The Philadelphia Flyers earned a big two points Saturday night on the road, taking down the New Jersey Devils 5-3. With the win, Philadelphia concludes its four-game road trip, going 3-1-0. The team’s season record improved to 13-7-3.
It was also head coach Rick Tocchet’s 300th career coaching victory in the NHL.
The Flyers started off hot, looking like the best they have played in the second half of a back-to-back all season. New Jersey would have a late-game push, but Philly would fend off the Devils’ efforts.
Despite the high score, goaltending played a key role, preventing the game from ending in a football score.
Owen Tippett, Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny, and Trevor Zegras all scored for the Flyers. Here is how we got to the final score.
Read More: Flyers Game 24: Lines, Notes, & How to Watch vs. Devils
Flyers start fast
The second game in a back-to-back has proved to be difficult for the Flyers, not just this season, but the past couple. That would not be an issue on Saturday night.
Just over five minutes into the game, the Flyers had a textbook rush. Trevor Zegras’ (15) neutral zone pass found Christian Dvorak (10) for the zone entry, who had Owen Tippett (7) streaking through the zone with speed. A nifty move, going forehand to backhand by Tippett beat Jakob Markstrom, and gave the Flyers the 1-0 lead.
The goal marked the 100th of Tippett’s NHL career and the 200th point of his career.
A little over seven minutes later, the Devils answered with a rush goal of their own.
Jesper Bratt found Simon Nemec, who joined the rush, and buried the shot tying the game for the Devils. However, that was the last we’d hear from the Devils for a little while. The next 27 minutes were all Flyers.
53 seconds into the second period, Matvei Michkov (7) sprang out of the penalty box and scored the breakaway goal.
Remember what former head coach John Tortorella said?
Well, the breakaway chance would give Philly the 2-1 lead, but it would not stop growing.
Just over two minutes later, Travis Konecny (6) would find the scoresheet, assisted by Cam York (11) and Travis Sanheim (8).
*UPDATE*: The NHL has changed the the goal. It’s now been awarded to Michkov (8) from Konecny (14) and York (11).
The Flyers would grow their lead even further about 10 minutes later. Tippett used his speed to spark a rush. Instead of taking the shot, he sent the cross-crease pass to Trevor Zegras (9), who buried the one-timer.
Philly was up 4-1.
Devils start to push
Late in the second period, New Jersey had a power play after a bench minor for too many men on the ice. In the winding seconds of the power play, Timo Meier cut the Flyers’ lead in half, making the score 4-2 heading into the second intermission.
In the first half of the third period, Dawson Mercer finally broke through, scoring his tenth of the season unassisted, making it a 4-3 game.
The Flyers, who had all the spark in the first 40 minutes, all of a sudden looked flat, while the Devils finally woke up. New Jersey was visibly outskating the Flyers in the final 20 minutes of the game.
As if Dan Vladar was not already having a fantastic game, he really stepped up big for the Flyers late in the third, making big stop after big stop.
The Flyers got some momentum back after a late penalty kill and eventually put the game on ice.
While Tippett never actually put the puck in the back of the net, he was tripped up on the breakaway with an empty net. The officials awarded him the goal, giving the Flyers the 5-3 lead in the final minute of the game.
Philly would hold on, earning two big points with the 5-3 road win in New Jersey.
What’s next for the Flyers
The Flyers return home as they kick off a six-game homestand Monday vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. EST at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Read More: 2026 Winter Olympics Prediction: One Flyer Nobody is Talking About