Flyers top Bruins to remain in the hunt, extend winning streak to two games

Maybe the curtain hasn’t come down on the Flyers just yet.

Entering Saturday’s matinee against the Boston Bruins, they saw themselves eight points back of Boston for the last wild card in the Eastern Conference, and the third spot in the Metropolitan Division, which the New York Islanders hold, and retained after an overtime win on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Sean Couturier sealed the 3-1 Flyers win with an empty-net goal to break a 31-game goal drought in the last minute. “I’ll take them any way right now, honestly,” he said. “... Overall, just happy we got the win. That’s all that matters.”

It is the first time the Flyers have won two straight since they beat the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 3 and Jan. 6.

The line of Christian Dvorak, Trevor Zegras, and Travis Konecny was buzzing all night.

According to Natural Stat Trick, when they were on the ice at five-on-five, the Flyers had 11 shot attempts, with six coming from a high-danger spot, seven scoring chances, and five shots on goal. They were on the ice for 10 shot attempts against and six scoring chances by Boston, but the only stat that mattered was the two goals for and zero against.

“I think they did a good job of game management,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “And that’s really something that they got to work on to be a top line, like tonight, I thought they did a nice job for us.”

“Nothing crazy, keep it simple,” Dvorak said when asked what their plan was going into the game. “Play a hard game, get in on the forecheck, and I think we just needed to get pucks and bodies to the net a little bit more than the previous couple of games. So that was kind of the goal tonight, and we did a pretty good job doing that.”

They came close in the second period. Halfway through, after some pressure in the Bruins’ end, Dvorak got the Zegras ring-around and sent it back down the boards. Konecny picked it up behind the net and swooped it around in front on his forehand for a shot as he was falling.

Zegras tried to score on the rebound, but the puckwent off the skate of defenseman Henri Jokiharju. Dvorak came barreling in but was robbed with the glove of Jeremy Swayman.

But on the Flyers’ 11th shot of the game, Konecny finally cashed in.

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Less than four minutes into the third period, Dvorak got the puck along the boards inside the Flyers’ blue line and patiently waited as the Bruins gave him space. He skated the puck up the left wing boards and dumped it in. The puck went off a stanchion and in front of the net, bouncing along the way.

Swayman stuck his stick out, trying to play the puck, but it bounced away from him — are the Flyers finally getting a bounce their way? — and Dvorak was there to send an almost no-look backhand pass in front to Konecny. “I could see in the corner of my eye, him coming in behind me,” Dvorak said postgame of Konecny, who also had a breakaway chance late in the game.

The alternate captain, who had made a beeline to the net, put it into the open space and sent a fist pump into the air after giving the Flyers a 1-0 lead. The Flyers’ leader in goals and points, Konecny now has 23 goals and 56 points in 58 games this season. Dvorak’s assist is his 23rd of the season, setting a new career high.

Later in the period, that same line was on the ice when Jamie Drysdale made it 2-0.

The Flyers got into the Bruins’ zone and set up before the puck ended up on the stick of Drysdale as he skated down the right wing boards. He carried it around and got the puck to Konecny before heading back to the point, but on the left side.

Konecny and Dvorak, who went up to the point to cover, had a give-and-go before Konecny hit Drysdale as he skated into the middle of the ice. The defenseman skated down into the high slot and ripped the wrister past Swayman.

“I think the opportunities kind of have been there. It’s nice to see a few of them go in, and it’s nice to see the team win,” said Drysdale, who was doing extra work with assistant coach Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovský in Voorhees the last week.

“The guys have been making great plays. So tonight, TK made a [heck] of a play to me, and I had all the time in the world.”

Drysdale now has six goals on the season, one shy of his career high set in 2024-25. The goal on Saturday was his third across the five games in February.

“He’s working on his shot,” Tocchet said. “This summer’s a big summer for him. ... I think Drysy can get that shot a little bit harder, which he’s been working on, and it’s paying off. That was a [heck] of a shot. I thought Swayman was good tonight, too, and to beat him, that was a great shot.”

Dan Vladař was moving exceptionally well in this one. He was dropping down with ease and popping back just as loosely. The Czech netminder, who was playing in his 35th game, was sliding well, checking his posts, and tracking the puck.

“I came here to win, to be successful,” he said when asked about his workload this season, which has seen him blow past his previous career high of 30 games. “Unless we play past those 82 games, I’m not going to be happy and satisfied. So, I’m not happy yet.”

The first shot he faced on Saturday was from the point by Hampus Lindholm at 15 minutes, 21 seconds, which Vladař snagged easily with the glove despite some traffic. Boston ended up with six shots on goal in the period, including a shot by Michael Eyssimont as he skated in two-on-none against Vladař.

But it was in the second period where Vladař shone the brightest in front of a sold-out Xfinity Mobile Arena. He faced 16 shots and stopped them all.

His best save of the period was a masterful right pad kick save on Morgan Geekie as he shot the puck off a pass by David Pastrňák from the slot. The forward had just pushed off Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to create space.

“He’s just so positive; being real, being honest, also,” Couturier said. “When it’s time to pick it up, he lets us know. And when it’s time to keep pushing, keep defending well, he’s a great support back there. He’s playing great, so he makes it easy for us when we have breakdowns.”

Later in the period, he stopped a high-rising Viktor Arvidsson shot, which appeared to sting the 6-foot-5 goalie, and made a save on a Lindholm wrister less than a minute later that saw Pavel Zacha, who was injured just before the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics and was unable to play for Czechia, give him a stick tap.

With over five minutes to go, he stopped Sean Kuraly as he got behind Bobby Brink, who couldn’t handle the puck along the neutral zone boards, and defenseman Emil Andrae.

“He’s the loudest guy in the room, yeah, majorly,” Drysdale said of Vladař. “He does so much for us off the ice as well. In the locker room, in between periods, he’s always talking, just saying whatever’s on his mind, and usually it’s awesome stuff coming out of his mouth.

“So, real positive guy, and he’s been real good for us.”

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In the opening two minutes of the third period, the Bruins thought they had broken the ice when it looked like a point shot by Lindholm had beaten Vladař. But the referee, Francis Charron, immediately waived it off for goalie interference. Eyssimont had bumped Vladař right before the shot as he tried to set a screen.

The Bruins did eventually break through. Zacha won a face-off against Couturier and sent it to Lindholm, who sent a zing of a pass through a seam to Charlie McAvoy, his defensive partner, who had rotated down along the inside of the right circle. It looked like the puck bounced off his leg and past Vladař.

Forward Denver Barkey was a healthy scratch for the first time since Jan. 14. In 24 games since being recalled in late December, he has two goals, nine points, and is minus-7 while skating on average 13:36. His last goal was Jan. 23, and in the eight games since, he had one assist — against the Bruins in Boston —and was minus-5. ... With Barkey sitting, Nic Deslauriers slotted in on the fourth line. He appeared to have a long chat with Tanner Jeannot during warmups, and the duo dropped the gloves in the first period. ... The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the power play, with the unit of Konecny, Drysdale, Zegras, Dvorak, and Brink getting the best looks. The penalty kill went 3-for-3; Boston had 10 shot attempts and seven shots on goal.

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The Flyers head to Toronto to take on Scott Laughton and the Maple Leafs on Monday (7:30 p.m., NBCSP).