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Flyers stars set tone against Senators to fuel team's first win of season

Jackie Spiegel, The Philadelphia Inquirer on

Published in Hockey

PHILADELPHIA — That’s one.

After two-plus dreadful weeks, the Flyers played an urgent game and beat the visiting Ottawa Senators, 3-1, at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday. The win snapped a nine-game winless streak (0-6-3) to start the season, the longest in franchise history.

The Flyers came out more aggressive on the forecheck, creating turnovers and scoring chances. They hit trailers, got high-danger chances, and it all started with a first period that saw double-digit shots for the first time all season (14).

Ottawa did get on the board first when former Flyers captain Claude Giroux set up Drake Batherson on a two-on-one just under six minutes into the second period.

Things looked OK for the Flyers when Noah Cates, the old man on “The Kid Line” at 27, pressured Ottawa’s Tim Stützle in the neutral zone. The German center turned back into his own end and turned it over to Matvei Michkov, who curled in the right circle.

Michkov fed Oliver Bonk at the right point, but his one-timer went just wide, and Travis Sanheim pinched down but got caught as Stützle chipped the puck off the boards up to Giroux. The two broke out with only the 21-year-old Bonk back, and Giroux sent a saucer pass over his stick and right on the tape of Batherson’s stick for the goal.

Less than four minutes later, the Flyers version of “The Kid Line” — minus-1 after the Batherson goal — got one back.

Michkov, 21, got the puck in the neutral zone as he was streaking down the right side. He sent the puck up to Jamie Drysdale before getting it right back.

Known for his vision, Michkov sent the puck to teenage phenom Porter Martone for a tap-in.

Martone had been in the scrum and smartly peeled off, getting between himself and Ottawa’s captain Thomas Chabot atop the crease. Martone now has two goals in nine games, and Michkov has four points.

With under two minutes left in the middle frame, the Flyers got their third power play of the game when Carter Yakemchuk took down Tyson Foerster and was called for interference.

Both units looked good on the first two power plays with, according to Natural Stat Trick, 12 shot attempts — two from high-danger spots — seven shots and five scoring chances.

 

On their fourth shot attempt, and third shot on goal, Michkov gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead.

Michkov got the puck above the right circle and sent it over to defenseman David Jiříček, who had been on the other unit the first two power plays. He faked a shot, sending it down the boards to Martone and, with time and space, sent it back to Jiříček.

The blueliner walked the line to the right and went back to Martone in the left circle for the one-timer. Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark made the save, but the rebound went right to Michkov as he snuck down the right side, with Senators penalty killers focusing on Jiříček and Martone.

It marks the Flyers’ third power-play goal of the season and the second this season against Ottawa.

Martone and Michkov are the first two forwards to have multipoint games; Sanheim is the only other player with a multipoint game, coming in the second game of the season.

In the third period, the Senators tried to make a push, and the Flyers only had four shots on goal, but Trevor Zegras sealed the win with an empty-netter for his second goal of the season.

Breakaways

Owen Tippett was a game-time decision and did not play due to an upper-body injury. Garrett Wilson slotted in for the second time this season, skating on the fourth line.

Up next

The Flyers host the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.


©2026 The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC. Visit at inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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