Postgame RAV4: Flyers Fall to Sens, 2-1

The Philadelphia Flyers remain winless (0-3-2) in the 2025-26 season. They were nipped, 2-1, by the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Center on Thursday.

The first period was a mixed bag for the Flyers. They went to intermission trailing 1-0, lost 14 of 20 faceoffs and took four straight minor penalties.

However, the Philly forecheck was the best it had been all season to date, the Flyers killed all four penalties (Ottawa scored right after the first expired), and they  outshot the Senators.

Former Flyers forward Nick Cousins (1st) provided a 1-0 lead on a deflection goal after an offensive-zone faceoff.

Matvei Michkov (PPG, 2nd) tapped in a tying goal on the power play in the second period.

Overall, it was a very good period for Philadelphia. The Flyers looked much more connected with the puck on their stick, more efficient in the neutral zone and more alert in the defensive zone. 

However, Ottawa made a heavy late push in the middle frame. The Sens built more momentum in the third period.

The Flyers were unable to convert on a 5-on-3 power play in the third period. On their next power play, Ottawa's Carter Yakemchuk (PPG, 1st) restored the lead for the Senators.

Joseph Woll stopped 24 of 26 shots in a losing cause. Linus Ullmark earned the win with 28 saves on 29 shots.

1ST PERIOD

The Flyers had four of the game's first five shots on net. All were routine. The best was a Cam York shot from between the circles after he took a drop pass from Sean Couturier.

The Flyers went on the game's first power play. Dylan Cozens went off for roughing Noel Acciari after the two exchanged bumps and jabs down the ice. Philly generated one non-dangerous shot.

At 7:57, William Eklund needed help exiting the ice. He was unable to put weight on his left foot after Simon Benoit rode him into the boards.

Travis Sanheim went off for tripping at 8:10. Ottawa received its first power play of the game.

At 10:14, after Acciari lost a defensive zone faceoff cleanly, Ottawa took a 1-0 lead as Cousins deflected the puck into the net. The assists went to Tyler Kleven and Warren Foegele.

Matvei Michkov went to the penalty box for tripping at 10:19. Woll made a save in close on Stephen Halliday.

Philly took yet another penalty at 12:29 as Sanheim went off again; this time for holding. Claude Giroux set up two late one-timer chances.

The Flyers took their fourth straight minor at 14:40. Benoit was penalized for boarding Ridly Greig with a cross-check. Couturier had a shorthanded intercept and a rebound opportunity off his initial shot. 

Shots: Flyers 10, Senators 8

Faceoffs: Flyers 6, Senators 14

2ND PERIOD

Ottawa was unable to get a stick on a point-blank chance Giroux set up with an open net available.

The Flyers failed to make connections on a potential odd-man rush and iced the puck instead.

Tyson Foerster drew iron on a shot from the top of the left circle. He gained the puck and created a power play for Philadelphia (its second of the game) at 7:04. Kleven went off for hooking.

Scoring Philly's first power play goal of the season, Michkov tapped home a loose puck off a Zegras shot just as a premature whistle blew (the puck trickled through Ullmark). The secondary assist went to Travis Konecny at 7:46.

The forechecking of the Couturier line created a scramble near the Ottawa net. 

Woll denied Fabian Zetterlund on a 2-on-1 against Drysdale. It broke a long shotless stretch in the period for Ottawa.

The Stützle line generated Ottawa's best shift of the period. The Shane Pinto line followed it up. The Couturier line, along with the Sanheim-Drysdale pairing, got caught on a long defensive-zone shift but kept play to the perimeter.

Shots:  Flyers 12 (22 overall) - Senators 9 (17  overall)

Faceoffs: Flyers 9 (15 overall) - Senators 4  (18 overall)

3RD PERIOD

Ottawa generated early pressure in the Philadelphia zone. The Senators had three of the first four shots.

For the second time in the game, Foerster created a power play for the Flyers. At 6:13, he was high-sticked behind the Ottawa net. With 27 seconds left on the 5-on-4, Ottawa's Jordan Spence was guilty of delay of game after sending the puck over the boards from the defensive zone.

Back at 5-on-4, Michael Amadio was stopped one-on-one on a shorthanded rush. The power play went by the wayside. With manpower back at 5-on-5, Woll denied Zetterlund at the doorstep.

At 11:09, Michael Bunting was called for hooking. Ottawa went on its fifth power play and retook the lead at 13:01. Yakemchuk blasted a point shot into the net with traffic in front. The assists went to Giroux and Pinto.

Right before the Flyers pulled Woll for a 6-on-5, they nearly scored. Dylan Cozens blocked a shot. Michkov put a shot off the near-side post. A furious late push fell just short.

Shots:  Flyers 7 (29 overall) - Senators 7  (26  overall)

Faceoffs: Flyers 10 (25 overall) - Senators 10 (28 overall)

FLYERS STARTING LINEUP

Travis Konecny - Sean Couturier - Porter Martone

Trevor Zegras - Christian Dvorak - Owen Tippett

Tyson Foerster - Denver Barkey -  Matvei Michkov
Michael Bunting - Noah Cates - Noel Acciari

Travis Sanheim -  Jamie Drysdale

Cam York - David Jiricek

Nick Seeler - Simon Benoit

Joseph Woll

[Dan Vladar]

PP1: Jiricek, Zegras, Foerster, Michkov, Konecny
PP2: Drysdale, Barkey, Tippett, Martone, Bunting

POSTGAME RAV4 (RAV4 Things Revisited)

1. Shot quantity/quality

This was a big improvement from the first four games of the season over the first two periods. However, the third period belonged to Ottawa until they retook the lead.

2. Between the pipes

Both Woll and Ullmark played well in this game. Ultimately, Yakemchuk's power-play slap shot and the traffic in front made the difference.

3. Special teams

The Flyers were 1-for-4 on the power play, scoring their first power-play goal of the season. It started with a slick entry and good puck movement. They went 4-for-5 on the penalty kill, but the final one decided the outcome.

4. Trevor Zegras

After a wildly up-and-down performance in the first four games of the regular season, Zegras started Thursday's game in more of the hybrid role he played last season, on a line with Christian Dvorak. Zegras' right-circle power-play shot created Michkov's goal.