In an incredibly important game for the Philadelphia Flyers’ playoff hopes, Trevor Zegras and Tyson Foerster stepped up in a big way to defeat the New Jersey Devils 5-1.
The Basics
First period: 1:56 – Trevor Zegras (Travis Sanheim, Owen Tippett), 3:38 – Trevor Zegras (Porter Martone, Jamie Drysdale) (PPG), 12:12 – Cody Glass (Jonas Siegenthaler, Lenni Hameenaho)
Second period: 2:46 -Tyson Foerster (Matvei Michkov), 4:58 – Tyson Foerster (Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov)
Third period: 17:09 – Nick Seeler (Unassisted) (ENG)
SOG: 18 (PHI) – 24 (NJ)
Takeaways
Trevor Zegras gets the Flyers going
A player for the Flyers was going to step up in the biggest moment of the season, and none other than Trevor Zegras took that role. The 25-year-old center got the Flyers off to a blistering start in the first period, scoring not one, but two goals in two minutes.
TREVOR ZEGRAS DOES IT AGAIN!!! WHAT A FEED FROM PORTER MARTONE. STAY HOT KID. POWERPLAY GOAL. 2-0!!!!!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/bxxER0gOtB
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) April 7, 2026
The former Anaheim Duck stepped up in a big way to give this Flyers team, which normally struggles out of the gate, a massive advantage early on. Zegras also ended with an assist on Tyson Foerster’s second goal to cap off his three-point night.
The 25-year-old tonight tied his career high in points – 65 – and broke his career goal total with 25 now on the season. It’s been a really impressive start to his Flyers tenure so far for Zegras, and hopefully, there’s only more to come.
The future shines bright
Trevor Zegras wasn’t the only young star who stepped up tonight in a big way. Tyson Foerster and Matvei Michkov both combined for two points each and led the way after the Devils came back to put the game within reach.
Michkov had a nice pass off the wall to spring Tyson Foerster for a two-on-one, which Foerster ended up scoring on. The 21-year-old also tallied a secondary assist on Foerster’s second goal of the night, which gave the Flyers a commanding 4-1 lead.
TYSON FOERSTER MAKES IT 3-1!!! WHAT A PLAY BY MATVEI MICHKOV OUT OF THE BOX SERVING THE TOO MANY MEN TO GET THAT PUCK TO FOERSTER. LET'S GO!!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/Ex8EQeDmWk
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) April 8, 2026
The Flyers severely missed Tyson Foerster’s ability to score, and it’s showing why he’s such an important part of this team moving forward.
Other young players stepped up as well, including forwards Owen Tippett, who had a secondary assist on Zegras’s first goal, and Porter Martone, who had the primary assist on Zegras’s power play goal in the first.
Defenceman Jamie Drysdale also had a secondary assist on the Zegras power play goal, and finished the night a plus one with three blocked shots.
Penalty kill comes up big
The Flyers’ penalty kill has been an underrated struggle this season, but tonight it came up big against the Devils’ 12th-ranked power play.
Coming into tonight, the Flyers’ penalty kill was ranked 20th in the league and had to defend three Devils power plays, and stopped them on all three opportunities. Those were momentum killers as the Flyers would end up scoring after the Devils failed to capitalize on one of their two opportunities in the second period.
Dan Vladar, the superstar
A big part of that penalty kill? Dan Vladar. The 28-year-old goaltender had yet another incredible night between the pipes. The Czech native finished the night with a .958 save percentage and was a huge reason the Flyers won this game.
After the Flyers went up 2-0 in the first, the Devils battled back and made things tough on Vladar, but he held true and only gave up one goal in the onslaught.
Vladar is one of the main reasons why the Flyers are in the position they are currently, and he’s proving to be a number one goaltender – at only age 28 – that the Flyers could look to count on if they make the playoffs.
PLAYOFFS?
Speaking of playoffs…WOW! Who would have thought a few weeks ago that we would be talking about the Flyers potentially making the playoffs? An incredible run of games for the orange-and-black, and they’re right back into the thick of things.
According to MoneyPuck.com, the Flyers’ playoff odds currently sit at 70.32%, with our best odds to face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
What a story that would be. This Flyers team has taken a complete 180-degree turnaround since the Olympic break, and I’m not sure any other team benefited from it more than the Flyers did. Also, getting players like Tyson Foerster back from injury, and the 2025 first-round selection Porter Martone from Michigan State, has proven to be monumental additions for this Flyers team.
Every game from here on out will be massive, but the Flyers are putting themselves in a great position to see playoff hockey back on Broad Street.
All stats courtesy of MoneyPuck.com & ESPN
