Flyers youngsters shine in 4-2 win vs. Canadiens in the regular-season finale

Jackie Spiegel, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 14, 2026

Published in Hockey

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PHILADELPHIA — The kids are all right.

With their playoff spot solidified, the Philadelphia Flyers rested a few of their veterans and fielded a roster filled with young blood, including 11 players 25 years old or younger. Two of them, defensemen Oliver Bonk and Hunter McDonald, made their NHL debuts, hitting the ice for the first double-rookie lap since Matvei Michkov and Jett Luchanko at the start of last season. David Jiříček also made his Flyers debut.

Backed by the youngsters — no one over the age of 23 had a point — the Flyers won 4-2 against a Montreal Canadiens team that played almost all of their regulars. Montreal was still in the running for home-ice advantage in their first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Flyers close out the regular season with 43 wins, the most since they won 47 in 2011-12. They finished with a three-game winning streak, wins in six of their last seven, and an 18-7-1 record since the Olympic break.

Philly took a 1-0 lead as the kids connected on a delayed holding penalty on Montreal’s Cole Caufield, drawn by Alex Bump as he drove to the net. Denver Barkey, who was playing center, snagged the puck in the corner and got it up to McDonald at the point.

McDonald sent it over to his Lehigh Valley defensive partner, Bonk, and he dished it to Michkov along the right boards. Michkov carried the puck up and across to above the circles, where he put the puck on goal. Standing in front was none other than 19-year-old Porter Martone, who tipped the puck in.

Skating well and confidently in his first NHL game, Bonk earned his first career point with the assist and then got his first goal to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead.

Michkov put a shot on goal that Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobeš pushed into the corner, and Juraj Slafkovský tried to move it up the boards to Jake Evans. But McDonald, who was called a “throwback” to the Broad Street Bullies days by his coach at Northeastern, Jerry Keefe, leveled Evans and the Flyers kept the puck in.

The Russian winger picked it up, and while two Canadiens tried to go after McDonald, he sent it over to Bonk. The Flyers defenseman glided down a few feet and sent a wrister past Dobeš with Luke Glendening heading to the net to create some havoc just in case.

And Michkov wasn’t done as he buried his 20th of the season in the second period to restore the Flyers’ two-goal lead.

Although they won’t get any assists, McDonald made a smart play to try and hit Noah Cates on the weak side atop the crease. It didn’t exactly connect, but the puck eventually slid around the crease to Michkov waiting above the right post. He scored easily and now has seven goals and 22 points since the Olympic break and four goals and 11 points in his past seven games.

In the third period, Bump got on the board to make it 4-2. A healthy scratch the past two games, he came out with some jump and drove down the left boards with the puck in the offensive zone, powering past Arber Xhekaj.

The puck bobbled around, and it looked like the Canadiens had control, but Slafkovský lost it in front of his own net to Martone. He tapped the puck to Bump in the slot, and he snapped it past the glove of Dobeš for his fifth NHL goal.

Bump has five goals and nine points in 17 games. Martone maintains his point-per-game pace with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in nine games.

Breakaways

Sam Ersson started and made 27 saves on 29 shots with only a Brendan Gallagher tip-in and an Evans goal after the Flyers goalie lost track of the puck off a point shot, besting him. … The Flyers sat several regulars. Goalie Dan Vladař, forwards Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Christian Dvorak, Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett, and defensemen Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Jamie Drysdale and Rasmus Ristolainen did not dress. … In addition to Bonk and McDonald being recalled on Tuesday, forwards Anthony Richard and Jacob Gaucher and goalie Aleksei Kolosov were also recalled. Kolosov backed up Ersson.

Up next

The postseason. The date and time of Game 1 in Pittsburgh is still to be determined.