PHILADELPHIA — Maybe the Flyers are still in the mix?

The Flyers entered Saturday eight points back of the Boston Bruins for the last wild card spot, and third in the Metropolitan Division, which the New York Islanders hold.

When the final buzzer sounded, they moved six points back of the Bruins with a 3-1 win. The New York Islanders do not play until Saturday night.

Sean Couturier sealed the win with an empty-net goal to break a 31-game goal drought in the last minute.

It is the first time the Flyers have won two straight since they beat the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 3 and Jan. 6.

The boys were buzzing

The line of Christian Dvorak, Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny were buzzing all night.

Halfway through the middle frame, after some pressure in the Bruins’ end, Dvorak got the Zegras ring-around and sent it back down the boards. Konecny picked it up behind the net and swooped it around in front on his forehand for a shot as he was falling.

Zegras tried to score on the rebound, but the puck didn’t go and went off the skate of defenseman Henri Jokiharju. Dvorak came barreling in but was robbed with the glove of Jeremy Swayman.

But on the Flyers’ 11th shot of the game, Konecny finally cashed in.

Dvorak got the puck along the boards inside the Flyers’ blue line and patiently waited as the Bruins gave him space. He skated the puck up the left wing boards and dumped it in. The puck went off a stanchion and in front of the net, bouncing along the way.

Swayman stuck his stick out, trying to play the puck, but it bounced away from him — are the Flyers finally getting a bounce their way? — and Dvorak was there to send a backhand pass in front to Konecny. The alternate captain, who had made a beeline to the net, put it into the open space and sent a fist pump into the air.

Konecny now has 23 goals and 56 points in 58 games this season. Dvorak’s assist is his 23rd of the season, setting a new career high.

Drysdale goal

Later in the period, that same line was on the ice when Jamie Drysdale gave the Flyers a 2-0 lead.

The Flyers got into the Bruins’ zone and set up the puck to get on the stick of Drysdale as he skated down the right wing boards. He carried it around and got the puck to Konecny before heading back to the point, but on the left side.

Konecny and Dvorak, who went up to the point to cover, had a give-and-go before Konecny hit Drysdale as he skated into the middle of the ice. The defenseman skated down and ripped the wrister past Swayman from the high slot.

It is his sixth goal of the season and third of five games in February.

Czech mate

Dan Vladař was moving exceptionally well in this one. He was dropping down with ease and popping back just as loosely. The Czech netminder, who was playing in his 35th game, was sliding over, checking his posts, and tracking the puck.

The first shot he faced was a point shot by Hampus Lindholm at 15 minutes, 21 seconds, that Vladař snagged easily with the glove despite some traffic. Boston ended up with six shots on goal in the period, including a shot by Michael Eyssimont as he skated in two-on-none against Vladař.

But it was in the second period where Vladař shone the brightest in front of a sold out Xfinity Mobile Arena. He faced 16 shots and stopped them all.

His best save of the period included a masterful right pad kick save on Morgan Geekie as he shot the puck off a pass by David Pastrňák from the slot. The forward had just pushed off Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen to create space.

He also stopped a high-rising Viktor Arvidsson shot, which appeared to sting the 6-foot-5 goalie, and made a save on a Lindholm wrister less than a minute later that saw Pavel Zacha, who was injured just before the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics and was unable to play for Czechia, give him a stick tap.

With over five minutes to go, he stopped Sean Kuraly as he got behind Bobby Brink, who couldn’t handle the puck along the neutral zone boards, and defenseman Emil Andrae.

In the opening two minutes of the third period, the Bruins thought they had broken the ice when it looked like a point shot by Lindholm had beaten Vladař. But the referee, Francis Charron, immediately waived it off for goalie interference. Eyssimont had bumped Vladař right before the shot as he tried to set a screen.

The Bruins did eventually break through. Zacha won a face-off against Couturier and sent it to Lindholm, who sent a zing of a pass through a seam to Charlie McAvoy. It looked like it bounced off his skates and past Vladař.

Breakaways

Forward Denver Barkey was a healthy scratch for the first time since Jan. 14. In 24 games since being recalled in late December, he has two goals, nine points and is minus-7 while skating on average 13:36. His last goal was Jan. 23, and in the eight games since, he had one assist — against the Bruins in Boston — and was minus-5.

Up next

The Flyers head to Toronto to take on Scott Laughton and the Maple Leafs on Monday.

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