The Pittsburgh Penguins wanted to be the 11th team in NHL history to force a deciding Game 7 after going down 3-0 in a series but the Philadelphia Flyers stopped them in their tracks and ended up with the series win Wednesday night.
Through 60 minutes, the goaltenders were perfect. It was the first time since 2002 that the Flyers went to overtime in a scoreless game — a 1-0 win against Ottawa. Through the nerves, the sweat, and the anxiety, history repeated, and the Flyers are on to the second round.
The basics:
First period: No scoring
Second period: No scoring
Third period: No scoring
Overtime: 17:30- Cam York (Matvei Michkov, Noah Cates)
SOG: 32 (PHI) – 42 (PIT)
Takeaways
Alex Bump should be a lineup mainstay
With the forwards feeling a little stagnant, Rick Tocchet made the decision to sit Matvei Michkov for Alex Bump in Game 5. It paid immediate dividends, as Bump scored his first career playoff goal in his playoff debut, along with four shots on goal. Game 6 saw Bump stay in the lineup, and his fresher legs were apparent early. Despite Garnet Hathaway getting the night off to allow Michkov to return, the forecheck had more teeth from the beginning than in the past couple of games, especially from players like Bump and Couturier. Pittsburgh had several turnovers in their own end, and the Flyers led from an Expected Goals standpoint 0.95 to 0.59 after 20 minutes, per MoneyPuck.
Flyers bend but don’t break
The Penguins stopped committing turnovers in the second period. With the benches on the far side of the ice, the Flyers repeatedly got trapped in their own zone, with several skaters seeing two-plus minute shifts. It killed any momentum the Flyers had built, and took all of the bite out of their forecheck. They were visibly exhausted as a unit. We saw a little of this earlier in the series taking a toll on the team– long changes led to extended shifts on defense– and it really makes it difficult to string offensive shifts together after something like that. Michkov managed a couple of great opportunities, including a breakaway, but Arturs Silovs remained awake on his end of the ice. The final five minutes saw things tilt the other way after Michkov’s near misses and more hard work from Couturier and Tyson Foerster.
This chart was pictured after the second period. The Flyers, though they conceded more overall, had clearly the more dangerous of the opportunities. Pittsburgh was having much more trouble getting to the slot, which was the blueprint to taking the initial 3-0 series lead before adjustments were made. Dan Vladar was solid, but not asked to stand on his head often– a great recipe for a defensive stand. Conversely, Silovs was strong on initial shots, but leaky, and the rebounds were there to be pounced on. There’s a lot of missed opportunity around the Penguin net.
The special teams effect
The Flyers began the third period on a power play given to them by the veteran work of Travis Konecny getting under Kris Letang’s skin. With the fresh sheet of ice and a clean two minutes, the Flyers did almost nothing at all. It was a good way to get everyone some low-pressure touches to start the period. When your power play acts as a warm-up, it’s not going well. Neither team was especially inspiring on the man-advantage– both sides had shorthanded chances– but the Flyers have gone scoreless on power plays in five of the six games. It’s incredible how far they’ve come with this waste of time.
Sean Couturier turned back time again
The captain has had a great series for the Flyers. Nominally the fourth line center, Couturier played more minutes than your typical bottom of the lineup guy, as has been the strategy for him of late. He was monstrous on the forecheck, in possession, and just overall creating havoc for the Flyers on a night where there was almost no offense to be had. It’s exactly the performance you want on a young team from your captain, and he deserves a ton of credit for the Flyers being in position to win a series.
Dan Vladar was incredible
The Flyer netminder was on his game in this one. Both goaltenders, really, but Vladar was under siege at times. He made 42 saves in a 77 minute shutout to clinch the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and vanquish Sidney Crosby’s Penguins. Vladar made 3.63 Saves Above Expected. He’s a stellar goaltender and he’s proven that no moment is too big for the guy the Calgary Flames decided wasn’t worth it. Anthony Mantha and Bryan Rust are going to have nightmares of the Flyer goaltender for the rest of the summer. They’ll need more of the same if the Flyers are going to have a chance in Carolina.
Matvei Michkov checks in and checks out the Pens
The first point in the Stanley Cup Playoff career of Matvei Michkov was the primary assist on a series clinching overtime game-winner. The much-discussed winger deserved part of the criticism, but it was special to see him make the most of this opportunity. That’s what it’s all about. He had a few chances to score on his own in regulation before finding Cam York across the blue line for the final shot. York, by the way, led the team with five shots on goal in over 27 minutes of ice. Michkov also led the team in Expected Goals created by a large margin with 0.667 on three shots on goal. Most importantly, this just has to feel good for Michkov, and what a moment for the Philadelphia Flyers.
THE FLYERS WIN IT IN OVERTIME, THEY WIN THE SERIES 🚨
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 30, 2026
CAM YORK THE HERO, THE STICK THROW INTO THE CROWD 😱 pic.twitter.com/sviP6IFoyv
