When the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks last summer, there was concern if he would really fit in. If he could truly be someone that gels with what they’re trying to do here and wear the Orange and Black as well as some other forwards have. And in one single game, he proved that not only can he led this team’s offense but also be as pesky as needed to be a perfect example of a Flyer.
During Tuesday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the first game of the season against the Flyers’ archrival, Zegras showed up. Not so much on the score sheet, as he earned just a single secondary assist for his contribution to Bobby Brink’s power-play goal that opened the scoring for Philadelphia, but it was in the very last moment of actual hockey being played where Zegras really turned on his Flyers brain.
The game was already getting chippy. As expected when it comes to anything involving these two teams, but it was the first time in what felt like a while that there was true underlying hatred between the two hockey clubs.
The Flyers were toying with a 2-1 lead. Letting the Penguins come back just ever so slightly until captain Sidney Crosby squeaked a puck behind Sam Ersson to tie the game 12 minutes in to the third period and eventually forcing overtime. During the extra period, the Penguins appear to score a goal, but it was eventually disallowed. The game was still in-tact. Then the Penguins take a penalty — Tyson Foerster snipes an absolute laser past Arturs Silovs and just as the Flyers were about to head down the tunnel after a short celebration, it was called back. The zone entry was offside.
We start again. And after overtime couldn’t decide the game, a line brawl broke out. Shoving and punching and throwing each other around — and who was in the middle of it? Who was really causing the havoc and getting under the skin of several Penguins players? Trevor Zegras.
TREVOR ZEGRAS. THE PEST. pic.twitter.com/4XN04xVb0h
— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) October 29, 2025
After rattling some feathers, Pittsburgh blueliner Parker Wotherspoon tried to go after Foerster but Zegras was not having it. The 24-year-old forward grabbed Wotherspoon but the Penguins defenseman kept on just throwing reckless punches no matter who was in front of him. That, and Foerster and Zegras getting loose from the scrum, opened the flood gates.
Before any linesman could even come close to them, Foerster tackled Wotherspoon down to the ice and as Zegras was helping out his teammate, Noel Acciari comes in to try and even up the numbers. But in the process of doing this, goes down to the ice and to get his licks in, Zegras keeps on chirping at him, eventually knocking Acciari’s helmet off and that sets off the Penguins forward. Zegras doesn’t really engage in the fight from then on, but it was all he needed to do.
This uber-skilled forward doesn’t need to go beat someone up to be heralded as a physical presence. No, he just needed to show a nasty side to his game and he did that and so much more Tuesday night. Snapping back at opposing players, knocking off helmets when the player is helpless on the ice, and chirping players about their facial hair — Zegras fits in with the Flyers mentality perfect. He did what he can do in between whistles and did it perfectly.
Now, is what Zegras did good and legal? Of course not. He quickly earned the boot (but not really since there was no time left in the actual game). Penguins players Sidney Crosby, Wotherspoon, Acciari, and Ryan Shea, and Flyers Zegras, Foerster, Owen Tippett, and Jamie Drysdale all earned 10 minute misconduct penalties for their contributions to this insane line brawl between these hated rivals. But what Zegras did was perfect in the situation and a boundary-pushing move to get under the skin of a player just down on the ice not expecting a thing.
Like a breath of fresh air, these two teams hate each other once again. And the hot and new Flyers forward loves to torment the Penguins more than anything in the entire world. It’s beautiful. Brings a tear to my eye.
