Cam York’s OT winner eliminates the Penguins, as Flyers advance to second round for first time since 2020

They say the third time’s the charm.

After striking out in their first two attempts to close the door on their first-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers finally came through with a harrowing 1-0 overtime win in Game 6 on Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

With two minutes, 28 seconds left in the extra session, Noah Cates won his fifth faceoff of the night back to Cam York. The defenseman passed it back to Matvei Michkov, who was back in after being a healthy scratch for Game 5, high along the left boards. Facing pressure from Ben Kindel, Michkov sent a backhand pass just inside the blue line across to York.

» READ MORE: Flyers exceed expectations with thrilling first-round series win over the Penguins in overtime

The defenseman, noting that Cates was setting a screen, fired an innocent-looking snap shot past Penguins goalie Artūrs Šilovs, and the crowd erupted. York, who has had an up-and-down start to his career in Philly, skated down the ice and hurled his stick deep into the crowd in celebration as the bench emptied, the management suite jumped up and down, and the coaches and staff on the bench hugged.

“It was a great play by Michy there on the blue line. As soon as I got it, looked up, and Catesy was net-front and just the way that the game was going, we knew that it was gonna be a greasy one, and just wanted to get it to the net and found a hole,” York said.

And how about the celebration?

“I hope everyone’s OK. Definitely don’t want a lawsuit,” he said with a deserved big grin. “But, just honestly, blacked out. I didn’t even know what to do. I was so excited, just so happy for my teammates and obviously the fans.”

Those fans had been waiting a long time. The overtime thriller came 14 years to the day that general manager Danny Brière, who was celebrating with the rest of the Flyers brass in a suite, scored 4:36 into overtime in Game 1 of the 2012 Eastern Conference semifinals against the New Jersey Devils.

Brière and his 2012 squad were also the last group to clinch a series in front of the faithful in South Philly. That was in another Game 6. Which was also in this same opening round. Against the same team. Also, after the Flyers went up 3-0 in the series.

“It’s hard to say the words, but yeah, I mean, it’s been a long time,” coach Rick Tocchet said. “I know there’s been a lot of frustration. Obviously, I’m happy for the guys.”

Stanley Cup playoffs: Flyers vs. Penguins

Flyers win series 4-2

Game 1: Flyers 3, Penguins 2 | Sielski: Kids stand tall
Game 2: Flyers 3, Penguins 0 | Sielski: Stealing Pens' will
Game 3: Flyers 5, Penguins 2 | Sielski: Shades of glory days
Game 4: Penguins 4, Flyers 2 | Sielski: New test awaits
Game 5: Penguins 3, Flyers 2 | Hayes: Now what?
Game 6: Flyers 1, Penguins 0 (OT) | Sielski: Exceeding expectations

The Flyers will now face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference second round. The schedule for that series has yet to be announced.

The first five minutes of overtime suggested that the Flyers were ready to end the game quickly, but they couldn’t find the back of the net, including on a golden opportunity involving Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny after the latter had forced a turnover at the defensive blue line. The ice then tilted in the Penguins’ favor with Dan Vladař making several 10-bell saves, Nick Seeler laying his body on the line to block a dangerous shot, and Rasmus Ristolainen stretching out to knock the puck out of the Flyers’ zone for a key clear.

During the shift before the goal, the Flyers, who once again bent but did not break like they had done all season, also had the best chance at ending things. Owen Tippett and Porter Martone broke out two-on-two. It was the fleet-footed Tippett who tried to skate around defenseman Ryan Shea, but instead put a spin-o-rama backhand on goal. Martone, who slammed his stick and put his head down on the bench after, was then robbed when Šilovs dropped his stick, and his rebound hit it.

“All of a sudden, you could just feel it was, like, ‘Hey, we’re in this thing,’” Konecny said.

That play proved to be essential as it set up the faceoff that led to the win, after both teams failed to score across the previous 77-plus minutes — even if it wasn’t for a lack of trying.

Aside from the usual scrums and some questionable calls by the referees, the new lines Tocchet deployed had some pep in their step to start, with the Flyers putting 11 shots on goal in the first period and adding another 15 in the next two. In all, the Flyers created 11 high-danger chances through the first 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh had 32 shots in regulation, with 13 in the final period, and six from high-danger spots in that frame.

The Flyers’ new lines featured Tippett with Zegras and Martone; Denver Barkey with Christian Dvorak and Konecny, who was shifted back to right wing; Alex Bump stayed with Cates and was joined by Michkov; and Tyson Foerster was shifted to the fourth line with Sean Couturier and Luke Glendening.

Tippett had the best chance for the Flyers in the opening frame, when, on a broken play in the neutral zone, he picked the puck up with speed, cruised around Penguins blueliner Ilya Solovyov, and cut across the crease before being stopped by the left toe of Šilovs.

But the Flyers also had a Ristolainen shot handcuff the goalie with 14:14 to go, and the captain, Couturier, who had a smart, savvy game, had a turnaround rebound chance in front stopped after a point shot by Noah Juulsen, who returned to the lineup after sitting on Monday.

» READ MORE: Dan Vladař’s 42-save shutout wills the Flyers to Round 2: ‘He was phenomenal’

Early in the second period, it was Barkey making a heads-up play to York for a chance down the middle, and then his own opportunity was blocked by Kris Letang. Dvorak and Travis Sanheim also combined for a short-handed chance by the forward, before Egor Chinakhov hit the pipe on that same power play.

Michkov, who got better as the game wore on, had two stellar chances to open the scoring in the second and another in the third. The first came after he got behind the defense, but was robbed by Šilovs on a breakaway. Later in the shift, he tried to stuff the puck at the right post after a Bump shot on goal, but could not quite sneak it across the line. In the final period, he skated down the left side, trying to score against the grain, but Šilovs made a glove save.

“Obviously, it wasn’t easy. We knew that,” Sanheim said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge. We knew they were going to be trying hard tonight. But it feels good.”

And if it wasn’t for the play of Vladař, especially when the veteran Penguins turned it up in the third period and overtime, the Flyers would never have had a chance.

In the first period, he stoned Erik Karlsson after the Penguins defenseman carried the puck down the right boards and behind the net before peeling out in front. Vladař then showed he was on his game when, during a two-on-one with Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby bearing down and just Jamie Drysdale back, he stopped Malkin’s shot and pushed the rebound out past Crosby as he crashed down the left side.

“For me, it was just the belief,” Vladař said. “I was just trying to give the guys in front of me a chance. And then, I had the belief again that they are going to capitalize. So obviously, glad that they did.”

» READ MORE: The Flyers needed a hero in Game 6. Unsung defenseman Cam York obliged in OT

As the period ticked down and the Penguins pressed, he made a big-time save on Connor Dewar from 10 feet out, and then another on a Rickard Rakell backhander from 14 feet away.

And in the third period, when the Penguins pushed, the Czech netminder played his best, making an outstanding pad save as Bryan Rust ripped a shot on goal from in tight and then tried to jam home the rebound. Vladař finished with 42 saves for his second shutout of the series.

“They pressed the entire game, through overtime, three periods, overtime. The amount of Grade A’s, point-blank saves he made was just crazy,” Drysdale said. “Incredible. Big-time player. He was unbelievable.”

Forward Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Emil Andrae were healthy scratches. Hathaway played in the first five games of the series, while Andrae came out on Wednesday after returning in Game 5 from an upper-body injury.

The Flyers will head to Carolina for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference second round against the Hurricanes. Schedule TBD.