In 2018, a Philadelphia Flyers team on the playoff bubble faced a Boston Bruins team sitting comfortably in playoff position on Easter Sunday. On home ice, in front of a national television audience, the Flyers pulled out an overtime victory and wound up making the playoffs by two points, with their biggest star scoring the OT winner.
Eight years later, the same script unfolded, only this time, it’s a star in the making who delivered the final blow. Rookie Porter Martone buried the winner to give the Flyers their second straight 2-1 overtime win on a Sunday at home against a playoff team, this time vanquishing the Bruins in an electric atmosphere.
Playoff Porter?
Just four games into his NHL career, the 2025 sixth-overall pick found himself on the ice with a chance to secure a massive victory for the Flyers. Martone quickly earned the trust of his coaches and the respect of his teammates with two strong games to kick off his career, and after a quiet showing Friday night on Long Island, delivered his best game to date.
It started early, when Martone made the slickest play of the game in his defensive zone. A perfectly placed through-the-legs pass sprung linemates Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny on a 2-on-1, with Dvorak blowing the roof off the building by burying the Flyers’ first shot on goal of the day. The line continued to buzz with several strong shifts the rest of the period, earning an ovation from the crowd after finishing one particularly dangerous shift late in the frame.
Martone had two of the team’s best chances to secure a regulation win after the Bruins tied the game on a Pavel Zacha power-play tally early in the third period. He expertly handled two 3-on-2 rushes, making himself available in the middle of the ice for a Travis Konecny feed from the right wing. The first time, he held onto the puck long enough for Konecny to drive the middle and create a shooting lane; the second, he blasted a one-timer that an outstretched Joonas Korpisalo barely got a piece of.
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Other than the two goals, the crowd reactions were noticeable during the Flyers’ three power-play tries, none of which featured more than a single shot on goal. The typical overpassing and general incoherence have the Flyers at the bottom of the league (again) in that department, which was on full display and amplified by Boston scoring on their lone man-advantage chance.
But the game was given away when the Bruins took two penalties seven seconds apart in overtime. David Pastrňák slashed Dvorak to try to prevent a breakaway (which he failed to do, although Dvorak didn’t score), and then Charlie McAvoy high-sticked Trevor Zegras off the ensuing faceoff. The Flyers drew up a play on their bench, and Martone opened up for a one-timer in front of the crease. Korpisalo stopped his initial try, but on the rebound — the 20th shot of his NHL career — Martone finally connected.
That goal puts the Flyers back in a playoff spot for the first time since Jan. 13. That doesn’t guarantee anything; the Flyers were in the same boat two seasons ago with five games remaining and finished 2-3-0, just missing the cut. But it sure felt good for everyone wearing Orange and Black on Sunday, especially the 19-year-old wearing number 94 on his back.
A Strong 5-on-5 Performance
The Flyers remain at just 24 regulation wins, with only five teams racking up fewer, and the Los Angeles Kings are the only one still alive in the playoff race (although the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks are also at 24 each). But while the Flyers needed overtime to win this game, they played well enough that they easily could have won in 60 minutes.
At the end of regulation, the Flyers held a 27-19 edge in shots on goal over the Bruins. They’ve now outshot their opposition in four of their last five games and have only lost the expected goal battle (per Natural Stat Trick) once since March 19 (and only by 0.46% at that).
The Flyers racked up 63% of the expected goals in the first and third periods, and only took one penalty. They did trail in scoring (21-18) and high-danger chances (9-5), suggesting the Bruins did more with the puck than they did, but Philadelphia largely controlled the pace of play. Even in the third period, the Flyers outshot the Bruins 10-5, with Martone and Tyson Foerster getting A-plus looks as the Flyers didn’t crawl into a shell until the final minute or two of play.
It also helped that the mistakes they did make, particularly in the second period, were typically erased by Dan Vladař. After posting a merely okay .894 save percentage in March, Vladař has stopped 39 of 41 shots in two must-win games to begin April. He made two impressive stops off Pastrňák in tight, including one with a well-timed poke check, and consistently read plays well while looking poised the entire contest. It’s great for the Flyers that Sam Ersson has started playing better, but Vladař is still the team’s number one.
What’s Next
The Flyers head on the road this week, which isn’t a bad thing, as they’ve won nine of their last 10 games away from Philadelphia. The New Jersey Devils, their first opponent, don’t have much to play for at this point. But the stakes will be much higher for the other two games, especially Thursday’s rubber match with the Detroit Red Wings, as well as Saturday’s clash with the Winnipeg Jets, who have fought back into the playoff picture.
It will be especially interesting to see how Rick Tocchet handles the Flyers’ goalie deployment over the final games. Vladař will get at least three games, but making four starts is definitely in play. Ersson’s bounce-back in March means he’ll likely start one end of the team’s season-ending back-to-back on April 13 and 14; the question is whether he gets a game before then, likely either against New Jersey or Winnipeg.
