Instant reactions: Ersson CLUTCH saves, Zegras OT goal bring Flyers within two points of playoffs

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Porter Martone signed his entry-level contract this afternoon, hours after the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Detroit Red Wings in regulation to officially get themselves back in the Stanley Cup Playoff race.

Now, after the Columbus Blue Jackets came away with only one of four points on the weekend, the Orange & Black have an opportunity to draw within a game of both CBJ and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the wild card and division races. All the FlyGuys have to do is beat the Dallas Stars, the NHL’s second-best team.

Not only did Travis Konecny’s power play goal, and Sam Ersson’s mega-save late in the third earn the Flyers a hard-fought point in the standings, but Trevor Zegras delivered one of the biggest goals of his career to end an eight-game drought and win it in overtime. The Flyers are now tied with the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings, two points behind Columbus in the wild card, as well as two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

First period

Highlight: Not a ton of highlights in a period that saw 10 total shots on goal (DAL – 6; PHI – 4). Denver Barkey had a great chance on the power play, cutting to center from the left side and dangling around traffic, but put his shot off the far post. Sam Ersson wasn’t under siege but he made some saves on big chances, with Matt Duchene, Michael Bunting, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnson all creating opportunities that Ersson stymied.

This game isn’t the MUST WIN sort of scenario that last night’s matchup with the Detroit Red Wings was, but with the Boston Bruins coming back from 3-0 to tie the Columbus Blue Jackets with 11 seconds left, and then prevailing in a shootout, both of the Eastern Conference wild card teams gained a little ground in the standings, raising the urgency to pick up at least one standings point for Philly a bit. They’ll need Ersson to give them a chance and through 20 minutes he has.

What I want to see next period: More pucks on net. Dallas is defending aggressively, not allowing much time and space when the Flyers do gain the offensive zone. I want to see Jamie Drysdale, Travis Sanheim and Cam York (combined for zero shot attempts in the first) to get some pucks on Casey DeSmith and see if the forwards can get a dirty goal or two.

Second period

Highlight: TRAVIS KONECNY POWER PLAY GOAL! After a flurry of almosts (two for Christian Dvorak, one for Noah Cates) on a Mikko Rantanen high-sticking minor, Konecny nets his 26th of the year, wrapping the puck arond on the left wing side after a deflected Matvei Michkov pass found him below the goal line. HELL YES!

The Flyers have done a good job shortening this game, with the first goal being scored right around the midway point of regulation. Trevor Zegras nearly made it 2-0 minutes later, collecting a rebound and nearly finding the yawning cage, but rattled the rolling puck off the near post. The building would have EXPLODED if Ziggy scored his career-high tying 23rd goal there, but we’ll have to settle for adding to the lead at a later time.

Unfortunately, after TK made a solid defensive play to stop the Stars’ momentum a few minutes after the goal, he was able to get himself a breakaway and draw a hooking minor, but the Stars scored short-handed to tie the game with 2:07 left in the middle frame. DAMMIT! Real sloppy work, with a terrible Drysdale turnover. Horrible end to an otherwise decent period.

What I want to see next period: I want to win this f’n game, but getting at least one point is paramount. Play smart, get pucks on net, and don’t have any stupid turnovers or unnecessary risks. Don’t turtle, but take calculated chances. Also, Michkov has an assist, and three shots on goal. No better time to end the nine-game goal drought than in the third period.

Third period

Highlight: ERSSON ROBS JOHNSTON with 1:18 left with the Stars on the power play! A pass across the crease looked like a slam dunk for the 22-year-old 40-goal scorer, but Ersson stuck his right leg out to keep the game tied. The Flyers get the kill, thanks mostly to the much-maligned netminder. WOW!

And that save earned the Flyers at least one point, as we’re headed to OVERTIME!

Overtime

TREVOR ZEGRAS WINS IT, TYING HIS CAREER HIGH WITH 23 GOALS ON THE SEASON! OH HELL YES!!!

Final note: This game showed that the Philadelphia Flyers can play with anybody. They held a legitimate Stanley Cup contender to 18 shots, and came through in the clutch. This is a different Flyers team that now needs to do something they haven’t done since February 2024- win a fourth consecutive game when they line up against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.

Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame