The Ottawa Senators defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center. The Senators only had two shots in the third period but scored on both. With this win, Ottawa held its playoff spot, while the Flyers continued their slide and now focused on an important offseason.
Ottawa scored just seconds into the first period. Claude Giroux passed to Brady Tkachuk, who was left alone near the net. Tkachuk scored just seconds into the game. The Flyers answered quickly with a goal from Jamie Drysdale. But Ottawa came right back. Tyler Kleven scored less than two minutes into the period, putting Ottawa ahead 2-1.
In the second period, the Flyers tied it again. Rodrigo Abols scored at 8:45 to make it 2-2. But with time winding down in the period, Michael Amadio scored from a sharp angle, slipping the puck under Ivan Fedotov’s pads, which gave the Senators a 3-2 lead entering the third.
From there, Ottawa was efficient. Dylan Cozens scored unassisted after a Flyers turnover, giving Ottawa a 4-2 lead. It was his third point in three games since being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres. Shane Pinto scored an empty-net goal to finish the game at 5-2. Eleven different Ottawa players recorded at least one point.
Anton Forsberg started in goal for Ottawa, giving Linus Ullmark the night off. Forsberg made 20 saves to earn the win. For Philadelphia, Fedotov faced 24 shots and gave up four goals, not including the empty-netter.
One key defensive play came in the third period when Matthew Highmore prevented a Flyers goal. After turning the puck over and creating a Flyers rush, he recovered in time to deflect Sean Couturier’s shot away with his stick.
With the win, Ottawa now leads the Columbus Blue Jackets by three points for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Senators also lead the New York Rangers by five points. At the time of the game, the Rangers were trailing the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 late in the second period.
Philadelphia, on the other hand, has ended the season with more questions than answers. General Manager Daniel Briere is preparing for a crucial offseason. One of the top priorities is hiring a new head coach. Brad Shaw took over after John Tortorella was fired and received praise, but Briere has not committed to keeping him. There is no deadline to make the hire, and the Flyers are open to both NHL and college-level candidates.
Briere said the team is moving from subtracting players to trying to add new talent. The Flyers have seven picks in the top 50 of the 2025 NHL Draft. They may trade some of those picks for young NHL players who fit the team’s long-term plan. Briere also mentioned the possibility of using offer sheets, though he noted they would likely need to overpay for the right player.
The Flyers also evaluate their goaltending situation. For the second season in a row, Philadelphia finished last in the league in save percentage. Samuel Ersson is expected to return despite dealing with a groin injury this season. He finished 22-17-5. In contrast, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov had a combined record of 11-22-5.
There is also the possibility of adding a goalie through free agency. Alexandar Georgiev, who will become available after being let go by the San Jose Sharks, may be an option. In 2022-23, Georgiev went 40-16-6 with the Colorado Avalanche, posting a 2.53 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. However, this season, he struggled, finishing with a .875 save percentage. If signed, he could split starts with Ersson or be traded later if he rebounds.
On offense, the Flyers’ power play continues to be a weak spot. It improved slightly from 12.2% last year to 15.0% this season but still ranked 30th out of 32 NHL teams. After Tortorella’s departure, the team used five forwards on the top power-play unit, which helped improve results slightly, going 6-for-24 in the last nine games.
One confusing change was how the team used rookie Matvei Michkov. Early in the season, he played on the right half-wall and scored four of his first seven goals on the power play. Later, he was moved to his weak side. Briere defended the change, saying Michkov still has much to learn.
Several young players are due for contract extensions. Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Cam York, and Jakob Pelletier are all restricted free agents. Talks have begun with all four. Cates has emerged as a leader on the team, often playing alongside Foerster and Bobby Brink on Philadelphia’s most consistent line. According to Moneypuck, that line had the fourth-best expected goal share among NHL lines with over 300 minutes together.
In the minors, several prospects could push for NHL jobs. Oliver Bonk, Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, Nikita Grebenkin, and Karsen Dorwart are all expected to attend training camp. Jett Luchanko could also make the jump with a strong summer.
Lastly, the Flyers placed Anthony Richard on waivers. Richard, 28, played in 15 NHL games this season, scoring two goals and six points. He had no points in his last 10 NHL games. In the AHL, he recorded eight goals and 19 points in 18 games with a +6 rating for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
