Philadelphia finally found its finish Saturday, riding a two-point night from Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov to a 3-1 win over the Ottawa Senators at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The Flyers’ first victory of the season moved them to 1-6-3 and kept them from becoming the 11th club in NHL history to open a season with 10 straight losses.
Young Flyers answer after Ottawa strikes first
Drake Batherson gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead at 5:55 of the second period, converting on a 2-on-1 with Claude Giroux. It marked the eighth time in 10 games that Philadelphia had allowed the opening goal, but this time the Flyers responded instead of chasing the game.
Martone tied it at 9:03. He disrupted Thomas Chabot in the Senators zone, and Michkov got to the loose puck before sending a pass-shot from the left side toward the crease. Martone redirected it past Linus Ullmark.
Martone said the bench stayed composed after Batherson’s goal, with Noah Cates stressing that the Flyers had an immediate answer available. He pointed to the leadership in the room and the club’s willingness to stay in the fight.
- Martone finished with one goal and one assist.
- Michkov had a goal and an assist, becoming the first Flyer forward this season to record multiple points in a game alongside Martone.
- Philadelphia had managed only 11 goals through its first nine games and had not previously scored more than twice in a game.
- Travis Sanheim had been the only Flyer with a multi-point outing before Saturday, posting a goal and an assist against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 1.
Michkov’s power-play finish puts Philadelphia in front
The Flyers took their first lead late in the second period on a power play. At 18:33, Martone fired from the left circle, Ullmark stopped the initial chance with his left pad, and the rebound deflected off Michael Bunting in front before reaching Michkov. The 20-year-old tapped it home for a 2-1 lead and the 50th NHL goal of his career.
Bunting’s involvement produced his first point since joining Philadelphia. Martone said this was only the third game that he, Michkov and Bunting had played together, but he felt their reads and awareness of one another’s tendencies were beginning to come together. He believes the skilled pair can provide more as their chemistry grows.
Sanheim said the Flyers’ progress will be tied closely to the development of their younger players, calling Saturday’s performance an encouraging sign.
Vladar closes the crease and Zegras seals it
Dan Vladar turned aside 25 shots for Philadelphia, helping the Flyers protect their one-goal edge through the third period. Ottawa pulled Ullmark for an extra attacker with 2:27 remaining, but the Senators did not register a shot on goal during the final push.
Trevor Zegras put the result away with an empty-net goal at 19:46.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet called it a gritty performance from a group dealing with injuries. He praised the compete level, improved execution and resilience against an Ottawa team he described as a strong opponent, while saying the task now is to carry that work forward.
Ottawa forward Warren Foegele said the Senators did not have a full-team effort and acknowledged that Philadelphia played with greater urgency. Batherson also credited the Flyers, saying Ottawa started slowly despite two first-period penalty kills it handled well and did not sustain enough of its better stretches in the final two periods.
Notebook from Philadelphia
- Chabot did not return for the third period because of an upper-body injury. Ottawa coach Travis Green had no postgame update.
- Giroux’s assist on Batherson’s goal gave him 1,171 career points, moving him past Bobby Hull into 59th place on the NHL all-time scoring list.
- Ullmark made 25 saves and took his first loss in seven starts this season. His six-game winning streak had matched Ray Emery’s 2005-06 Senators mark for the longest such run in franchise history.
- Despite the defeat, Ullmark has allowed two goals or fewer in seven consecutive games.
- Ottawa defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo logged 16:58 and one shot on goal in his return from a two-game concussion absence.
- The victory was Philadelphia’s first against Ottawa in seven meetings, ending a skid that dated to Nov. 14, 2024.
- Flyers forward Owen Tippett missed the game with an upper-body injury and remains day to day.
