Trevor Zegras scored with 1:33 remaining in overtime Sunday night to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 2-1 victory over the Dallas Stars at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The Flyers forward carried the puck up the right side of the Dallas zone and snapped a shot through the five-hole of goaltender Casey DeSmith to end the game. The goal was Zegras’ 23rd of the season, tying his career high and ending an eight-game goal drought. It extended his point streak to five games, during which he has five points — one goal and four assists — and was his sixth game-deciding goal beyond regulation, including overtime and shootouts. That total ties Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield for the most in the NHL.
Philadelphia improved to 37-24-12 and secured its third straight win. The Flyers defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 on Saturday and have gone 8-1-1 in their last 10 games. With the win, the team reached 86 points and is tied with the Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa Senators in the standings. Philadelphia trails the Columbus Blue Jackets by two points for the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference and sits two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Samuel Ersson and Matvei Michkov assisted on the overtime goal. Ersson finished with 17 saves in the game.
The Stars dropped to 44-18-12. Dallas is second in the Central Division and remains six points ahead of the Minnesota Wild for that position. The loss was the team’s fifth in its last six games (1-3-2). Despite the result, Dallas became the second NHL team to reach 100 points this season.
The opening period ended without a goal. The Stars held a slight edge in shots, recorded as either 6-4 or 7-4 depending on the account. Early in the game, the Flyers went on the power play after Wyatt Johnston took a two-minute penalty for tripping at 3:34. During that opportunity, Denver Barkey created a chance by cutting toward the center of the ice from the left side and maneuvering through traffic before firing a shot that struck the far post.
Philadelphia also generated a chance from Noah Cates, whose shot from the slot went wide. Dallas produced attempts from Matt Duchene, Michael Bunting, Jason Robertson, and Wyatt Johnston, but Ersson stopped each one. The Stars later received their own power play and held the offensive zone for more than a minute before the Flyers cleared the puck and completed the penalty kill.
Late in the period, Travis Sanheim sent a shot toward the net while Christian Dvorak was positioned in front looking for a redirect, but the puck went wide.
The scoring began in the second period. At 9:48, Travis Konecny gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal. The Flyers entered the game with a 15.3% power-play success rate, the lowest in the NHL. During the sequence, Konecny and Matvei Michkov exchanged passes deep on the left side of the offensive zone. Konecny then drove the puck toward the crease and wrapped it around DeSmith’s left pad.
The goal was Konecny’s 26th of the season. Michkov and Rasmus Ristolainen recorded assists.
Philadelphia created additional pressure following the goal. Konecny later set up Carl Grunstrom for a chance that DeSmith stopped. Zegras then collected a rebound near the crease and attempted to score into an open net, but struck the post.
Dallas responded late in the period. At 17:53 of the second, rookie Arttu Hyry scored short-handed to tie the game 1-1. Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale attempted to control the puck in the defensive zone but lost his footing, and Hyry fired a shot from the left face-off circle that went past Ersson’s glove.
Hyry was playing his sixth game since being recalled from Dallas’ American Hockey League affiliate. The goal was his first in the NHL and made him the fifth Stars or Minnesota North Stars player whose first NHL goal came short-handed. The previous player to do so was Gemel Smith on Nov. 6, 2016.
The third period remained scoreless. Philadelphia applied pressure early and controlled play against a Dallas team known for limiting shots, but neither side scored. Garnet Hathaway delivered a heavy hit on Adam Erne during one shift, and Konecny created several opportunities in the final minutes with attempts from the slot and on breakaways.
Dallas gained a late chance when Zegras was called for tripping at 17:12 of the third period. During the power play, Wyatt Johnston attempted a wrist shot from the left side of the crease. With 1:21 remaining, Ersson stopped the shot with a right-pad save to keep the game tied.
“He’s the difference in the game,” Flyers captain Sean Couturier said of Ersson.
The stop forced overtime. Ersson earned his fifth consecutive victory and has posted a 5-0-0 record since NHL play resumed following the Winter Olympics break. In six games since the break, including five starts, he has a 1.46 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. Before the Olympics, Ersson had a 3.51 goals-against average and a .856 save percentage across 24 games with 22 starts.
Dallas generated a chance early in overtime during a possession sequence with Thomas Harley, Matt Duchene, and Jason Robertson on the ice, but Noah Cates made a diving defensive play that prevented a high-danger shot. Later in the period, Owen Tippett fired a shot on DeSmith that the Dallas goaltender covered.
The next rush ended the game. Zegras carried the puck up ice and snapped a shot through DeSmith to give Philadelphia the 2-1 win.
DeSmith finished with 28 saves.
Dallas forward Michael Bunting left the game with 3:52 remaining in the first period because of a lower-body injury. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said the team does not expect the injury to keep Bunting out for long.
Earlier Sunday, Flyers general manager Danny Briere announced the signing of top 2025 draft pick Porter Martone to a three-year entry-level contract. The Michigan State product arrived during the second period, and Briere said Martone could play Tuesday night in Washington against Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, “assuming everything goes according to plan.”
