Five things to know if you are just jumping aboard the Flyers’ playoff bandwagon

The Flyers are officially part of the Philadelphia sports conversation again.

That much is clear in the wake of Porter Martone’s dramatic OT winner on Sunday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The goal, which has been the talk of the town among sports radio stations, fans, and even Bryce Harper this week, has pushed the Flyers into the driver’s seat to clinch a first postseason appearance since 2020, and a first playoff series in Philly since 2018.

That breakthrough moment, and the crowd pop that followed, have been all too infrequent in recent years for the hockey team that calls 3601 S Broad St. home, as the floundering Flyers have missed a franchise record-tying five straight postseasons and undergone a long and painful rebuild.

The Flyers’ upswing has also sparked a debate about who should be allowed to jump on the bandwagon.

There will be no gatekeeping here. For those who didn’t tune in until after the Eagles’ season ended, or have hockey fever from Team USA’s double-gold at the Olympics, or are just starting to care now that the home team is back in the thick of the playoff race, here’s what you missed so far and what you should know about the Flyers.

» READ MORE: Porter Martone’s fast start with the Flyers was forged in Michigan State’s gym: ‘The best decision I ever made’

If you are looking for an underdog story to root for, the 2025-26 Flyers are just the team for you.

Picked preseason to finish last or second to last in the Metropolitan Division by most publications, and expected to contend for a top-5 draft pick, the Flyers have far surpassed expectations. Entering Wednesday, they sat two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for third in the division and were tied with the Ottawa Senators for the second wild-card spot.

The Flyers’ success has truly been a team effort. Six players have between 17 and 28 goals, and 11 different players with 25 or more points, including the since-traded Bobby Brink. To further highlight the team’s balance, Travis Konecny’s team-high 66 points rank outside of the top 50 in the league, while Owen Tippett’s 28 goals are tied for 47th.

There is also a likability factor to the Flyers, as they play a blue-collar brand of hockey and genuinely seem to enjoy playing with one another. When someone scores or takes a bad hit, four guys are usually beelining to that player, whether it is to celebrate with them or defend them.

“We’re a really, really tight group,” Konecny told The Inquirer in mid-December. “And that’s the thing. I’m sure every team says it, but for some of the guys who have been elsewhere that are here, the staff that’s here, we hear how tight this group is from those guys.”

Trevor Zegras echoed that between periods on Tuesday: “It’s such a close, really tight-knit group. I’ve never felt more at home at the rink, and I think when you have that love, camaraderie, and that passion, and everybody is pulling for each other, I think it brings the best out of everybody.”

» READ MORE: The Flyers are trying to stay grounded despite the added pressure of the playoff race

While the Flyers lack a superstar in the vein of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, or Sidney Crosby, goalie Dan Vladař has been the team’s backbone and unquestioned MVP.

A journeyman backup before signing on July 1, Vladař has posted the best season by a Flyers goalie in a decade and looks to have finally stopped the revolving door in the team’s crease. The Czechia native is 27-13-7, and among goalies with 30 starts, he ranks third in goals against average (2.40), is tied for 11th in save percentage (.907), and is 10th in goals saved above expected (14.55), according to Money Puck.

Vladař has allowed three or fewer goals in 41 of his 49 games. He’s given the Flyers a chance to win pretty much every night.

As improved as the Flyers are defensively under coach Rick Tocchet, particularly when it comes to keeping opponents to the outside, none of that would matter without Vladař’s stellar play between the pipes.

The Flyers control their destiny in the playoff hunt, but just a month and a half ago, that statement seemed hardly believable.

That’s because after a strong first few months of the season, the Flyers lost 11 of their final 13 games in January, and 14 of 20 leading up to the March 6 trade deadline. In that span, they went from three points above the playoff cutline to six below and a team dead in the water.

But general manager Danny Brière, much to the ire of many fans and this writer, did not cash in on top trade chips like Rasmus Ristolainen and try to ensure the best draft lottery odds possible. It has proven to be a masterstroke, as the Flyers have righted the ship and played themselves back into contention.

» READ MORE: Hayes: Flyers are in the playoffs (for the moment), which validates Danny Brière and Keith Jones’ strategy

“I’m really proud of how the guys are battling,” Brière told NBC Sports Philadelphia last week. ”It would have been easy to pack it in a few weeks ago, but no, these guys keep fighting for [the playoffs]."

Meanwhile, Ristolainen has solidified the team’s top pair with Travis Sanheim and is a team-best plus-13 since the Olympic break.

The Olympic break provided a natural divide in the schedule, and the Flyers used the 19-day NHL sabbatical to their advantage.

While Tocchet, Ristolainen, Vladař, and Sanheim were in Milan for the Games, the Flyers got some rest before reconvening for a pseudo-training camp in Voorhees, ran by assistant coach Todd Reirden. The practices, which aimed to simplify some things and improve the team’s structure, have been a turning point for a team that was reeling.

Since then, the Flyers have the second-best record in the NHL at 15-6-1, and have allowed only 2.32 goals per game thanks in part to Vladař and a much-improved Sam Ersson.

The Flyers have been road warriors, too, as they are 10-2 away from home during that span, and have claimed wins over playoff teams like Minnesota, Anaheim, and Pittsburgh.

“[Making the playoffs] that’s our No. 1 mindset and why we’re doing the things we’re doing in practices is with that endgame in mind,” Reirden said on Feb. 18. “We’re going to approach every game with that mindset. It’s something that is attainable and our guys believe in.”

» READ MORE: Flyers playoff picture: Updated standings and wild-card chances

The most exciting part of the Flyers’ recent torrid run has been the contributions they’ve gotten from young players that they are banking on to be key parts of the future. Whatever happens this year, it hints that better days lie ahead.

In addition to top prospect Martone, who at 19 has looked more like a 10-year vet than a rookie since signing from the college ranks last week, the Flyers have eight other players 25 or under playing significant roles. Those individuals, who include Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Emil Andrae, Denver Barkey, and Alex Bump, are all playing in playoff-type games for the first time in their NHL careers.

“Even guys like Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale never really had the chance to play in some of those games,“ Brière said last week. “This is a tremendous experience for all our players, and to have the Bumps and the Barkeys around, and now adding Porter to that group, I think it’s really good for the growth of this team and preparing them for the future.”

Those players have largely met the moment, too. Martone has the aforementioned overtime winner and three assists in five NHL games. Foerster, 24, has three goals in four games since returning from four months out after arm surgery, and Zegras, 25, has four goals, 11 assists, and is plus-eight in his last 17 games. Even the 21-year-old Michkov, who had a well-documented slow start to the year, has 12 points in his last 12 contests.

That’s without adding Tippett and Noah Cates, who are both just 27 and have been maybe the Flyers’ best two forwards since the restart. Among the team’s top nine forwards, top four defenseman, and two goaltenders, only Ristolainen is older than 30.

The Flyers are far from a finished article, but the young pieces should excite fans about their future.

» READ MORE: The Flyers’ 2025-26 season has already been a success, whether the team makes the playoffs or not