Sam Ersson made 25 saves on 26 shots in the win, while the Flyers sweep their two games with Chicago this season. The orange and black are five points out of a wildcard spot with 11 games to go. Let’s wrap:
Lucky Strike
The Flyers wasted little time getting on the board in this one. Just 48 seconds into the contest, Chicago goaltender Spencer Knight leave his crease, attempting to play a puck to his defensemen. Knight flubbed the pass and Christian Dvorak jumped on the puck and quickly centered the disc to a steaking Alex Bump for the games opening goal.
“I heard their d call for it,” Dvorak said. “I hoped the goalie would listen to him and he did and luckily Bumper was in a good spot there.”
Then just a couple minutes later, Sean Couturier redirected a puck past Knight after Luke Glendening forced another Chicago turnover. The Flyers would go on in this game to get close to a season high in shots, which, of course, has been a season long emphasis for the club. Philadelphia is the fourth worse team in the league at registering shots on goal, with the Blackhawks having taken the fewest shots by a team this season.
“I think it’s a lot of meetings and talking about it,” head coach Rick Tocchet said. “The next step for our coaches is we’ve got to hit the net. What did we get? 35 shots or something. So, we are delivering the pucks because people are getting to the net. So, you know, got to do it consistently”
Sharing the Sugar
Nine different Flyers registered a point in the win, including multi-point efforts for Christian Dvorak (1g, 1a), Owen Tippett (2a), Noah Cates (1g, 1a) and rookie Alex Bump (1g,1a). Despite a slim, outside chance at the playoffs and trying to bounce back after a tough loss to Columbus on Tuesday, it was imperative Philly did their best to put that in the rearview mirror and focus on the next game.
“A lot of energy,” Tocchet said. “All four lines, six defense I think guys like Tip and Drysy were skating really well and a lot of guys fed off those guys.”
The Flyers now have seven points in their last eight games. However, tonight may have been one their better offensive performances in terms of going to the net and creating plays in the middle of the ice over that span.
“We had a good presentation on it,” Tocchet said. “We talked about things we have to get better at and that was one of them. I thought we played interior tonight. We had a couple of back door. We were always around the net.”
They Said It
Tocchet on Sam Ersson’s recent stretch of play: “He’s got a good swagger. I mean, he’s put some some really good games together. He looks rock solid. He’s been working though, I got to give him credit.”
Owen Tippett on bouncing back after the Columbus loss: “Obviously, there was some stuff that I think I could have done differently last game, but you know, like I’ve said, just kind of regroup and get back at it. That’s the luxury of our schedule is right back at it two days later.”
Sam Ersson on getting his game back on track: “I think in times of struggle, I feel like you just got to almost dig in and believe even harder in what you’re trying to do and in your game. Less is more a lot of the time so I just kept grinding away.”
Alex Bump on Tocchet comparing his game to Tippett’s: “That’s a tough comparison, that guy can skate like the wind, I’m not quite that fast, but he’s awesome. I can pick up so much from him just on the offensive side, defensive side, what it is. He’s always open for questions for me too so it’s nice to have that kind of guy to lean on, especially with his talent and skill.”
Did You Know?
According to NHL stats, Alex Bump and Denver Barkey became the fourth pair of Flyers rookies in the past 10 years to score in the same game multiple times in a season (also March 7, 2026). The others: Noah Cates and Wade Allison (2 GP in 2022-23), Nolan Patrick and Robert Hagg (2 GP in 2017-18) as well as Nick Cousins and Shayne Gostisbehere (2 GP in 2015-16).
On Deck
The Flyers will return to action on Saturday evening, when they head to Detroit to take on the Red Wings in a pivotal matchup. Puckdrop is set for 8:00 p.m. and will broadcast Nationally on ABC.
