johnston late in the third period with the Stars on a power play.

“It was unbelievable,” Sean Couturier said. “The difference in the game.”

Ersson’s only blemish was Arttu Hyry scoring that shorthanded goal after the Flyers committed a bad turnover.

He also made a nice glove save in the first period on Michael Bunting. He flashed the leather again on Jason Robertson in the second period.

Both Konecny and Couturier called Ersson a “gamer.”

“Awesome guy, awesome teammate, fun to be around off the ice, fun to practice with,” Konecny said. “He’s just one of those guys that keeps working, he keeps pressing. You want to play hard in front of him.”

Ersson even tallied an assist on Zegras’ overtime winner.

Dallas backup netminder Casey DeSmith stopped 28 of the Flyers’ 30 shots.

The Flyers’ power play had great offensive-zone time on Konecny’s goal. Matvei Michkov picked up an assist, giving him 40 points on the season. He has looked more like the rookie Michkov down the stretch.

• Six hours before the game, the Flyers had a significant development for their rebuild.

They signed top prospect Porter Martone to his three-year entry-level contract.

“We think he’s pretty close to being ready to play in the NHL,” general manager Danny Briere said Sunday night.

The big winger will join the Flyers for the rest of the season. He arrived to Xfinity Mobile Arena in the second period and made his way to the Flyers’ management suite to greet members of the team’s hockey operations.

Martone could make his NHL debut as early as Tuesday night.

“We’re not closing down the window for Tuesday, assuming that everything goes according to plan,” Briere said. “There’s paperwork to be done, there’s a doctor’s appointment to be done, as well. We’re hopeful that Tuesday could be a game, but we’ll see. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.”

The Flyers made Martone the sixth overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft. This season, as a 19-year-old freshman at Michigan State, he put up 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 35 games.

“It’s exciting for the organization to have him sign, to join our team coming down the stretch here where we’re playing meaningful games,” Briere said. “Give him the chance to be around that, see how the guys prepare, what it’s like, how the intensity is playing meaningful games and we’ll see where it goes.”

• How about the Flyers’ record against the Western Conference?

They’ve really gotten the better of the West, going 20-7-4 with seven wins over the top five teams in the conference.

“We’ve beaten some of the best teams in the league,” Couturier said, “so on any night, we feel confident about our group.”

The Flyers have one more game against a West opponent: April 11 when they visit the Jets.

• The Flyers visit the Capitals on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).