It only took the first 9 seconds of overtime for the Philadelphia Flyers to lose on Saturday to the Dallas Stars. It was another loser point for the Flyers, who have lost 9 of their last 10 games.
Among many issues plaguing the Flyers, goaltending was at the forefront on Saturday. Ivan Fedotov was replaced after the first period by Sam Ersson after allowing two goals on Dallas’ first two shots. The Flyers battled back from two down to force overtime, only to throw it away with poor puck control and lose in OT in what seemed like the blink of an eye.
Today, the Flyers look to rebound on a back to back, facing off against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center.
The Blackhawks were officially eliminated from playoff contention again, sitting with a 20-41-9 record, bad enough for 49 points. The rebuilding Blackhawks most recently lost 4-1 against the surging St. Louis Blues, and are on a 7-game losing streak. Both the Flyers and Hawks are struggling mightily coming into today’s game. The good thing for both of these organizations is that someone has to win today.
When: 3/23/2025; 3:00pm/ET
Where: United Center; Chicago, IL
Broadcast Info: NBC Sports Philadelphia; Flyers Radio 24/7
Last Game PHI: 3/22/2025; 3-2 L (OT); at Dallas Stars
Last Game CHI: 3/22/2025; 4-1 L; at St. Louis Blues
Bedard vs. Michkov: Round 2
When thinking about the Blackhawks, obviously the potential superstar talent in the 19-year-old Bedard first comes to mind. Bedard hasn’t lit up the league this year like people may have thought he would, but at his young age he currently sits with 54 points (19 being goals). It’s going to be a long career for Bedard and so far he has been all that has been advertised.
The last time the Flyers and Blackhawks met this season was back on November 23rd in Philadelphia. We needed extra time to get a winner in that one as the Flyers came away with the two points in overtime. The Flyers won 3-2 off the stick of who else but Matvei Michkov. Michkov stole the show in the first meeting between the two super talented young stars as he buried the game-winner while Bedard didn’t manage to register a shot on goal. I highly doubt we won’t see Bedard get much more involved this time around.
Keys to Win for the Flyers
As mentioned, the Flyers have a lot of problems. From the atrocious power play which hasn’t seen the Flyers score a single power play goal in the month of March, to finding themselves in holes too early in games, you can pick from a wide variety of issues the Flyers need to solve. But a glaring issue all year has been goaltending. If the Flyers want to have a shot at winning today and the rest of the season, they need Ersson and Fedotov to give them that chance. Ersson currently holds a 3.00 GAA and a .886 SV% while his backup, Fedotov, can’t brag about his 3.03 GAA and .884 SV%. Goaltending is going to be a huge focus again for the Flyers going into the offseason.
Konecny Finally Gets on the Board
Travis Konecny scored a goal Saturday for the first time in 13 games. You could see the frustration pour over when watching TK play during that excruciating slump. Hopefully Konecny is finding his way back to form because the roster certainly needs him to.
Konecny leads the Flyers in points with 66. He has 23 goals on the season to go along with 43 assists, both leading the team. Next in line would be Michkov with 48 points. Both of these players are the Flyers’ main offensive drivers and have been all season. The problem is … after TK and Michkov, there’s a steep dip. Players like Tyson Forester, Bobby Brink and Noah Cates all have taken steps forward this season but the Flyers don’t have any other big-time scoring options at the moment. If the Flyers want to leave Chicago with a win today, it will be up to Konecny and Michkov to lead the way.
It’s understandable that many Flyers fans have probably checked out as the team’s losing streak grows and playoffs are out of the question. However, today’s game should be worth tuning into. Both these organizations seem to possess future franchise cornerstones and they will meet for just the second time. Bedard and Michkov’s talents are undeniable. Hopefully Michkov can rekindle that overtime magic he had the first time around.
PHI Projected Lineup
#71 Tyson Foerster – #27 Noah Cates – #10 Bobby Brink
#74 Owen Tippett – #25 Ryan Poehling – #11 Travis Konecny
#15 Olle Lycksell – #14 Sean Couturier – #39 Matvei Michkov
#44 Nicolas Deslauriers – #18 Rodrigo Ābols – #22 Jakob Pelletier
#8 Cam York – #6 Travis Sanheim
#24 Nick Seeler – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#5 Egor Zamula – #36 Emil Andrae
#33 Sam Ersson
(#82 Ivan Fedotov)
CHI Projected Lineup
#95 Ilya Mikheyev – #91 Frank Nazar – #98 Connor Bedard
#86 Teuvo Teräväinen – #23 Philipp Kurashev – #17 Nick Foligno
#90 Joe Veleno – #8 Ryan Donato – #59 Tyler Bertuzzi
#84 Landon Slaggert – #73 Lukas Reichel – #77 Pat Maroon
#72 Alex Vlasic – #44 Wyatt Kaiser
#38 Ethan Del Mastro – #5 Connor Murphy
#46 Louis Crevier – #55 Artyom Levshunov
#30 Spencer Knight
(#40 Arvid Söderblom)
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