Watch PHLY Flyers Pregame

The Philadelphia Flyers played a tremendous first 25 minutes of the game, highlighted by Trevor Zegras picking up his 12th goal and 18th assist of the season to give the Orange & Black a 2-0 lead at the first intermission.

Bobby Brink also get a measure of revenge for his disallowed OT goal in Carolina back on October, netting his eighth goal of the season to open the scoring.

But after an aggressive start the second period for the Flyers, Ty Murchison, Emil Andrea and really every Flyer wilted under the pressure of Carolina’s forecheck, leading to a string of turnovers that allowed Nikolaj Ehlers and Alexander Nikishin to tie the game in what was a dominant middle frame for the Canes.

The teams traded goals in the third, and Sam Ersson was huge in overtime, but finally got beat in the shootout by Jackson Blake after Zegras, Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny and Bobby Brink all failed to beat Pytor Kochetkov in the skills competition. Big let down for the Flyers, who end a six-game homestand 2-2-2, and now have to go to Carolina and do it all over again tomorrow evening.

First period

In the opening 90 seconds of the game, Trevor Zegras turns the puck over to Sean Walker as he exited the defeinsive zone, and Walker caught the Flyers in a line change with a lead pass to Seth Jarvis to send Jarvis on a mini-breakaway against Sam Ersson, but luckily the backhand bid went high. Not the most heads-up start to the game.

Speaking of a lack of thinking, Matvei Michkov is headed to the box for tripping Walker less than four minutes in. The kid has to stop with the minor penalties, especially the stick penalties. If you’re going to put the team at a disadvantage, at least get your money’s worth.

Sean Couturier creates a turnover at the blueline and gets a 2-on-0 with Carl Grundstrom, but when he made a move and then sent a late pass basically across the crease to Grundstrom, who was pretty much on the left post, it was obvious they weren’t going to get their first shorthanded goal of the season. The Hurricanes got a few chances that Ersson was up to, and Philly gets the kill against Carolina’s struggling power play.

BOBBY BRINK GETS REDEMPTION FOR THE DISALLOWED GOAL IN CAROLINA! 1-0 FLYERS! As the first period reached its midpoint, Trevor Zegras carried the puck through the neutral zone and over the blue line, dropping it for Brink as he cut to center, allowing Brink to cut into the high slot, and rip a wrister moving left to right, beating Pytor Kochetkov on his glove side.

The Flyers are really piling on the chances against the Hurricanes right now. The shot total isn’t reflecting Philly’s recent possession, but this feels good against a Carolina team that has won eight straight in Philadelphia. With just under six minutes left, shots are 5-5.

Really solid defensive play by Noah Juulsen to

TREVOR ZEGRAS PUTS THE FLYERS UP 2-0! Thursday’s goat, Travis Konecny, handled the puck below the goal line and made a backhand feed to a cutting Zegras in front, and Ziggy buried it from in tight. I’m having fun watching a Flyers/Hurricanes game, I can’t believe it!

Ty Murchison makes a great sliding breakup of a Shayne Gostisbehere centering pass that would have likely resulted in a scoring chance with about 1:15 left. Murchison made a similar sliding breakup on the earlier PK. In his first NHL action, Murchison is really making a case for himself.

After 20 minutes the Flyers find themselves in a fairly unfamiliar position, leading by two goals, and they’re even outshooting the notoriously stingy Canes, 7-5. Carolina’s four wins when trailing after the first period is the third most in the NHL, but they’re 4-5-2 overall in these situations. The Flyers are 6-0-1 when leading after twenty.

Second period

Philadelphia came out aggressively to start the first period, with Owen Tippett getting a wraparound chance on his backhand after skatingh around Sebastian Aho. Michkov may have had a chance to bang it home on the doorstep but on replay it looks like the puck slid off Tippett’s stick before it got into the crease. Travis Sanheim got a pass in the left wing circle seconds later, but he took half-a-second too long to let the shot go and it got blocked. I like that they’re not sitting back with the lead. There’s still a lot of time left, obviously, but playing with, maintaining, and building on leads is something this team needs to learn.

The pace is wide open right now, and the Flyers are piling up shots and chances. Zegras and Konecny have had a few rush opportunities, and Noah Cates got a shot in the slot that Kochetkov stopped for his sixth save of the period. Seven minutes in, shots in the period are 6-2 Flyers, but this much more loose play style is probably making Rick Tocchet a little uncomfortable.

Zegras has been very good tonight. A couple points in the first, creating by carrying the puck, gaining the zone, and getting to dangerous areas.

The Canes are building so momentum and getting their forecheck going, but so far Ersson has made every stop he’s needed to, and a few have been high-danger. He’s 7/7 after 28 1/2 minutes.

Well, the eighth shot beats Ersson after a Murchison cross-ice pass in the neutral zone is intercepted by Shayne Gostisbehere who then fed Nikolaj Ehlers for the goal. Philly needs to slow this down and spend some time doing something other than defending, as they’ve been for the last five minutes or so. Really, they need to start with

Emil Andrae, with about eight minutes left, attempted a D-to-D pass with a forechecker bearing down on him amidst a very long shift, and, Jackson Blake picked it off easily and got a backhand chance on Ersson, but Philly’s netminder made the stop. These turnovers are getting out of control.

The Flyers haven’t recorded a shot in nearly ten minutes, and now the Canes have tied it. Alexander Nikishin throws a puck into traffic in front which catches Cates on the skate and deflects directly into the net. That was unfortunate, but it was building for a while. Carolina has been smothering since the first five minutes of the period. The Orange & Black badly need intermission, but there’s still 4:33 left in the period.

TK gets the opportunity to take the puck into what is probably a fairly clean Carolina zone, Philly’s first SOG in quite some time, and now we’re under four minutes to go.

OK, they’re responding a little bit, and have now drawn an icing. This is a chance to get a little attack time. But the Canes are able to break out and now the Flyers have another D-zone draw a puck deflects into the crowd. Now Zegras plays the puck out of play cleanly and he’s going to the box for delay of game. Carolina’s power play is not good, but this is the last thing they needed. Or hey, maybe it’s a chance to get a kill and use that to build some momentum. I’m trying this positivity thing for now.

The Canes got one more chance as the penalty was expiring, but Ersson stopped Stankoven’s bid from the bumper and the Flyers get the kill. Very important kill, but the Canes are remaining on the attack in the final minute of the stanza. But hey, they ice it and Philly will have an o-zone faceoff with 10.5 seconds left. The Flyers win the draw and get one bad angle shot towards Kochetkov but nothing more.

The score is knotted at two after 40 minutes, and despite the Carolina onslaught, Philadelphia is still ahead in shots, 9-8 for the period and 16-13 overall. There is going to need to be a big reset at intermission if the Flyers are going to finish the homestand with a winning record (currently 2-2-1), and defeat the Canes in South Philly for the first time since a week before Covid shut down the 2020 season.

Third period

Brink got an early chance to put the Flyers back in the lead on a feed from down low but he lifted the puck a tad too much and found the crossbar. Not cashing in on early period chances in the second and now here have been a storyline. This could be a much different game, even with Carolina’s dominant 15 minutes in the second.

Not a ton has happened in the first five minutes, with each team registering one SOG a piece.

These are the two of the five best shot suppression teams and two of the top-ten in goals allowed, so it’s not surprising to see a tight third. With 12:50 left shots are 17-15 in favor of the Flyers, and we’re still tied at two. Shot attempts, however, are 51-27 for Carolina.

The Canes are starting to get their forecheck going once again, and the Flyers are helping them with failed breakouts even when the pressure isn’t intense. The entries are also much less effective now, as Philly is just doing what it can to get the puck out of their end and chip pucks into the offensive zone, to mostly no effect. Very little room for the Flyers to create on offense when they do happen to have the puck.

Seth Jarvis puts Carolina ahead with 7:34 left. Jarvis got a lead pass from and deked Ersson out to stuff one on the forehand BUT ON THE NEXT SHIFT CARL GRUNDSTROM RE-TIES IT! A failed pinch at the Flyers line allowed Rodrigo Abols to poke the puck ahead to Grundy and create a 2-on-1, and the recently recalled Grundstrom snapped it over Kochetkov’s glove. 3-3!

It seemed in the final few minutes each team was content to get a point and resolve the game after regulation, but a little bit of sloppy play allowed a few chances for Carolina, and then Michkov iced the puck, setting up a tense D-zone draw, but the Flyers were able to survive thanks to a Michkov block.

With under 10 seconds left Carolina got one more chance but didn’t convert and now we get OT! AGAIN!

Overtime

Will Michkov play? After floating to center on the sequence that allowed Carolina a late chance, I’ll be surprised if Tocchet rewards him with a 3v3 shift despite still having scored triple the number of OT winners than any of his teammates since last season.

The Canes are 4-1 in the 3v3, Philly is 2-4.

Jarvis nearly ended it, driving to the net with a man all over him, but Sanheim checked his stick and Jarvis’ one-handed bid went wide. Phew!

Michkov got a shift with Tippett and fired a pass into Tippett’s skates that allowed Carolina to regain possession. A Tippett turnover in the D-zone resulted in another chance and more possession for the Canes. Not a ringing endorsement for the pair of wingers. After a regroup and some high-zone cycling/drop-pass puck movement, Gostisbehere got an open look but Ersson swallowed it up. Sean Couturier needs to win this draw, and does. but Sanheim turns it over allowing Jarvis another highlight possibility, but the Flyers survive.

The Flyers get a 2-on-1 with TK and Zegras, and despite a little mishandling he gets it across to Zegras, but Zegras shanks the bouncing puck with 30 seconds lieft. Dammit! That would’ve been sweet. ERSSON STONES JORDAN STAAL WITH FIVE SECONDS LEFT! To the shootout we go!

Shootout

Zegras: STOPPED! OH NO!

Jarvis: Save.

Michkov: Save (poke-check).

Svechnikov: Miss.

Konecny: Save.

Aho: Miss.

Brink: Save (poke-check).

Blake: Goal.

Canes win, their ninth straight in Philadelphia. BOOOOO!

Watch PHLY Flyers Pregame

MARRERO, La. (WGNO) – Archbishop Shaw has reached consecutive state championship games for the first time since 2008 thanks to Ethan Lentz. During the Eagles semi-finals matchup against Vandebilt Catholic, Lentz recorded 12 tackles, one sack and two interceptions, including a pick six, to punch Shaw’s ticket back to the title game.

“We needed to play together to get the job done and make it back to the dome. We did practice hard, play hard all together as one,” Lentz said.

Lentz’s performance was no fluke though. The linebacker has six interceptions on the year, and head coach Hank Tierney has seen a ballhawk star manning the second level of his defense.

“He finds the ball. He’s very physical, and he’s gotten better each year. He has good hands, and he’s got six and probably had a chance to get 2 or 3 more. He’s been a big playmaker for us the whole year,” Tierney added.

While Lentz has been finishing his third year on the westbank, the linebacker gew up modeling his game after John Ehret alums De’Jon ‘Scoota’ Harris and former LSU Tiger MIchael Divinity.

“I wanted to be like them in every way. They were like my idols. It’s a great feeling: Trying to chase the same success they had and also trying to make my own path,” the junior explained.

Lentz’s path began with his father who not only coached at John Ehret but has been on Shaw’s staff, since before Tierney’s return to the westbank.

“He played football his whole life. His dad play football at De La Salle. He came up in a football family, and we knew about him because the dad was on the staff, when I came here. We’re happy to have him: Tough kid that makes a lot of plays,” Tierney finished.

Archbishop Shaw’s Ethan Lentz is our Friday Night Football Best Chevrolet Best Player of the Week.

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Playing their first game of the season without superstar guard Tyrese Maxey, the Philadelphia 76ers pulled away from the visiting Indiana Pacers down the stretch for a 115-105 win behind strong performances from Paul George and VJ Edgecombe, and a rare dominant, 39-point outing from Joel Embiid that reminds you just how immensely talented the former MVP is.

With the win, the Sixers have improved to 14-10 on the season.

Here’s what I saw.

A throwback Joel Embiid domination
Barely a minute into the 3rd quarter, Joel Embiid stepped up to the free-throw line. Having just exploded for 15 points in the second quarter, including a step-back 3 to close out the half.

Embiid carried that momentum into the third quarter, scoring the first six points for the Sixers. By this point, Embiid was cooking. And as he stepped to the line for his 22nd point of the night, fans serenaded Embiid with something that was once a nightly occurrence (albeit at the previously named Wells Fargo Center), but is now mostly reserved for Embiid’s superstar teammate in Tyrese Maxey: MVP chants.

Given everything that has happened to Embiid over the past 23 months, it’s easy to forget just how dominant he was just a short while ago. At this point two years ago, these kind of nights were the norm, as prior to Jonathan Kuminga landing on his leg on that fateful day on January 30th, 2024, Embiid was on his way to his second consecutive MVP award, and having one of the most historic scoring seasons in the history of the sport.

Ever since that point, it has seemed like Embiid has been at war. At war with that body that seems to be betraying him, and at war with his mind as he grapples with his newfound limitations, and works to build up trust in a knee that will likely never be what it once was.

But behind all of those struggles remains one of the most talented big men in the history of the sport, with an array of moves that few men his size have ever possessed. He reminded fans of that on Friday night.

Embiid really got going midway through the 2nd quarter, and one of his previous go-to moves, a hang dribble pull-up jumper, was the catalyst, jumpstarting Embiid to a stretch where he scored 15 points in the final six minutes and 38 seconds of the second quarter.

During this stretch Embiid looked … different than he has at any point this season. The decisiveness in his game was drastically different. The willingness to face up and drive to the basket was reminiscent of old times. He was aggressively seeking out post-up opportunities early in the shot clock against overmatched big man Jay Huff. Even the pump fake foul grifting looked like vintage Embiid.

It was glorious.

Embiid finished the game with a season-high 39 points, nine rebounds and three assists, doing so on an efficient 12-23 from the field. It’s the most points that Embiid has scored in a game since he dropped 50 on the Knicks in the 2024 playoffs. It was a true vintage performance from the big man.

Obviously, nobody is going to look one Embiid performance and declare that he is back. The injuries that he has suffered, the meniscus that he has lost, is going to make that tough to sustain, and certainly he is going to have to play like this more frequently, and more consistently, before anyone can just forget the struggles of the last two years.

But even if it’s going to take more before fans truly buy back into Joel Embiid, there are going to be nights when everything is working, and when he is going to remind you of how immensely talented of a player he truly is. Tonight was one of those nights.

VJ Edgecombe steps up
Coming into the game, Sixers fans were curious exactly how the Sixers would overcome the absence of Tyrese Maxey, who missed his first game of the season on Friday night with an illness. Early on, before Joel Embiid really took over, it was Paul George and, especially, VJ Edgecombe who carried the burden.

Edgecombe came out hunting shots in transition early, hitting a pull-up 3 before the defense was set, then catching an Indiana defense sleeping after a made free-throw to throw down an uncontested dunk in transition. Edgecombe then used that momentum to start attacking in the halfcourt, and while his individual scoring slowed down a bit in the second half, he continued to contribute in other ways, from his passing and playmaking to his pesky perimeter defense.

When all was said and done, Edgecombe finished with 22 points (on just 10 shots), four rebounds and five assists in one of his better all-around performances since his record-setting opening week to the season.

PG ramping up
Besides Edgecombe, Paul George was one of the primary beneficiaries of Maxey’s absence, especially early on. George scored eight first quarter points on 3-5 shooting, including 2-3 from 3-point range, to help set the pace. When the night was over, he had accumulated 23 points, six rebounds and five assists, including some big free-throws, and a tough driving layup, to help seal the game for the Sixers down the stretch.

Over his last three games, George is averaging 18.3 points and 4.3 assists, a span which now includes two of his best performances of the season. After missing the first three weeks of the season, George seems to be settling into the role of a professional scorer and secondary playmaker, even if perhaps not the kind of high-volume scorer many envisioned when the Sixers lured him away in free agency in the summer of 2024.

But as critical as George’s scoring and playmaking were, his defense continues to be the most consistent, and perhaps most necessary, part of his game for this team. Coming into the game the Sixers were 9.9 points per 100 possessions better defensively with George on the court, and he showed that aptitude, and versatility, once again tonight. George will take some flak every now and then for not taking on the responsibility of guarding the toughest assignment every night, but at 35 years of age (and turning 36 later this spring), that’s not the best use of George’s abilities on that end. He’s an off-ball roamer, a positionally excellent and reliable team defender, and a switchable weapon that the Sixers desperately need.

Don’t let his lack of point-of-attack dominance cloud your judgment too much. He’s still incredibly valuable on that end.

Stray thoughts

• Another tough game for Jared McCain, who finished with just 5 points on 2-6 shooting in 14 minutes. He struggled to handle Indy’s pressure defense in the second quarter, and then once again saw the floor for just a few minutes after the break. It’s a tough day to make this case, but I continue to believe that Nick Nurse has to give McCain a bit of a longer rope to help him work through some of these issues and get him back into rhythm. His offense, his shooting, and his secondary ball handling could be really valuable if they can get him back up to speed.
• Another big struggle of a night for Justin Edwards, who failed to make a shot in his 19 minutes of play and got worked on the perimeter defensively. After a promising rookie season, Edwards has been one of the season’s bigger disappointments so far.

Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame

The Philadelphia Flyers went toe-to-toe with the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night in a nationally broadcast game, and began the way they always do, allowing the first goal for the 20th time in 29 games.

But Trevor Zegras and Noah Juulsen(!) scored tying goals in the each of the first two periods, setting up a big third period between the up-start Flyers and Cup-contending Knights.

Dan Vladar was his typically solid self between the pipes for Philly, allowing a third-chance power play goal to Mark Stone, as well as a Zach Whitecloud 1-on-0 that saw the Vegas D-man walk through the o-zone unchecked like it was a penalty shot.

But a scoreless third period gave us OVERTIME, Philadelphia’s 11th game beyond regulation, and the Knights’ 13th. This is not a shock. In fact, it was one of my Pregame Picks.

But it was an ugly Travis Konecny blunder in OT that allowed Jack Eichel to feed Mark Stone for the winner, and a solid effort against a really good team came up short. Bummer. Anyway, here are my live thoughts as the game unfolded.

First period

Vegas has controlled most of the first six minutes or so, but not a whole lot has really happened. But just as I’m typing this, Zach Whitecloud breaks from the point and gets a pass from Ivan Barbashev right in the middle of the ice, allowing Whitecloud to deke Dan Vladar and put the Golden Knights up 1-0. That’s now 20 of 29 games the Flyers have allowed the first goal. And has has become customary I must point out they’ve gone 11-6-2 in the first 19.

That play really started in Philly’s offensive zone with Whitecloud blocking a Matvei Michkov attempt 1-on-1 before play was sent the other way. So decent production at both ends for the guy with one of the coolest names in hockey.

The Golden Knights lead the shot battle 3-2 with 10:57 left in the first. The ESPN announcers are emptying the notebooks early with facts as they await some actual action.

After the stoppage, Trevor Zegras & Co. are getting some looks on offense, but both shot attempts missed the net. The Noah Cates line does some work to keep possession in the offensive zone, including Cates shaking off a hit from Mark Stone, but the shot from the Nick Seeler point-shot was not dangerous.

The Flyers have put up a couple chances, the most recent an o-zone interception by Christian Dvorak in the o-zone, but his backhand attempt misses. BUT ON THE SAME SHIFT ZEGRAS FINISHES A GIVE-AND-GO WITH TRAVIS SANHEIM TO TIE THE GAME! Man, the Zegras narrative during this national broadcast is very much, “who knew he was this competitive?” and “who would’ve thought he’d be the Flyers’ leading scorer?” And like, maybe he needed to grow up. Sure. But he put up 127 points at ages 20-21 in the National Hockey League. Do you know HOW GOOD he’d actually have to be to do that without caring? Wayne Gretzky-level good.

Also, Sanheim’s pass, as he’s drifting to the left point, as he finds Zegras attacking the right wing far post, was pretty awesome.

And now, witrh 17 seconds left in the period, the Flyers are getting a PECOOOOO Power Play, with Barbashev headed to the box for tripping Emil Andrae. Owen Tippett gets one look and misses high, and that’ll leave 1:43 of PP time for the Orange & Black to start the second.

Second period

The Golden Knights get the kill to begin the period, without allowing a shot, and then Vegas got right on the attack, and if not for a huge left pad save by Vladar, this game would be 2-1. Dan VlaSTAR robbed Barbashev seconds after stopping Jack Eichel in tight, as well. The Barbashev save was impressive.

But now the Golden Knights’ 7th ranked power play takes the ice, with Carl Grundstrom whistled for holding Tomas Hertl. But the best chance of the 5v4 came off the stick of Cates, who got a shot against Akira Schmid through a 1-on-1, and if not for a defenseman’s stick interrupting Cates’ second chance opportunity on his own rebound, he may have scored Philly’s first short-handed goal of the season.

Tippett nearly set up Michkov twice, first just missing him in a 2-on-1, and then grabbing the loose puck in the slot off the ill-fated pass and finding Michkov alone right in front of Schmid, but the Vegas netminder stoned Michkov despite a nifty forehand-backhand move. The Flyers have had the better of the chances, really, since the midway point of the first period.

Halfway through the game, we’re tied at 1, and the Flyers lead the shot battle 11-10.

Vegas is getting another power play with 7:55 left after Philly has too much man on the ice. They needed to stay out of the box and have done that reasonably well through 30+ minutes, but stupid stuff like bench minors are the mistakes that will cost you against a team that scores about 25% of their goals on the power play.

Michkov serves the penalty.

Just as the commentators are discussing Stone’s impact on the Knights’ power play, he directs a puck onto Vladar then gets his rebound and pokes it thorugh to make it 2-1. That’s exactly what the Flyers couldn’t afford, but let’s see how they respond.

Ok, now a power play for the Flyers! Pavel Dorofyev tripped Nikita Grebenkin, and that’s not allowed. PECOOOOO!

Travis Konecny gets a nice wrister on Schmid after Sanheim made a nice keep with his glove at the line, but Schmid was able to block it away. The second unit came on with about 50 seconds left on the penalty and mishandled a bunch of pucks. Nothing out of that man-advantage. Still 2-1 Knights.

NOAH JUULSEN TIES IT! YOU READ THAT RIGHT! JUULSEN! After a great forecheck, Dvorak sent a pass to Juulsen on the left side and he ripped a one-timer short side by Schmid. with unde four minutes left in the middle frame. Hell yeah! Put Juulsen on the power play! Grundstrom picks up the secondary assist, giving him points in consecutive games since returning to the lineup.

Juulsen’s last goal was February 14, 2024. That’s 663 days between goals.

The period ends 2-2, and the SOGs are knotted up at 14. Philly has been the better team, but here’s the hard part- putting away a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

Third period

Mark Stone had a chance to score the go-ahead goal after blocking a Jamie Drysdale shot and taking it the other way, but Andrae was able to chase him down and mute his one-handed try against Vladar with about 13:30 left in regulation.

The Flyers have played 10 OT games in their first 28 this season, and Vegas has gone beyond 60 minutes 12 times in their first 29. I think we all know where this is going. Through eight minutes, Philly is yet to record a shot on goal. Not losing is cool, but I would really like to see them get the pressure and chances they had for a lot of the first 40.

Matvei Michkov created a breakaway for Sean Couturier with a takeaway at center ice, but Coots only found iron. DAMMIT! I want to say good stuff about Michkov in postgame.

Schmid is really having a solid game, as he just denied a few attempts in-close for the Flyers’ fourth line. There was traffic and a little chaos but he stayed strong in the paint.

After getting away with some obvious interferences and a hold of a stick, the Golden Knights are finally called for a penalty, it’s Brett Howden for holding. The Flyguys are getting a PECOOOO Power Play with 4:48 left in regulation. LET’S GO! LET’S WIN IT BEFORE OT!

Philadelphia just got called for icing on the power play. Ugh. Nothing much else happened. No shots on goal for the second time in three opportunities. Not ideal.

Vegas ices it with 28.5 seconds left! Vegas wins the faceoff, though, Tomas Hertl over Coots. Now we’re headed to OT!

Overtime

Oh my god, TK gives it away deep in his own zone and Stone buries the winner on a cross-ice feed from Eichel. Are you kidding me? What did Konecny just do? It’s like he forgot he had the puck? Welp. Flyers lose.

Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame