The Philadelphia Flyers fought hard yet again against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. This time, the team came away with the win.

Captain Sean Couturier had his best game, arguably since his return from injury in 2023. The Cates line continues to dominate, and Trevor Zegras gave the home crowd a glimpse of exactly who their team traded for this offseason.

It was a big night for the Flyers, getting their first win of the season, and for Rick Tocchet, getting his first win back in the city of Philadelphia. There was a lot to like about the Flyers’ offensive and defensive play, as well as their goaltending.

Here are some key takeaways from the Flyers’ 5-2 win over the Panthers on Monday.

Read More: Couturier’s Big Night Powers Flyers to First Win of the Season

Vintage Sean Couturier

The Flyers’ Captain turned in a performance that was once considered normal for him. From 2017 to 2020, Couturier was a star for Philadelphia before injuries set his career on a slippery slope.

He returned for his first full season in 2023, but was not the same. In 2024-25, his first season as Captain, he showed improvement from the prior year, but still was not the same as prior to the injury.

Monday night, he showed he is still the player he once was and turned in an all-around fantastic performance. Couturier played a fantastic two-way game, but it was his offense that took center stage in the Flyers’ home opener. He started the night with an assist on Tyson Foerster’s game-opening score.

Couturier then flashed his shot with a great goal on a breakaway chance. He buried his second after an impressive backhanded feed from Trevor Zegras, and picked up the secondary assist on Christian Dvorak’s empty-net score.

It was a four-point night for Couturier, who says he feels better now than he did pre-surgery.

Travis Sanheim, who has been around Couturier since 2017, said it looked like something he’d seen before. “It looked like a lot of the games I saw before he got hurt. That’s a good thing for us, and obviously good for his confidence… I know the work that he puts in every day. Wants to be the best. Like I said, before he got hurt, these games that happened tonight, I felt like I was seeing them every night. He was taking the team on his back and leading the way. And what a great example,” said the Flyers’ alternate captain.

Trevor Zegras Flashes His Skill

We all know the skill that Trevor Zegras possesses. He displayed time and time again in Anaheim, and is doing it again in Philly.

I cannot express enough how impressive his dish to Couturier was on his second goal of the night. Zegras was being hunted by two Panthers defensemen, and in a split second, he decided to make the backhanded pass to Couturier from behind one end of the net to in front of the other side, knowing he was about to get crushed. He hung in there, made the pass, and set up the game-winning tally.

Zegras explained his thoughts at that moment. He said it was a little bit of knowing where Couturier was, but also just getting the puck to the right spot. “You kind of look up for like a split second to see where your guys are. Obviously, two people are coming at your head; somebody’s probably open. So it was little bit of area, a little bit of feel for the guys are.”

The pass was not the only thing flashing Zegras’ skill.

While there was not much to show for the power play, the team’s second chance in the second period showed flashes of potential. Zegras displayed a nasty one-time shot that was used multiple times throughout the man-advantage. If he continues to get to that spot to use that shot, he’s going to break through with a score eventually.

Cates Line All Register Points, Again

Shocker, shocker, Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink all tallied primary points in the Flyers’ big win over the Panthers.

It truly should not shock anyone to hear that what has by far been the Flyers’ best line this season is seen on the scoresheet yet again.

Foerster opened the game’s scoring with a great shot from the slot, beating Danil Tarasov on the blocker side. Brink netted an empty-net score to extend the Flyers’ lead to two late in the game, with Cates picking up the primary assist.

Yes, two of the points came on an empty-netter, but it still shows on the scoresheet, rewarding the line for yet another great game.

Last season, it sounded like a beating drum of praise for the trio. So far this season, it has yet to be any different. What a start to the season for Foerster, Cates, and Brink.

Read More: James: Cates Line Comes Through, Two Vets Have Not

Flyers Get Good Goaltending, Again

Dan Vladar has had a heck of a start to his Flyers career. He came to Philadelphia in search of more time between the pipes, and he has certainly earned it. He held the Panthers to just two goals for the second time this season, but this time, he came away with the win.

Vladar stopped 24 of 26 shots in his first game in front of the Philadelphia crowd, making a handful of big-time stops that kept the Flyers in position to win the game.

Both goals scored by Florida came with Vladar out of position. The first score, a shorthanded one, was chaos in the crease. He was sprawled out on the ground after making a few great stops to keep the shorthanded attack at bay, but he could not keep the puck out of the net.

On the second goal, it looked like Vladar fell trying to get to the other end of the net in an attempt to make another big stop.

Take those two mistakes away, and it was a near-perfect night for the Flyers’ new netminder.

Michkov’s Struggles

Before the game, Rick Tocchet shared that Michkov entered camp with an ankle injury. It set his conditioning back, and it certainly showed on Monday.

He could not keep pace with Sam Reinhart on the shorthanded breakaway, and Reinhart is not the fastest skater. Now, Michkov was not on him, so you can’t put the fault on him on the shorty. However, he did make a handful of mistakes throughout the game, and it cost him late-game minutes.

He was not seen on the ice in the final ten or so minutes of the contest. Now, late game with a lead, you’d expect more defensive players on the ice, so that’s not a big shock. However, before Couturier’s game-winner, Michkov missed a power play, and it looked like Nikita Grebenkin had taken his spot on the top line.

Michkov finished the game with 14:56 TOI, only four seconds more than Owen Tippett (14:52), who was last amongst top-nine forwards in time on Monday. He finished the game with one shot and a +1 rating.

Now, on the flip side of things, Michkov did look significantly more noticeable. His passing, especially early, was very crisp. He was making plays he had not been in the previous two games. Yes, Michkov struggled again, but he certainly looked better than he had in prior games, giving him something positive to take away from the game.

Read More: Flyers Postgame: Tocchet Explains Michkov’s Absence in Overtime