Latest / Hattrick's Unofficial Flyers Podcast / Episode 17: Flyers vs Bruins ReCap: Apr 06, 2026
Transcript
- Rick Mullen: Hey Flyers fans, welcome to Hatrix on official Flyers podcast. I'm Rick Mullen. I'm your host today and we are going to talk about the Flyers versus Boston recap. Great game today. I was down this game with my family. It was packed. The crowd was excited to be there. They were loud. It was such a good game to be at. I haven't heard the building that loud in a while. Took a little bit, but through the game. ⁓ As the game got tighter towards the end of the game, the crowd was fantastic. It was super loud. It felt like playoff hockey. It mean it felt like playoff hockey. So this game, the Flyers were up what? One to nothing. Christian Dvorak scored at the 410 or the 419 mark in the first period, assisted by Porter Martone and Rusto. And we carry that over into the second period. One nothing, tight game. Going through two periods, Flyers were playing hard. They had a lot ⁓ of plays. They really looked good. I they really looked good. I hate to say it, but if I was talking, I wouldn't mess with this lineup right now. I wouldn't bring Barky back in. And if Barky's going to sit for a while, I'd send him back down to the AHL and let him get some time down there. Because the Flyers really looked good against a good Bruins team. ⁓ Let's go through some stats. The Flyers had 31 shots today compared to Boston's 19. The Flyers had 21 hits compared to Boston's 19. And Boston had 12 penalty minutes and the Flyers had four. Face off dot, Flyers won in the face off dot again, 59.3 % in the face off dot to the Boston's 40.7%. So the Flyers looked really good all across the board today. had some really strong play today. And I think they surprised Boston. I think Bruins weren't really prepared for them. I went into this game worried, concerned. I thought this team's going to probably be really, really hard to play against this Boston Bruins team. they weren't that bad. I mean, the Flyers were all over them. The Flyers outplayed them most of the game. score could have been way higher. Mavie Mishkov hit the crossbar or post and we had a lot of plays that we couldn't score on and the Bruins just looked mortal. They just look mortal here. They look normal. The Flyers look like the better team. 100 % they look like the better team today. But let's get back to kind of the score going into the third. So going into the third, it's 1-0 in the Flyers. And 35 seconds into the third period, ⁓ Pavel Zakha scores from Middleston and Pasternak or Pasta. And it was just a matter of time before Pasta got some points tonight. But one-one tie. We went that way all the way through the third period. And as the third period started to end, the refs came back to haunt us. A couple penalties that happened that the refs just would not call. They would not call him. And they were bad penalties, totally bad missed penalties. There was one towards the end of the game that Owen Tippett made a move on one of the Bruins players. I mean, he faked left or faked right, jumped left, went jumped around him and he had a beat. He was going in on a breakaway probably. And the guy stuck his stick out and tripped him. I mean, dead to rights just tripped him. you know, Schoolbook 101, I think every ref would have called that and two refs on the ice tonight didn't call it and the place went crazy. Crazy. The fans were screaming, booing, you know, calling the refs. They suck. it was it was an absolute blown call, non-call, absolutely blown non-call. And the building let them know it. It was the loudest I've heard that building in a really long time. And, you know, I was helping. I was screaming at them too. Yeah, they deserved it. It was on, on called for. It was just, I don't know how a NHL ref two of them on the ice missed it. They both watched it and they both decided to ignore it, but it was a classic trip on Owen Tippett and they didn't call it and the place beat them up. They beat them up. They were loud and they let the rest know that they made a bad non-call, ⁓ which I think helped in, the long run in this game because we went into overtime. And there was a penalty, I think for tripping, I believe it was tripping, or cross checking tripping, one of those interference, something, two minute minor went to, I think pasta for, think it was tripping, but anyhow, he went to the box for two minutes. It was in overtime and he deserved it. He definitely did it. It wasn't as bad as the tip it won. But he definitely did it and the refs called it because they knew if they didn't call it, that building was going to come down there and they were going to get chased off the ice. No doubt about it. But they called it and the faceoff went to the right of ⁓ Corpus Aulio right down in the Bruins end. know, Zegras I think got tossed out of, I'm sorry, Zegras got left. He was on the boards on the left side. The puck gets dropped and McEvoy goes and just goes right at Zegras, lifts his stick as hard as he can and smacks him right in the face, gives him a high stick in the face. And the whole place is standing up, all the fans stood up and screaming and the rest, they call that one too. They called it. Now, so six seconds after pasta's penalty, ⁓ they give one to McEvoy and the Flyers go out in overtime, five on three, and they work a little bit of magic. They get the puck towards the net. Hit the goalie, the rebound pops out and lo and behold, Porter Marton is on the doorstep and he knocks that sucker in for his first goal. Porter Marton was the hero. He was the hero tonight. He got his first goal in the NHL in overtime in probably the biggest game of the year and Porter Marton was the hero. Awesome job. I mean, that kid was all over the place again tonight. He had five shots. led the team in shots. He looked fantastic and I can't wait until he keeps burying more goals. I'm glad he got one out of the way, this first one, and maybe it'll help him start scoring a little more and those floodgates will open. But all in all, really, really strong game by the Flyers. They, in my opinion, dominated Boston. They outplayed them. They out hit them. They did everything they needed to do except You know, they got one goal got tied in the third and you know again it goes down to Struggling to find a goal, but tonight they were able to find a way to pull out this win To walk away from this win and they are in the third place in the metro. They are in a playoff position Which we've all been waiting for so the Flyers are in a playoff position It's incredible to see they had a long road. If anyone would have said this in January, they were going to get there after January. It would have said not a chance in heck. Like they should have been getting rid of people, know, getting rid of the work, get rid of everyone they could, trying to get picks. you know, they did it. They believed in themselves and they went out and they proved to us right now. And I know this isn't locked in stone. They could get knocked out of third place, but just the thought that they got into third place from where they were is a huge step. a huge step. So kudos where kudos belong. The Flyers have played great. I hope they can keep it up for the rest of the year. And, some credit here, ⁓ Rick Tocket, has ⁓ done really the last couple of games. There's really not anything or much that I'm questioning what he's doing. ⁓ Some of decisions he was making prior would make you scratch your head. But right now, the last couple of games, last two games, Tocket Systems working. The team looks like they're all in they balled in on it that they're playing really well There were a couple passes from the Bruins were like pasta and all that were throwing it from one side of the crease to the other and usually in years past there'd be somebody over there like to bury that shot and score and go up and Didn't happen today. ⁓ They trying to throw these passes across the crease and we always had somebody there in the middle where we always had someone just getting that stick on it so it didn't make it to the guy on the far side. So seeing Boston's game turn from this, in lack of better words, like this three-dimensional play that they used to do where they'd suck you in on one side and then back door that pass into an open net would kill us. And we all knew it happened and maybe they tried to stop it in years past, but it still got through. But this team focused very, very highly. on that back door pass today and blocking those, those passing lanes. And they did, they did really well, really well. And it caught, think Boston off guard. So Boston lost that three-dimensional game and they had to start figuring out how to like, maybe just come down the side and shoot that puck on that and try to get a rebound. So it was, it was definitely one of the best games I've seen the Flyers play from a defensive structure. ⁓ They absolutely was one of the best games I even saw on an offensive situations as well, but they just couldn't bury it. But they were there. They were there. They were ⁓ all over the ice. were hitting. Couturier's line again looked great. ⁓ mean, Coutts and all kudos to Coutts. two months ago, I was upset. know, Coutts' first line center. He's making too much money. He's not earning that money. ⁓ this this contract of his is an anchor. We, in my opinion, we need to try to get rid of him. You know, obviously it was really difficult, hard to get rid of him. You couldn't get rid of him. You know, his contract's too big and you can't buy him out because it's an anchor to this team. But I think Kutz as a seasoned professional, ⁓ I and again, ⁓ I'm I'm I know what happened. I'm not saying this is what happened. But, ⁓ I do think that Probably Danny Breyer, Rick Tocket, sat down with Coots and basically explained to him what they needed from him. And they needed him to go down on a fourth line. They needed him to remake himself. They needed him to be that checking winger or checking center, whatever they put him in on that fourth line, and just be the best version of that checking center, checking winger that he could give this team and lead from that position. And I'm going to tell you now, every time Kutz hits the ice for the last few games, I know he's on the ice because he goes down the ice and he'll bury somebody. He'll create a chance off of a huge check. And he hasn't done that in years, years. He was not doing that for many years and now he is. You can see when that line gets on the ice that they are fighting hard, They are fighting hard. They're for checking. They're laying big hits. They're getting pucks off of turnovers from throwing these hits. So kudos to Coots. Really good to see him just buy into what this team's asking him to be moving forward. And I think that's a win for not just the team, but also for Coots. Coots wants to keep playing. I'm sure he wants to keep playing. every athlete gets to a point in their career where They have to determine what they are. know, once you start aging, your game changes. You're not who you were and you can't do what you used to do. And a lot of people will, or lot of players, athletes, will keep trying to do what they used to do and they just can't get past it. And then they retire out. But to realize, hey, I'm not who I was, I'm not successful, and I'm not helping this team trying to be who I was, and actually just refocusing and saying, This is who I'm going to be moving forward. Really, really made a big change for the Flyers team and for Coots. So kudos to Coots. I think he is playing great. I love that fourth line. It's good to see them be successful and actually be a huge part of why these team, this team is winning. ⁓ Bump, the new guys coming in, Tyson Forster coming back, Marton coming in the lineup. This team is seems completely changed. Like we were talking about this a couple episodes ago that, you know, when when bumping when bump Forster and Martin can get in, these are three bigger guys with three really good shots, like really good shots. ⁓ bump showed wrist shot the other night where he buried one from the wall, put it right over ⁓ the goalie shoulder and ⁓ surprised the heck of him. I think the goalie knew He could shoot like that, you know, so I mean these these three editions at the end are three Really good additions really good addition So bumps finding his game bringing the two editions of Marton and forced her back in the lineup Gave us two big bodies who are fighting in front of the net who go to those danger zones who like to shoot and It's making a difference. You can see it and they're just starting right now to gel a little bit and they are You know, like this first couple of games when my turn, when Marton came in, you could see like Forster and him are doing really well on the lines, but they're not quite where they needed to be. But they're getting better. seems every game, every game, they're starting to gel. They're starting to find each other. They're starting to like learn the intricacies of how the other ones are playing on their line and where they are and what they do. And you can see it. You really can. So Marton getting another five shot game, all five shots on that. What this kid is going to be so good. I think we have a great future. So when you look at what everyone in the media has always beat up about Mishkov through this year, it was, and again, it, you know, there was lots of problems with Mishkov. I think there was a lot of problems with Takhi, but at this point in time, I really think the Takhi and Mishkov thing worked itself out. They're both trying to move forward. How they got there doesn't matter. You know, if Danny had to come down and Jonesy had to come down and tell Tauke that this is how we're doing things and just do it and just listen to us, that's fine. You know, but however, whatever happened, it seems like they're past it. Mishkoff's been playing really, really well. I know he seems to disappear here and there and make poor decisions, get bad penalties, but he also does like two or three like super creative passes and plays on the ice almost every game. I mean, almost every game, like things that other guys on this team can't do. So I'm excited. I think this team as a whole has really, really been much better than what I think a lot of fans have given them credit for. ⁓ Vlad is playing great. I wasn't sure about Vlad when we signed them. I was happy that we signed Vlad because I didn't want to see Vodotov in the Flyers uniform again, but I thought, you know, we got an OK backup goalie from Calgary. Definitely better than Fedotov, but how good is he really going to be? So Erson's going to be the starter. He's going to have to stand on his head and like, you know, at least Vlad could come in from time to time and win some games, hopefully. And that was totally, totally wrong. Like I was totally wrong. Vlad came in and took this team and he's leading this team. He just said, you know what? This is my team. I'm going to earn it. I'm going to work hard. I'm going to get us there. And he's done it. Vlad's been fantastic. Flyers organization, Danny Breyer and Jonesy, they got a winner in Vlad. They made a really good decision in that pickup. They made a really good decision with Marton this year and how they handled him and how they stayed in touch with him and how they talked to Michigan State and all the trainers there and what they wanted to see. Marton has put on 10 pounds of muscle since the beginning of the year. He's been really really on a great path and now he's in the NHL. And you got Mishkov who we all know he's probably going to be better next year after he gets a full summer of a workout on. So we know what his deficiencies were this year and we know why he had them. But I don't think he's going to be there again. I think this time next year we're going to look back and go, well, I can't believe we criticize this kid so much. so I think this organization as a whole has 100 % turned the page. And I'm saying this now, like on record, they might lose every game the rest of this year and I'm knocking on wood right now, right? That they don't, but it doesn't matter. This team as a whole has gotten a lot better. They added some really good pieces and you can see it. We surprised the Bruins tonight. We kicked their butt. I don't care what anyone says. We kicked their butt that game. It should have been much more on the scoreboard. It just wasn't. And that's the next thing this team's going to work on, like trying to figure out the power play, how to score a little more in the power play, how to pick up that one or two extra goals a game from that power play. And they haven't figured that out yet. Not yet. But I'm thinking come the off season, that's going to be a huge focus on getting a coach in here that can coach better on that power play, picking some right people, coming up with some better plays, having these Tyson Forrester and Marton on these two power play lines is going to give them two shooters where most of the years they this year passed they didn't have two shooters they had a lot of guys who wanted to pass the puck instead of shoot and they had some problems tonight with it too like I think TK was in the slot once and I think also Zegras was in the slot once where they had like point-blank shot instead of shoot and they tried to do like a far out to the wing pass For no reason whatsoever in the past didn't get there. I got picked off or it was a bad pass went behind the player and we never got a shot. So I think all the right steps are being made here. I think we have some really good additions. I think this team is on the right path. I give many kudos here to Jonesy and Danny. It's not what a lot of people will like Twitter or wherever will let you to believe that this team is horrible and they don't know what they're doing and wrong. I think they made some really good decisions. Yes, they weren't able to go out and get like a first line center, and rightfully so. A first line center would have cost you way too much, way too much. You would have gave up half the team and then we'd have one guy on here that could play and everybody else would be, eh. And we don't want that either. This is a team game. This new NHL is a team game. You look at back in Lindro's era and a lot of the... feedback from that point in time was the Flyers were a one line team. You know, they weren't deep enough. you know, that showed in that Detroit Red Wings ⁓ Stanley Cup series where, they got swept in four because all they had to do was just shut down one line. And yes, Red Wings were a dynasty, but, if there was more than one line, we would have been able to play a little bit better, maybe won a game here or there. I'll probably still have lost the series, but ⁓ this team now, this new they They need to be a team. Every line needs to be able to contribute and skate and we are getting there. All these lines right now look really good and not all of our people are up here yet. I'm really anxious to see David Yurichek come up and play some defense. I don't really know if he's going to get a chance this year. It might be next year thing, but I think once he settles in, he's got so much upside potential that I think he's going to be a good pickup for us. But again, he might He might take a little time to develop, but I think he will. And I think he's going to be a steal, not like a Zegras level steal, but a pretty damn good steal for Danny and the Flyers. So we have a lot to look forward to here. And I do think they'll work some magic over the summer. They'll probably land us a 1-2 center somehow without having to give up the farm completely. But we have assets to do it. We have a lot of good players in the system finally. And we're not as bad as Everyone led us to believe, you know, on Twitter and X and, you know, the median homers, I guess you would say this is just not not what I'm seeing. I'm seeing a good young team trying to figure out how to play together. And every game they've been getting a little bit better and every game when they got somebody in there like the Marthone or the Forster back, we've been better and better and better. And we've been out playing teams, we've been out shooting teams, we've been out hitting teams. so there's this is a really bright future, I think, for the Flyers. So let's ⁓ let's enjoy what we have right now. let's enjoy the third place that we are in the Metro. Let's hope we don't get knocked out. Let's hope we can continue on this win streak ⁓ and ⁓ hopefully into the playoffs. Let's see if we can get a playoff round under us and see what we can do. You know, I think they deserve it. They've been playing super hard and they only have a few games left. And I at this point, I would love for them. to get into the playoffs and let these kids see what they earned. Let them get a taste of what it's like. So this way they're hungrier next year and play harder next year because they want to get back. with that great game tonight, fantastic win. Thank God the refs made up for their blunders these last couple of games and called those two penalties and overtime. And thankfully Marton's actually finally on the board with a game winner. He's the hero. tonight and the Flyers are right now in the playoffs. Send us an email to ⁓ our mail ⁓ Would love talk to you guys. You have any questions, topics, concerns, please like and subscribe on YouTube, Apple, ⁓ Spotify. ⁓ out website. ⁓ Go find website. You can ⁓ subscribe right the website directly. ⁓ And until next game, we'll do another episode at that point. Go Flyers.