Vladar rides 'belief' to OT shutout with 42 saves in Flyers’ clinching win

PHILADELPHIA – Dan Vladar kept repeating the same word.

“Belief.”

That’s what has carried Vladar and the Philadelphia Flyers throughout this season and again in their 1-0 overtime victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Wednesday. Defenseman Cam York was the overtime hero, scoring the series-clinching goal at 17:32 of sudden death to eliminate the rival Penguins and send the Flyers on to a second-round date with the Carolina Hurricanes.

York would not have had a chance to score that goal, though, without Vladar. The 28-year-old goalie made 42 saves to post his second shutout of the best-of-7 series and emerge as the winner of his goaltending duel with Pittsburgh’s Arturs Silovs, who made 31 saves.

“It was just the belief,” said Vladar, who set a Flyers record for most saves in a series-clinching victory. “I was just trying to give the guys in front of me a chance and then I had the belief again that they are going to capitalize. So, obviously, glad that they did, and even better that it was ‘Yorkie’ who scored.”

Vladar’s play was one of the biggest reasons the Flyers believed they could qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season for the first time since 2020. After playing the past four seasons mostly as the backup with the Calgary Flames, he signed a two-year, $6.7 million contract with Philadelphia on July 1, 2025, seeking an opportunity to play more regularly.

Vladar made the most of it, emerging as the Flyers No. 1 goalie ahead of Samuel Ersson, and setting NHL career bests during the regular season in games (52), starts (51), wins (29-14-7) and goals-against average (2.42) and matching his best save percentage (.906) from 2021-22 with Calgary, when he played 23 games (19 starts). 

Although Vladar had never started a playoff game before Game 1 against the Penguins, he entered the series with the same confidence that carried him and the Flyers all season.

“There was never a doubt,” he said. “I think I can speak for the whole locker room. There was never a doubt. If somebody had a doubt, it's their problem. That's not us. We all believed that we can do it, and, for me, nothing was changing. As I said before the series, I cannot try to stop the puck harder. I can still continue to do the same things, still being positive because if you come in and be a good person, I feel like good things happen to good people.

“And we are good people in here, so we deserve this.”

It would have been understandable if the Flyers started to doubt themselves Wednesday. After winning the first three games of the series, they struggled to close out the Penguins, losing 4-2 in Game 4 and 3-2 in Game 5, on Kris Letang’s wacky winning goal that caromed off the end boards and bounced in off the back of Vladar’s leg.

He shook that off, though, and didn’t allow another goal in the series. That was important because Silovs didn’t allow any either until York’s wrist shot from the right point sailed through Noah Cates’ screen in front and went in off the right post.

Pittsburgh had controlled play for most of the third period and overtime, outshooting Philadelphia 23-11. But, because of Vladar, the Flyers were still within one shot of winning the series.

“It was just so back and forth, Grade A chances kind of both ways, and it just felt like nothing was going to get past ‘Vladdy,’” York said. “I think we all felt that, we knew that we just needed one good decent look and we were able to capitalize. So, he was unbelievable for us tonight.

“Just so many Grade A chances that they had that he just stood tall for us.”

Vladar stopped 148 of 158 shots in the series for a 1.61 GAA, and .937 save percentage, with two shutouts. Playing behind a young team learning to win in front of him, he appeared unfazed by everything, even unlucky bounces like the one that went against him in Game 5.

“How do you not love the guy?” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. “He’s like, ‘I should have had this goal.’ He was blaming himself and it’s not his fault. That’s what he does. He’s taking a bullet for some guys or the team and taking a bullet for me. You love the guy when he puts that kind of effort.

“He’s been great all series, he’s been great all year, but he was phenomenal tonight for us.”