Philadelphia fourth-line winger Garnet Hathaway should be a little bit lighter in the pocketbook, showing his gratitude to every one of his teammates for what took place Friday night in Denver. Just two days earlier, Hathaway’s epic gaffe resulted in what should’ve been an insurance goal in a 5-3 victory over Utah into a painful, backbreaking 5-4 loss to the Mammoth in overtime. Two wins on a three-game road trip would’ve been considered good. But earning just three points in the first two contests was disappointing, especially considering the guaranteed loss in regulation slated for last night against the Avalanche. Colorado might be going through a bit of a rough patch of late. Yet prior to Friday night they lost five of 48 games in regulation. Put another way, they’ve earned a point in nearly 90 per cent of their games this year.
After Rick Tocchet bluntly criticized the team for sinking when they needed to rise to the occasion, the Flyers entered the Colorado game with hardly any expectations. Many felt a three-goal or four-goal loss was acceptable against the high-flying Avalanche. However, Sam Ersson was brilliant in the first, taking every punch Nathan MacKinnon and company threw at him and never breaking. Meanwhile, the Flyers popped two goals in late in period one for a surprising two-goal lead. After seeing things tied up after two periods, once again many thought the third would see the Avs simply reach a higher gear or two. The Flyers weren’t having any of it. A hat trick by Owen Tippet, multi-point nights by Denver Barkey and Matvei Michkov, and Ersson’s stellar play resulted in a shocking 7-3 victory. Leaving Colorado on such a high, especially considering the choke job that transpired the previous game, is probably the turning point of the season. While it certainly didn’t guarantee them a playoff spot, it definitely puts them back in the playoff chase. Simply put, don’t expect another six-game losing streak the rest of the way.
Perhaps more importantly, it’s one of those wins a team who hit the skids of late can cling to and thrive from, managing to put the losing streak in the past. The majority of fans and onlookers expected the Flyers from the goaltender out to put up a brave fight but eventually come out with another loss in Colorado. Heck, a loser point would’ve been a huge morale booster probably, knowing they took four of six points. To come away with two points — and convincingly so in regulation — should right the Flyers ship for a little while, at least until the Olympic break. The Flyers put a touchdown and extra point up against the best team in the league while giving up only a field goal. The goal output was the highest of the season. And it was one of the few times since becoming coach that Rick Tocchet near the end of the game was left with a huge grin on his face.
Granted, the Flyers have won big games during recent seasons before. It was Hathaway’s late game-winner on the road against the Panthers back in 2023-24 that seemed to leave many thinking Philadelphia was heading to the playoffs. We all know how that ended. So it’s not set in stone that beating the Avalanche makes you the best team in the league. On this given night, Philadelphia made the most of their 20 shots, putting seven in. Ersson had a career-high for saves in the opening period. The power play worked. The penalty-killing unit even scored. Michkov scored. Barkey had points. Trevor Zegras had a horrible night. Tippett had a far better night one. But primarily, the Flyers for 60 minutes showed they can rise to the occasion. And come out on top.
Prior to this Western trek, many expected the team to be returning to the East Coast and needing to defeat the Islanders to avoid a 10-game winless streak. They weren’t beating Vegas, they might have a chance against Utah, but Colorado was a loss. Instead, victories against Vegas and Colorado. And again, a Hathaway brain cramp from winning all three. If Philadelphia doesn’t take advantage of this huge boost in confidence this week — particularly against the Islanders, Columbus, Boston, and Los Angeles next Saturday afternoon — then this Colorado victory will be considered more of a one-off than a season-saving win. Should they stack four wins together, or get six or seven points through this week’s stretch, suddenly they’re right back in the conversation for a spot if not finding themselves on the inside looking out.
It was one of the best performances of the year for a few players, especially Tippett, Ersson, Barkey, and Michkov. If those four can build from last night and start contributing more, then the chances of the Flyers playing meaningful games late into March and April should be a certainty. As well, kudos to Tocchet for picking the perfect time in the season to chew out the team in the media without naming names. It could’ve backfired spectacularly last night. It didn’t. Philadelphia can now approach these coming games with a bit more confidence, a lot more moxie or swagger, and should be holding their sticks a lot looser than when they headed out to Vegas. The week ahead isn’t easy, particularly the back-to-back against Columbus and then Boston. The Flyers need efforts like last night to keep them in the chase and get back into the wild card spots or higher. Knowing they’re capable of such a game, and can build off it, should be worth its weight in gold.
What could’ve been a season-crushing streak has turned into something far greater than anyone expected. They’re still three points out heading into Saturday’s slate of games. However, if the Colorado game helps a handful of Flyers who haven’t been lighting it up of late, then it should pay huge dividends the rest of the way. Perhaps none more than Michkov. And Ersson. Scoring a pair might get the Mad Russian off on a multi-game, multi-point tear while Ersson could find himself playing to stop the puck and not self-defeating mind games with himself the rest of the way.
Charles Dickens wasn’t writing about the Flyers this week when he wrote A Tale of Two Cities. But, for the team since Wednesday evening in Utah, it was easily the worst of times. And the best of times.
