After a disappointing loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Flyers bounced back in dominant fashion, controlling play against the Chicago Blackhawks en route to a convincing 5-1 victory to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Basics
First period: 0:48 – Alex Bump (Christian Dvorak), 2:33 – Sean Couturier (Luke Glendening)
Second period: 5:14 – Denver Barkey (Trevor Zegras, Owen Tippett), 11:11 – Connor Bedard (Anton Frontell, Louis Crevier), 12:41 – Noah Cates (Matvei Michkov, Alex Bump), 19:35 – Christian Dvorak (Owen Tippett, Noah Cates)
Third period: No scoring
SOG: 42 (PHI) – 26 (CHI)
Takeaways
Flyers came out flying
If you tuned into this game a few minutes late because you were still celebrating the Philadelphia Phillies’ 5–3 victory over the Texas Rangers, you probably missed Alex Bump’s third goal of the season. Bump scored the first goal of the game just 48 seconds into the game — the fourth time the Flyers have scored first in their last five games, something they’re not exactly used to doing.
ALEX BUMP MAKES IT 1-0 48 SECONDS IN!!!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/JCQ8X1qIbG
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 26, 2026
The Flyers were buzzing around the ice for the first 10 minutes of the game, causing the Blackhawks to look discombobulated and, in all honesty, horrible. The Flyers looked like Stanley Cup contenders to start this one, and if they could just play like that for 60 total minutes, our mental health might improve – a lot.
The rookies helped drive the offense
Speaking of Alex Bump, who ended the night with a goal and an assist, his fellow rookie teammate, Denver Barkey, scored his fourth career goal tonight to put the Flyers up 3-0.
DENVER BARKEY MAKES IT 3! GREAT PLAY ON THE ENTRY BY TIPPETT, ZEGRAS DOES THE REST AND IT POPS OUT TO BARKS. 3-0!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/jSuuq09mlM
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 27, 2026
The young guys showed up and showed out tonight, driving play and giving the Flyers – a team who could barely muster two goals on Tuesday night – a nice offensive boost.
It’s a great sign when guys like Alex Bump, Denver Barkey, and even Matvei Michkov are all pitching in and contributing to the offense, especially in these must-win type of games. Those are the guys who are going to be a major part of this team in the next few years when the Flyers are expected to be a playoff contender.
Cates and Couturier are heating up at the perfect time
Noah Cates has continued to be one of the Flyers’ best players coming out of the Olympic break. The 27-year-old center now has four goals in his last five games, including this great finish off a great feed from Matvei Michkov.
NOAH CATES STAYS RED HOT!!! WHAT A FEED FROM MATVEI MICHKOV. 4-1!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/i7ASmmsjZu
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 27, 2026
Meanwhile, Sean Couturier has quietly put together back-to-back strong performances. It’s no secret that the Flyers captain has struggled this season – especially in the offensive category – but over the last two games, he’s looked like vintage Sean Couturier, and it’s great to see.
THE CAPTAIN MAKES IT BACK-TO-BACK GAMES WITH GOALS AND IT'S ALREADY 2-0!!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/3LroKw8uOT
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 26, 2026
If the Flyers are serious about making a push towards the playoffs – which it seems they are – Noah Cates and Sean Couturier getting on a hot streak is exactly what this team needs.
Drysdale/York pairing shines
Jamie Drysdale and Cam York have had a couple of shaky games this season, but tonight they looked like one of the best defensive pairings on the ice. The underlying statistics back that up. The pair’s on-ice expected goals for percentage was 1.523, and their on-ice expected goals against percentage was just 0.18. Drysdale finished +3, and Cam York finished +2.
Drysdale, in particular, looked very noticeable and was all over the ice, despite not recording a point on the score sheet. He was making the little plays to contribute offensively and was steady defensively.
Tippett, Zegras, and Barkey gain chemistry
Almost every forward line was impressive tonight, but one that shone the most was the Tippett–Zegras–Barkey line. The three of them finished with a 1.694 on-ice expected goals for percentage, which led all forward lines, and a 0.304 on-ice expected goals against percentage.
It’s a skilled, speedy line that can change a game with a single shot. Tippett’s speed, combined with Zegras’s skill and Barkey’s tenacity, feels like a perfect fit. They’ve gelled quickly and have been one of the Flyers’ most effective lines in recent games.
Trevor Zegras faceoff success
It might be a small sample size, but Trevor Zegras was excellent in the faceoff circle, going 7-for-8 to lead the team with an 87.5 percent win rate among players who took more than one draw.
If Zegras can continue to improve in the faceoff dot while still putting up solid offensive numbers, the Flyers might have found a diamond in the rough. It’s no secret the Flyers have a center depth problem, and if Zegras can fill that hole, it could relieve general manager Danny Briere’s stress of having to find multiple centers to fill out the roster.
Sam Ersson came up big
Sam Ersson has been the brunt of Flyers fans during the team’s collapse in January and February – and rightfully so. In February, the 26-year-old goaltender finished the month with a .835 save percentage, which is really bad.
Since February, though, he’s completely turned his game around. In the 5 games he’s played in March, he has around a .920 save percentage, and tonight he made some huge saves to ensure the Flyers won this game.
This Sam Ersson would have been neat in January. #Flyers pic.twitter.com/QLFjAaI0vA
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) March 26, 2026
With Dan Vladar having a large workload, it’s been important for Ersson to come into these games as of late and give the team solid, quality starts, and he’s done just that.
All stats courtesy of MoneyPuck.com & ESPN
