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The Philadelphia Flyers and slow starts have become a regular occurrence in recent games. Despite an impressive rally from one and a dominant third period, they fell short against the Ottawa Senators in overtime, losing 3-2 on Saturday at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Ottawa Senators center Tim Stutzle scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, while Flyers center Christian Dvorak notched two assists.
After falling behind 2-0 in the opening 20 minutes with very sluggish play, the Flyers seemed to come to life during the latter portion of the second period. Winger Matvei Michkov scored his third goal of the season (and his first two in consecutive games), while defenseman Jamie Drysdale tied the game at 9:55 of the third period.
However, the Flyers were unable to muster the game-winner in regulation, and the Senators took advantage of an indecisive moment from Trevor Zegras to grab victory for themselves.
Flyers Game Summary
The Flyers returned home from a brief two-game road trip. This was their first game back in Philadelphia since last weekend’s disappointing home-stand wrap-up against the Calgary Flames.
In between, they were able to get a roller-coaster 5-4 shoot-out win against the Montreal Canadiens. Following that they rode a strong final two periods to beat the Nashville Predators 3-1.
Head coach Rick Tocchet made a few line-up adjustments from Thursday’s game. Sam Ersson was tapped to start in net for the first time since coming off injured reserve mid-week. At forward, forward Carl Grundstrom drew into the lineup with Nicolas Deslauriers a healthy scratch.
Grundstrom was part of the Ryan Ellis trade with the San Jose Sharks at the start of the season. He’s a veteran of 292 NHL games having played with Toronto and San Jose. He plays a heavier game that caters to the middle of the ice, a targeted area of improvement for the Flyers.
Matvei Michkov-Sean Couturier-Bobby Brink
Owen Tippett-Christian Dvorak- Trevor Zegras
Carl Grundstrom-Noah Cates-Travis Konecny
Nikita Grebenkin-Rodrigo Abols-Garnet Hathaway
Cam York-Travis Sanheim
Nick Seeler-Jamie Drysdale
Email Andrae-Noah Juulsen
First Period
It was a first period to forget for the Flyers as the Senators seemed a step quicker than them in every regard. Whether it was getting to loose pucks, zone exits, or getting to the scoring areas, Philadelphia didn’t seem to have an answer.
As a result, the Senators were able to easily stake themselves to a two goal lead in short order. The first goal came as a result of an easy set-up as center Tim Stutzle scored his seventh goal of the season. Winger Ridly Greig pulled the puck out of a scrum in the corner, and found David Perron. The left winger wheeled it quickly to Stutzle who one-timed a shot over Ersson’s glove.
Just over a minute later, a bit of a defensive disaster allowed the Senators to take a 2-0 lead. Michael Amadio scored his fifth goal of the season on a backhander. Center Shane Pinto fired a pass to former Flyers captain Claude Giroux, catching Trevor Zegras flatfooted. Defenseman Jamie Drysdale shaded towards Giroux who found Amadio.
Second Period
After such a flat effort in the first period, the Flyers seemed to turn things in their favor in the second. In doing so, they cut the Senators lead in half. A big part of the tide-turning saw fourth line wing Nikita Grebenkin get a couple key net front battles that seemed to give them energy.
Matvei Michkov got the Flyers within a goal with his third goal of the season. He was able to shield the puck from defenseman Jake Sanderson behind the net, then wheeled out of the corner. Using a pick-screen by Christian Dvorak in front of the net, he was able to whip home a wrist shot past Ullmark. An impressive goal for the Russian winger, his second in consecutive games.
Third Period
Building off the second period, the Flyers put together a dominant period in keeping the Senators to only one shot on goal for the period. In fact, the Senators were held off the shots on goal board from 17:17 of the second period. Conversely, the Flyers put pressure on the Senators defense, including consecutive high danger chances from defenseman Cam York and forward Bobby Brink.
Drysdale was able to tie the game at 2-2 halfway through the period. Philadelphia generated traffic in front of the Ottawa net. Dvorak’s initial shot hit a scrum of Flyers and Senators players and the puck found the Flyers defenseman lurking near the right post as he whipped it past Ullmark. It was fitting that Drysdale was rewarded for a sequence he started when he chipped the puck out the Flyers end.
The Senators finally got a shot through on Cozens’ backhand shot at 18:34.
Overtime
The Senators seemed to be a relieved team heading to the extra session, as they were able to get several dangerous chances on Ersson.
At 3:19, Ottawa got a two on one when Thomas Chabot managed to get the puck up to Drake Batherson. The Senators highest scoring winger caught Zegras in a moment of indecision. In a flash, the puck ended up on Stutzle’s stick and the game was over.
3 Takeaways, Powered By Phans of Philly
Michkov’s Slow Emergence
The Flyers’ star winger in the midst of a classic sophomore slump to start his 2025-26 season. However, he appears to be emerging from it with two goals in the past two games, looking more and more like himself.
His goal was a classic example of what he’s capable of, in using his body to shield off a defender, then powering to the slot to use his deceptively heavy wrist shot.
After the game, Michkov spoke to the media and acknowledged that he had a difficult summer with his ankle injury, causing him to basically lose four months of training. As a result, he started the season behind schedule. As a result, frustration set in and, in his words, “lost concentration.”
The hope for him is that now, 15 games into the season, he is turning back into the player who led the league among rookie goal scorers. The goal in Nashville on Thursday night seemed to take some weight off his shoulders.
“Absolutely, I like to score goals and I can not live without that feeling,” Michkov said, through his translator Slava Kuznetsov. “When I score, I feel like I’m lifted and light on the ice.”
“When you think about it too much, your body feels heavy. Everything feels heavy and it builds up game after game. When you score, you come in with a light head and ready to go and your body feels a lot better.”
Zegras’ Rough Outing
Despite getting another assist to add to his team-leading scoring totals, it wasn’t the best of games from Zegras. In addition to getting caught on the ice for the game winning goal, he also was caught flatfooted by Senators center Shane Pinto on the Senators second goal. He also didn’t seem to have his usual flashiness in handling the puck on the power-play either during the game.
As the media entered the locker room Zegras was still in his locker stall with some of his equipment, looking on contemplatively. When Tocchet was asked about the game winning sequence, he was direct in his assessment.
“Well, (Zegras) has got to then come to the bench hard,” Tocchet said. “He was kinda waving that he wanted to come off, but he wasn’t. You’ve got to be decisive. He wasn’t decisive.”
Juulsen’s Statement Game
Defesenman Noah Juulsen has quietly put together a solid early season for the Flyers. In doing so, he solidified his spot on their third pairing. However, he had an “out-loud” effort against the Senators.
Partnered with Emil Andrae, he provided multiple seal-off checks that disrupted Ottawa in the neutral zone. In addition, he led a puck rush that led to a scoring chance. Senators center Dylan Cozens didn’t take kindly to one of Juulsen’s hit and he responded with a dangerous hit from behind, leading to a near melee at center ice. The Flyers defenseman sprung up off the ice and went after Cozens.
While he ended up incurring a matching minor, it didn’t minimize a strong effort on Saturday.
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