In a game that had massive playoff implications, Owen Tippett led the way with a hat trick and four points as the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 on Saturday night.
The Basics
First period: 4:07 – Owen Tippett (Trevor Zegras)
Second period: 12:22 – Owen Tippett (Denver Barkey, Jamie Drysdale), 16:08 – Noah Cates (Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny) (PPG)
Third period: 7:19 – Owen Tippett (Jamie Drysdale, Travis Konecny) (PPG), 13:43 – Mason Appleton (Justin Faulk), 15:10 – Alex DeBrincat (Patrick Kane, Moritz Seider), 16:14 – Lucas Raymond (Moritz Seider, Patrick Kane), 17:56 – Sean Couturier (Owen Tippett) (ENG)
SOG: 27 (PHI) – 32 (DET)
Takeaways
The Owen Tippett show
There was one player who completely took over this game and dominated: Owen Tippett. The 27-year-old has arguably been the Flyers’ best player lately; Tippett has six points – three goals and three assists – in the Flyers’ last five games.
Tonight, he took over, scoring the Flyers’ first two goals – the first on a breakaway pass from Trevor Zegras and the second from a beautiful drop pass in transition from Denver Barkey – and adding another on the power play midway through the third period to cap off the hat trick. He also added an assist on Sean Couturier’s empty net goal.
The Barkey-Zegras-Tippett line has been one of the Flyers’ most consistent lines since being put together, and they’re showing no signs of slowing down.
OWEN TIPPETT HATTRICK!!! ARE YOU ACTUALLY KIDDING ME!?!?!? WHO IS THIS???? WHERE DID THAT COME FROM???? 4-0!!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/OmBmMsWAm9
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 29, 2026
Noah Cates stays hot
Ever since the Olympic break, Noah Cates has really turned his game up a level. In that stretch, he’s amassed 15 points in 16 games, including seven goals and eight assists, continuing that surge tonight with a power-play goal to extend the Flyers’ lead. He ended the game with a team-high 1.624 expected goals.
NOAH CATES WORKS IT HOME!!! THE POWERPLAY ACTUALLY LOOKED REALLY GOOD THERE?? 3-0!!!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/9oqCbhK1Yv
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 29, 2026
A big part of that success has been his growing chemistry with 21-year-old forward Matvei Michkov. The two are beginning to read off each other extremely well, with Cates’ two-way play allowing Michkov’s high-end skill and creativity to shine.
The Flyers almost blew it
With just seven minutes left in the third period, it seemed like the Flyers were going to cruise to a dominant 4-0 win over the Red Wings. That was until Mason Appleton scored to cut the lead to three. Then the Red Wings surged, scoring two more goals just a minute and four seconds apart.
Things were looking scary as the Red Wings pulled their goalie with under three minutes remaining, looking to tie the game. However, Owen Tippett and Sean Couturier had other ideas, as Couturier’s empty net goal sealed the deal on the Flyers’ victory.
Dan Vladar with another strong game
For around 52 minutes, it was looking like Dan Vladar was going to shut out the Red Wings. Unfortunately, the train came off the rails as the Red Wings piled on three goals. Besides that 8-minute debacle? Dan Vladar was lights out and made some incredibly important saves to keep the Flyers’ lead alive. Specifically, during one of the Red Wings’ power plays, when Vladar slid across the crease to rob Patrick Kane to keep the game 1-0.
DAN VLADAR MAKES A HUGE SAVE ON PATRICK KANE#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/aDbLxz4ysW
— Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) March 29, 2026
Vladar finished with a .906 save percentage and was a large part of why the Flyers won this game.
Playoffs? Playoffs.
With this win over the Red Wings, the Flyers currently sit three points out of a playoff spot and are four points out of third place in the Metropolitan division with a game in hand. According to MoneyPuck.com, the Flyers’ playoff odds currently sit at 18.4 percent – up from the 11.4 percent they were at coming into the contest.
It was a massive game for the Flyers’ playoff hopes, and they showed up. They got help around the league as well as the Pittsburgh Penguins lost to the Dallas Stars, who the Flyers play tomorrow night, and the Ottawa Senators lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning – two teams who the Flyers are battling in the Eastern Conference.
It’s fun rooting for this team to make the playoffs and – at least for now – they’re keeping those playoff hopes alive.
Porter Martone joining the team soon?
Not about this game specifically, but with Michigan State losing to Wisconsin this afternoon in overtime, there’s a good chance we could see Porter Martone join this Flyers team soon.
The 19-year-old finished his freshman collegiate season with 25 goals and 25 assists in just 35 games played. The big 6-foot-3 winger could be just the addition this Flyers team needs as they make the push towards the playoffs.
All stats courtesy of MoneyPuck.com & ESPN
