NHL EDGE stats behind Martone's historic start for Flyers

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we identify some key advanced metrics for Philadelphia Flyers rookie Porter Martone.

Porter Martone is having a historic start to his NHL career for the Philadelphia Flyers, and his strong advanced stats in the Stanley Cup Playoffs further prove he could be a difference-maker for the franchise in the short and long term.

The 19-year-old forward became the first teenager in NHL history to score game-winning goals in each of his first two career postseason games, helping the Flyers take a 3-0 lead in their best-of-7 series against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. Martone, who was the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and signed his entry-level contract with the Flyers on March 29, has 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in his first 12 NHL games (regular season and playoffs combined).

Martone, who helped the Flyers win six of their final seven regular-season games to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2020, adds another promising young forward to a group that features 25-year-old Trevor Zegras (set NHL career high with 26 goals this season) and 21-year-old Matvei Michkov (No. 7 pick in 2023 NHL Draft).

Martone was the Flyers' first teenager to score goals in back-to-back road games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The last teenager in the NHL to score goals in back-to-back road postseason games was Jordan Staal (2007). With an assist in Game 3 on Wednesday, he became the fourth teenager over the last 25 years to record a point in each of his first three career playoff games (others: Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine, Sidney Crosby).

Martone led Michigan State University in points (50) and goals (25) in 35 games as a freshman, including three points (one goal, two assists) in two games at the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Martone's smooth transition from college hockey to the NHL makes him an early Calder Trophy candidate for next season (will remain rookie eligible in 2026-27).

Here are three underlying storylines surrounding Martone’s early impact that provide a glimpse of his high offensive ceiling:

1. Possession metrics

Martone leads Flyers skaters in goals (two) and shots on goal (nine), and is tied with Owen Tippett for the team lead in shot attempts (16) through three playoff games. Philadelphia has outscored its opponents by an 9-3 margin at 5-on-5 with Martone on the ice over his first 12 NHL games since March 31.

With Martone on the ice, the Flyers have generated 149 shot attempts at 5-on-5 through his first 12 games, the third most on the team and most among Philadelphia forwards. Although it’s a small sample size, Martone ranked in the 87th percentile among forwards in offensive zone time percentage (45.1) during the regular season.

2. Midrange prowess

Martone has five midrange shots on goal this postseason (tied for sixth in the entire NHL). Philadelphia, as a team, finished tied for sixth in midrange goals (90) during the regular season.

During the regular season, Martone had a well-balanced shot chart, with 10 high-danger shots on goal, 10 from midrange, five from the far-right regions and four from the far-left regions. Martone’s shot speed has also played a factor in his midrange success; he had 16 shot attempts of 70-plus mph in his nine regular-season games and has added two more such attempts in the playoffs.

3. Power-play role

One glaring area of weakness for the Flyers has been their power play, which ranked last in the regular season (15.7 percent). Since making his NHL debut, Martone leads the Flyers in both power-play shot attempts (19) and power-play shots on goal (13). After Philadelphia went 0-for-7 on the power play through two games against the Penguins, they scored two power-play goals in Game 3. Martone and teammate Christian Dvorak have combined for 12 of the Flyers’ 24 power-play shot attempts, showing that the rookie has become a focal point in those situations.

Martone's goal to open the scoring in Game 2, which proved to be the game-winning goal, had a PGR of 37.97 percent, making it an extremely high-probability attempt. It is the highest PGR on any shot on goal from either team so far in the Flyers-Penguins series, showing that Martone is putting himself in position for sustained success in different situations.

With the Flyers one victory from their first playoff series win since 2020, Martone is already opening eyes around the NHL and making Philadelphia a dark horse candidate for a deep playoff run.