The Philadelphia Flyers finally broke their franchise-record nine-game losing streak Saturday night, clawing their way to a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators for their first win of the season. After an absolutely brutal start, the Flyers, who entered the game with an ugly 0-6-3 record, are now 1-6-3, putting that embarrassing streak behind them.
Young Guns Step Up Big Time to End the Skid
The Flyers, staring down a dismal start, got a much-needed spark from their young guns. After Drake Batherson put Ottawa up 1-0 in the first period, courtesy of an ex-Flyer Claude Giroux assist, it was Porter Martone who slammed home his second goal of the season to even things up. Michkov threaded a beauty of a pass to the far post, and Martone tapped it in at 9:03 in the second period, tying the score at 1-all. This team needed a jolt, and those two delivered.
Michkov Hits a Major Milestone as Offense Finally Clicks
But Michkov wasn’t done making an impact. Later in the second period, with the Flyers on the power play, Martone returned the favor. He ripped a shot towards the net that Senators goalie Linus Ullmark initially stopped. But Michkov, quick as lightning, was right there for the rebound, snapping home his fourth goal of the season at 18:33. That wasn’t just any goal, either. It was Michkov’s 50th career goal in only 171 games, making him the fastest Flyer to hit that milestone since Matt Read way back in 2014. For the first time all season, Philly managed to put up three goals on the board, a huge deal considering they had only 11 total in their first nine games! Trevor Zegras added an empty-net goal with 14 seconds left in the third to officially seal the deal.
While the Flyers celebrated, it was a rough night for Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark. He went into this game undefeated, rocking a perfect 6-0 record to start the season, even tying Ray Emery for a franchise record in consecutive wins to kick off a year. But the Flyers snapped that too, handing him his first loss despite him making 25 saves. On the other end, Dan Vladar was a rock for Philadelphia, also turning away 25 shots to secure the win.
So, what’s next? The Flyers will try to keep this newfound winning feeling going when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Meanwhile, the Senators have to regroup fast as they start a three-game homestand Wednesday against Florida. This win might just be the jolt Philly desperately needed to turn their season around. We’ll be watching!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
Leave a Reply