Flyers' rally comes up empty in overtime loss to Senators originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Flyers saw a comeback bid fall short Saturday afternoon as they suffered a 3-2 overtime loss to the Senators at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Matvei Michkov and Jamie Drysdale provided the Flyers’ goals. Michkov trimmed Ottawa’s lead to 2-1 in the second period before Drysdale tied the game a little over halfway through the third period.

But the Senators recovered as Tim Stutzle scored the OT winner with his second goal of the day. Trevor Zegras was a step behind in coverage after skating toward the bench for an attempted change.

“He wanted to come off, but you’ve got to be decisive,” Rick Tocchet said. “It was a tough play, but you’ve either got to come hard or you’ve got to stay on.”

The Flyers (8-5-2) have lost their last three home games, scoring just 1.67 goals per game.

They’ve played a lot of close games this season, with nine being decided by one goal. They’re 4-3-2 in those games.

Tocchet’s club is 0-1-1 against the Senators (7-5-3) with one more matchup to go Feb. 5 back here in Philadelphia.

• Samuel Ersson made his first start since Oct. 28 after being activated off injured reserve before Thursday’s game.

The 26-year-old converted 10 saves on 13 shots. The Flyers were able to shore things up after a rocky start and allowed just one shot in the third period.

But it wasn’t enough and an early hole didn’t help.

“I’ve got to do a better job getting the team ready,” Tocchet said.

Ottawa jumped out to a 2-0 lead not even six and a half minutes into the game. The goals came in the span of one minute and five seconds.

On the first goal, Bobby Brink was unable to play the puck up the boards, which allowed the Senators to find a wide-open Stutzle for a blast from the circle.

The Flyers were poor in coverage again on the second goal when Michael Amadio made a move in close off a nice pass by Claude Giroux.

Two days ago, the Flyers gave up a goal just 1:44 minutes into the game, but they went on to beat the Predators, 3-1.

“Obviously I’ve got to look at myself,” Tocchet said. … “We’re a little bit slow starting the game, we just seem a little bit off. That falls on me.”

Senators netminder Linus Ullmark stopped 20 of the Flyers’ 22 shots.

“That’s two games now that the other team comes out stronger than us and out-battles us,” Sean Couturier said. “It makes it hard on us to come back. But as much as it could have been a frustrating day, we didn’t give them a whole lot after the first [period].”

• Michkov has scored a goal in back-to-back games, a really good sign for the Flyers.

“Every game, I feel better and better,” Michkov said through translator Slava Kuznetsov, a Flyers consultant.

The 20-year-old winger fended off Ottawa defenseman Jake Sanderson before making a move toward the net and ripping home a shot. He screamed to the crowd in celebration.

“Our staff, since we’ve been here, has been stressing body position before the puck,” Tocchet said. “That was classic, what he just did. A lot of times, guys will go to the puck and they get stripped. We’re a team that still has to get better at that. What Mich did is something that we’re preaching all of the time, and that was textbook.”

In the first period, the Flyers had a failed power play. Michkov and Travis Konecny had some words on the bench. It didn’t look like they saw eye to eye on what they were trying to execute.

But after Konecny recorded an assist on Michkov’s goal in the middle stanza, he gave the youngster a fist-pound and patted him on the head. Two competitive guys working through things.

• Giroux has enjoyed seeing his old team.

His first-period helper gave him 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 11 career games against the Flyers.

• Carl Grundstrom, who was acquired in the Ryan Ellis trade, made his Flyers debut after being called up Friday from AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

The 27-year-old winger came to the Flyers with 292 games and 43 goals on his NHL résumé. He wore No. 91 and opened the game on a line with Konecny and Noah Cates.

• The Flyers have three days before their next game Wednesday when they host Connor McDavid and the Oilers (7:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The NHL saw several players find new homes in free agency this season. Among the most notable were Mitch Marner (Vegas Golden Knights), Nikolaj Ehlers (Carolina Hurricanes), Mikael Granlund (Anaheim Ducks), and Vladislav Gavrikov (New York Rangers).

Yet, there were also some under-the-radar signings this off-season that are already looking like home runs early on. Due to this, let's take a look at three players who have been big surprises with their new clubs early on this season.

Justin Brazeau, RW, Pittsburgh Penguins 

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed Justin Brazeau to a two-year, $3-million contract in free agency this summer. When this move was made, it was expected that the 27-year-old winger would simply provide the Penguins with more forward depth for their bottom six.

Yet, Brazeau has been far more than that early on for the Penguins. 

Brazeau had a spectacular start to the season with the Penguins, posting six goals and 12 points in 12 games. He also cemented himself a spot in Pittsburgh's top six, playing on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Anthony Mantha. 

However, the Penguins announced earlier this week that Brazeau will be out for at least four weeks due to an upper-body injury, which is such tough news for the red-hot forward. 

Victor Olofsson, RW, Colorado Avalanche 

Victor Olofsson signed a one-year, $1.575 million contract with the Colorado Avalanche in late August. This was another move that did not get a ton of attention, but it has been paying off tremendously for Colorado early on. 

Olofsson is thriving with the Avalanche, as he has recorded five goals and 12 points in 14 games. This included him putting together a three-goal, five-point performance against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 26. 

The Avalanche's primary reason for acquiring Olofsson was to bolster their secondary scoring. So far, the 5-foot-11 winger is providing far more than just that.

Corey Perry, RW, Los Angeles Kings 

Corey Perry, 40, is turning back the clock with the Los Angeles Kings.

After signing a one-year, $2-million contract with the Kings this summer, which also includes $2 million of potential performance bonuses, Perry has been fantastic for Los Angeles.

In nine games this season with the Kings, Perry has recorded six goals, nine points, and a plus-4 rating. He is also continuing to stay hot, as he has four goals and six points in his last five games. 

When noting that his cap hit is only $2 million for this season, the Kings are getting fantastic value from the 21-year NHL veteran.

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It's been a whirlwind over the last week or so for New York Islanders rookie Calum Ritchie. After the whole Raleigh fiasco, he's been able to settle in a bit more. 

Ritchie To Play Alongside Barzal In Islanders' Debut vs. CapitalsCalum Ritchie will skate with Mathew Barzal and Kyle Palmieri for his Islanders debut against the Capitals.

While we are still waiting for offense, with no points in his first four games of the season, Ritchie's defense is what's allowed him to remain as the second-line center -- for the most part. 

In Friday's 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild, in which no one played well, head coach Patrick Roy altered his lines, demoting the 20-year-old to the fourth line before the end of the second period.

Why Ritchie At 2C & Barzal With Horvat Is The Islanders’ Best FormulaThe <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders">New York Islanders</a> snapped their three-game skid last night, beating the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals">Washington Capitals</a> 3-1.

Ritchie has averaged 13:56 minutes per game, with his time on ice dropping in each game that he's played. Now, he and the team will try to redeem themselves when they battle the New York Rangers on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. 

"That'll be pretty cool," Ritchie told The Hockey News on battling his new cross-town rival. "Obviously, I played there in preseason, so I kind of got a taste of what Madison Square Garden is, and the rivalry between the two teams. But, yeah, that'd be pretty cool."

But for Ritchie, this isn't just his first Rangers-Islanders game. It will be a special moment for him and his brother

"I have some family coming down. My brother's coming down. It'll be his first time watching me play in the show. So that's pretty cool," Ritchie said. 

Ethan Ritchie, 23, is a left-side defenseman who played three games for the Providence Bruins (2023-24), playing in the ECHL with the Maine Mariners (63 games in 2023-24). He played three games for the ECHL's Fort Wayne Comets in 2024-25. 

"H's at school now in Halifax, SMU," Ritchie said. "So, he talked to his coach and asked him if he could fly down for a game. They had a game canceled this weekend, so he got the go-ahead."

Ritchie said his parents will be in attendance as well. 

Puck drop is coming at 7 PM ET on MSGSN. We will talk to Roy at 5:45 PM ET. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins visit Newark tonight to take on the New Jersey Devils in a matchup between two of the NHL’s hottest teams.

The Penguins enter the game at 9-4-2, while the Devils sit at 10-4-0.

New Jersey remains undefeated at home (6-0-0) this season after defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4–3 in overtime on November 6. The Penguins also played that night, earning a 5–3 win over the Washington Capitals.

The Devils currently rank second in the NHL standings with 20 points, while the Penguins sit fourth, also with 20 points.

Dillon on Facing Pittsburgh

At Friday’s practice, defenseman Brenden Dillon discussed the challenge of taking on a veteran Penguins team with The Hockey News’ Kristy Flannery.

“I think for tomorrow, a team that those guys have been together not just years, but decades — they know each other, they can read off one another,” Dillon said. “Year after year, they seem to always be near the top. First and foremost, staying out of the box is going to be our best bet — try to play five-on-five, and when they do get a power play, have good sticks and just be aware.”

This will be the first meeting of the season between the two clubs.

Players to Watch

Devils

• Jack Hughes – 10 goals and 8 assists through 14 games.
• Dawson Mercer – off to a career-best start with 6 goals and 4 assists.

Penguins

• Bryan Rust – 5 goals and 9 assists so far this season.
• Sidney Crosby – 9 goals and 5 assists in his last 10 games.

Injuries and Lineup Notes

Devils Defenseman Dougie Hamilton did not skate at practice on Friday after leaving Thursday’s game early. His status remains uncertain for tonight’s matchup.

Due to Hamilton’s absence, the lines at Friday morning’s skate were adjusted. 

Kristy Flannery (@InStilettos_NHL) on X11.07.25 #NJDevils Lines & Pairs: Noesen - Hughes - Bratt Meier - Hischier - Mercer Palat - Glass - Gritsyuk Cotter - Lammikko - Glendening Siegenthaler - Nemec Dillon - Hughes Cholowski - White Markstrom | Allen Extras: MacEwen & Halonen

Colton White was recalled from the AHL’s Utica Comets and could draw into the lineup if Hamilton is ruled out.

“It’s really exciting,” White said to NHL.com. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played — a lot of hard work and a long wait. I’m just really excited and grateful for the opportunity.”

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at Prudential Center, as the Devils look to remain perfect on home ice and extend their winning streak.

At some point in the near future, the Philadelphia Flyers are going to have to make some tough trade decisions. That time could arrive sooner if some players continue to put forth more of the same.

One name in particular that finds itself back in trade chatter is none other than Owen Tippett, who was mired in rumors at the start of the season, only to silence the crowd with a five-goal outburst across the span of five games.

Since then, though, Tippett, 26, has just one assist and no goals in his last eight games, and the Flyers are said to be getting worn out on these low points, according to a new report.

"While hot and cold stretches are to be expected of a shoot-first winger, the inconsistency in Tippett’s game has started to become tiresome from those within the organization, based on conversations I’ve had," Anthony Di Marco of Daily Faceoff reported Tuesday. "The Flyers do like Tippett’s game but feel like they may not have the right player(s) to properly complement his style."

Therein lies the problem: the Flyers have tried nearly everything to get Tippett going consistently in his four years in Philadelphia.

Flyers Trade Acquisition Already Feasting in New EnvironmentThe Philadelphia Flyers may have found themselves yet another steal with new defenseman Christian Kyrou.

Names like Travis Konecny, Morgan Frost, Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras, and Sean Couturier come to mind.

Tippett will turn 27 in February, so there's little room left for true development at this stage of his career. Being a streaky scorer is inherently fine at the NHL level, but you also have to question the Flyers' patience level with that when they have younger, cheaper options like Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Porter Martone, and Bobby Brink at the same position.

"According to team sources, there are some internal questions as to where Tippett will fit long term with the Flyers," Di Marco added. "Marc Bergevin of the Los Angeles Kings front office has taken in several Flyers games recently, causing speculation on whether they could be looking at Tippett. While I have no doubt the Kings could be, they don’t have many assets the Flyers like, I’m told."

The obvious choice for many would be Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke, but the Flyers appear to be headed towards a more physical identity defensively to complement the presences of Cam York and Jamie Drysdale.

That said, the Flyers have done extremely well with reclamation projects over the last few seasons under GM Danny Briere, and that line of communication has been and still is open with the Kings.

NHL Rumors: Should Flyers Target Young Bruins Defenseman?Should the Flyers consider pursuing Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei?

The Kings were part of the three-team deal that sent Ivan Provorov to Columbus, and Andrei Kuzmenko left for Los Angeles and earned the Flyers a third-round pick for his short but solid tenure in Philadelphia.

Other options, if the Flyers won't add another winger to an already overcrowded pool, might include Kirill Kirsanov or 2025 first-round pick Henry Brzustewicz, a 6-foot-3 London Knights defenseman who was teammates with Flyers prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk.

Perhaps Los Angeles may also be willing to part ways with out-of-favor center prospects like Akil Thomas and Alex Turcotte; the latter was drafted ahead of Zegras in 2019, and the two were teammates for parts of four seasons playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program.

Oh, and York and Brink were part of that group, too.

The Kings are quickly running out of time to make the most out of what's left of the careers of Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Darcy Kuemper, and maybe one last move to jolt some life into the forward group would do them some good.

Di Marco noted that the Flyers are not actively shopping Tippett, but there should be no surprises these talks came back up with this ongoing two-week slump.

Down on one knee, William Nylander roofed a puck over Utah Mammoth goaltender Vitek Vanecek on Wednesday for his sixth goal of the season. He celebrated the goal and the fact that this is his best start to a season in his NHL career.

The 29-year-old has collected 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in his first 11 games, putting him in a six-way tie for second among NHL skaters. None of those six players — or the three with 21 points — have played less than 13 games. 

"I think he's always scored lots of goals, but I think this year he's making more plays with the puck and getting assists," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said on Friday. "Like I said before, he's an underrated passer. I mean, he's a good playmaker, but he's always scored a lot of goals."

What stands out most about Nylander's start this season, beyond others, is the amount of primary assists he's racked up. Eleven of the Swede's 14 helpers this year are primary assists, tying him for the league lead with Evgeni Malkin in that department.

Within the Maple Leafs, only Matthew Knies — who's also gotten off to a wicked start — is near Nylander for primary assists with nine (four of his 13 helpers are secondary assists).

One of Nylander's best games this year came during a comeback win against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night. Auston Matthews started the scoring early in the third period (with Nylander getting a secondary assist). Nylander followed up with two goals of his own to tie the game, and Bobby McMann scored the game-winner.

'It's Unacceptable': Maple Leafs Unhappy With Play Against Penguins Despite Comeback WinThe Maple Leafs were outshot 25-8 in the first two periods before scoring four straight goals in a third-period comeback against Pittsburgh.

"For me, I just think it's his timely goal-scoring. The quality of goals in big spots, in big moments," Anthony Stolarz said of what he's noticed about Nylander's start to the year.

"He's stepped up in a big way and I think the guys have rallied around that."

Below is Nylander's production throughout the first 11 games of the season over his career:

2016-17: 4G, 7A, 11P
2017-18: 3G, 6A, 9P
2018-19 (started late): 0G, 2A, 2P
2019-20: 3G, 4A, 7P
2020-21: 4G, 8A, 12P
2021-22: 5G, 4A, 9P
2022-23: 4G, 7A, 11P
2023-24: 6G, 9A, 15P
2024-25: 8G, 4A, 12P
2025-26: 6G, 14A, 20P

"Just trying to play better hockey every year," Nylander said on Friday, "just trying to work on my game every year and try to get better, so it's nice to see that I'm getting rewarded for it."

Despite missing a couple of games early, Nylander's production has contributed to Toronto winning games. Fourteen of his 20 points to begin the season have come during Maple Leafs wins. And after a shaky start in October, the club has put together three straight wins to begin November.

What's been the key to that success?

"I don’t know, we had a great Halloween party in Philly," said Nylander, who went to the party dressed as Darth Vader.

As to why he chose Darth Vader, Nylander smiled: "We ordered the costumes day of, so I mean, we didn’t have much planning to do."

Nylander and the Maple Leafs will look to continue trending upwards on Saturday night, when they welcome the Boston Bruins and former Maple Leaf, Fraser Minten, into town. The Bruins are one point up on Toronto for third in the Atlantic Division with two more games played.

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