{"id":537763,"date":"2026-04-03T03:13:13","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T03:13:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/537763\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T03:13:13","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T03:13:13","slug":"playoff-hopes-take-huge-hit-in-flyers-loss-to-detroit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/537763\/","title":{"rendered":"Playoff Hopes Take Huge Hit in Flyers’ Loss to Detroit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just five days ago, the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> started a back-to-back that appeared to transform their playoff hopes. On Thursday night, the team they defeated on Saturday dealt those hopes another huge blow.<\/p>\n

The Flyers couldn’t mount a comeback in the third, despite mostly outplaying the Detroit Red Wings<\/a>, suffering a 4-2 loss at Xfinity Mobile Arena.<\/p>\n

How It Happened<\/p>\n

The Red Wings had the only two power plays of the first period, and capitalized on the second one with 1:12 to play in the first. Alex DeBrincat<\/a> scored his 38th goal of the season with a laser from the high slot.<\/p>\n

Just 31 seconds into the second period, the Flyers tied the game up. Tyson Foerster<\/a> scored his 11th goal of the season in his return, making it a 1-1 game.<\/p>\n

In the final two minutes of the second, Detroit struck again. Lucas Raymond<\/a> found a loose puck with a wide-open net and scored his 25th goal of the season with 1:31 to go in the period.<\/p>\n

The Flyers were dominating the third period, opening up a 12-2 lead in shots at the halfway mark of the period. But one opportunity was all the Red Wings needed to extend the lead. A two-on-one for Detroit resulted in a goal for Patrick Kane<\/a>, his 14th of the season, to make it 3-1 Detroit.<\/p>\n

The Flyers got a goal back at 10:29 of the third, as Porter Martone<\/a> picked up his first NHL point setting up Travis Konecny<\/a> for his 27th goal of the season. The goal was initially waved off, but the Flyers successfully challenged.<\/p>\n

But just 15 seconds later, DeBrincat scored his second goal of the game on a bad bounce from a tough angle, making it 4-2 to cap the scoring.<\/p>\n

Box Score1st Period2nd Period3rd PeriodBy the NumbersShots:\u00a0Flyers:\u00a034, Red Wings:\u00a019Power Play:\u00a0Flyers:\u00a00-for-1,\u00a0Red Wings:\u00a01-for-2Faceoffs:\u00a0Flyers:\u00a050.0%,\u00a0Red Wings:\u00a050.0%Goalies:\u00a0PHI Sam Ersson<\/a>:\u00a015 saves on\u00a019 shots,\u00a0DET John Gibson<\/a>:\u00a032\u00a0saves on\u00a034 shotsKey Performers<\/p>\n

\u2b50 John Gibson\u00a0\u2014 Gibson was pulled in the last game against the Flyers and didn’t seem to have it that night. On this night, he was the game-changer. Gibson finished with 32 saves, including 14 in the third period.<\/p>\n

\u2b50\u2b50\u00a0Alex DeBrincat\u00a0\u2014 DeBrincat kept his hot streak going late in Saturday’s game against the Flyers. After having his points streak snapped on Tuesday, he picked things right back up with a pair of goals.<\/p>\n

\u2b50\u2b50\u2b50 Porter Martone\u00a0\u2014 The rookie was everywhere in just his second NHL game. He fired a team-high nine shots on goal and gets on the scoresheet with an assist. By far the Flyers’ best player in the game.<\/p>\n

The Takeaway<\/p>\n

Another night that gets away from the Flyers. They were largely the better team in this game, but mistakes proved costly and they weren’t able to recover. At this time of year, when your back is against the wall in the standings, you can’t afford to let mistakes get magnified. That’s what happened on Thursday, and now the Flyers have little time to recover if they want to shock the hockey world and get back into a playoff spot.<\/p>\n

Up Next<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Flyers\u00a0get right back on the ice on Friday night to take on the New York Islanders at 7 PM.<\/p>\n

Kevin Durso<\/a>\u00a0is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media\u00a0@Kevin_Durso<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Flyers Uniforms Through The Years<\/p>\n