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Tag: Noah Cates

  • Flyers win third straight with first shootout victory since November in 3-2 win over Maple Leafs

    Flyers win third straight with first shootout victory since November in 3-2 win over Maple Leafs

    TORONTO ― It can be a good life if you don’t weaken, and right now the Flyers are staying strong.

    Facing a Toronto Maple Leafs team in a tailspin, the Flyers bent but did not break and skated away with a 3-2 shootout victory. On this night in Toronto, the Flyers won their third straight game for the first time since the end of November, putting them four points back of the idle Boston Bruins for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

    In the shootout, Matvei Michkov scored on a nifty deke, and Trevor Zegras sent the puck in glove-side. Flyers goalie Dan Vladař stopped Auston Matthews and Max Domi to seal the win. It was the Flyers’ first shootout victory since Nov. 28, amid that three-game winning streak.

    Travis Konecny misses Maple Leafs game with upper-body injury, listed as day-to-day

    Skating without top scorer Travis Konecny, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, the Flyers were looking for a place to happen, and it came off Noah Cates’ stick.

    Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen put a shot on goal that former Flyers goalie and New Jersey native Anthony Stolarz could not control. Michkov tried to send the loose puck in, but his shot went wide, and Bobby Brink tracked the puck down in the corner, protecting it from Toronto defenders. He fed Cates, who sent a wicked wrister into the twine and pointed right at Brink.

    Cates’ 12th goal of the season, which extended his point streak to four games, briefly gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead in the third period. William Nylander scored a power-play goal less than three minutes later to tie the game after Denver Barkey was called for tripping. The Swede scored on a one-timer off a circle-to-circle pass from John Tavares to tie the game up.

    In overtime, the Maple Leafs controlled play for the most part — although Jamie Drysdale had a nice scoring chance — but the Flyers’ defense stood tall. Notably, Cam York broke up a pass intended for an open Matthews, who would have had a Grade A chance.

    Toronto’s Dakota Joshua put the Flyers in a 1-0 hole with 4 minutes, 38 seconds left in the first period.

    The forward chipped a pass from Oliver Ekman-Larsson that went deep into the Flyers’ end. Defenseman Nick Seeler tracked it down in the left corner and tried to play it up the boards, but Leafs forward Matias Maccelli intercepted it and fed Joshua in the left circle.

    Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (left) stops a shot from Toronto Maple Leafs’ John Tavares (right) during first period of Monday’s game.

    He shot it off the pass, sending it between the legs of Sean Couturier and over Vladař’s shoulder.

    The Flyers tied it on a power-play goal with under two minutes to go in the first after two futile opportunities, with one cut short due to too many men on the ice.

    With Konecny out, the units looked different. One had Michkov, Zegras, Brink, Drysdale, and Owen Tippett. The other saw York, Travis Sanheim, Christian Dvorak, Cates, and Barkey line up together. The latter group scored.

    The Flyers made changes to their defensive structure that Rick Tocchet thinks will ‘help in the long run’

    Cates got the puck in the bumper from Barkey — who hails from nearby Newmarket, Ontario, and had a large contingent in the crowd — and as he shot it, Maple Leafs forward Steven Lorentz went stick-on-stick, causing the puck to bounce to the net. The puck went off Dvorak, and he jammed it in as Stolarz was trying to squeeze the pads.

    The goal was his 13th of the season and second on the power play. It was the Flyers’ second goal in the last 13 opportunities.

    Like Saturday against the Boston Bruins, the second period saw the Flyers get outshot, with the Leafs getting 11 shots to the Flyers’ four. But like Saturday, when the Bruins put 16 on Vladař and the Flyers had three, the goalie stopped them all.

    The Flyers got pinned a few times, but, according to Natural Stat Trick, allowed just one high-danger chance at five-on-five during the middle frame as the Maple Leafs had 68.57% of the shot attempts. In the third period, the Flyers had 61.11% of the attempts.

    Flyers’ Christian Dvorak (center) celebrates his 13th goal of the season on Monday.

    Breakaways

    The Flyers lead the league with 16 wins when trailing 1-0 and have 16 comeback wins. … Seeler left the game late in the second period due to a lower-body injury. … The Flyers outshot the Maple Leafs 14-7 in the first period. … Forwards Nic Deslauriers and Brink each hit a milestone with Deslauriers skating in his 700th NHL game and Brink in his 200th. … The Buffalo Sabres had four scouts in attendance, including associate general manager Marc Bergevin, with rumors swirling that they are high on getting Ristolainen back in the fold.

    Up next

    The Flyers play their last game before Friday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline when the Utah Mammoth visit Xfinity Mobile Arena on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

  • Dan Vladař sharp in net, but Flyers fall to Capitals in first game back from Olympic break

    Dan Vladař sharp in net, but Flyers fall to Capitals in first game back from Olympic break

    WASHINGTON ― It feels like it’s been 84 years since the Flyers last played an NHL game.

    On Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals, they kicked off the final 26 games of the season. Entering the night, Philly sat four points back of Washington — with three games in hand — and eight points back of a playoff spot.

    By the end of the night, the Flyers were six points back of Washington, after losing 3-1 at the Capital One Arena. They remain eight points back of the idle New York Islanders and Boston Bruins, and have a game in hand on the Islanders.

    Trevor van Riemsdyk scored the decisive goal, giving the Capitals a 2-1 lead with 5 minutes, 52 seconds left in regulation. Off the rush, Declan Chisholm dropped the puck to Aliaksei Protas and got it back near the left post. He then hit van Riemsdyk, the brother of former Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk, as he crashed the net.

    As coach Rick Tocchet noted postgame, the Flyers came out with some pep in their step to start the game. “The first nine minutes we were dominating,” he said. But they were unable to capitalize until the third period, when Noah Cates deflected a shot by Travis Sanheim 29 seconds in.

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    Rasmus Ristolainen applied pressure, creating a turnover to Matvei Michkov, who found Bobby Brink. The winger carried it down into the left face-off circle before hitting Sanheim for the quick shot, which Cates deflected past goalie Logan Thompson. Cates tied the game at one — and ended an 18-game goal drought.

    “I didn’t like my January,” said Cates, whose last goal came Dec. 30. “I thought the team struggled as well, and I feel like when I struggle, the team struggles. You just want to get out of it and get going.

    “So to get that goal and feel good about our line, we were making some plays and just playing the right way, playing how we can play with Bobby [Brink] and [Michkov]. So, yeah, good to get going.”

    The trio had several other chances, notably in the third period when Brink, while under pressure, sent a cross-crease pass to Michkov alone at the right post. Thompson robbed him of a sure goal as he stretched across and made a toe save. According to Natural Stat Trick, when they were on the ice at five-on-five, the Flyers had 10 shot attempts, a game-high 1.05 expected Goals For, and nine scoring chances.

    Philly did put 24 shots on Thompson, with 18 coming in the first two periods, but couldn’t find the back of the net. Dan Vladař kept them in the game all night.

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    The goaltender told The Inquirer on Sunday that he “wasn’t the best” in his one game at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, a 6-3 win against France, when he allowed the trio of goals on 12 shots for Czechia. So maybe he had something to prove.

    Vladař faced seven shots in the first period, and robbed the owner of 919 NHL goals, Alex Ovechkin, of his 920th. “The Great 8″ was left wide-open in front after Ristolainen had the puck poked away from him in the corner by Dylan Strome, who fed Ovechkin. Vladař then stopped Strome’s point shot as Travis Konecny’s clearing attempt went right to him.

    “He gives us a lot of confidence. He was making huge saves out there for us,” center Christian Dvorak said. “He’s been doing that all year, and it would have been nice to get him a win tonight. He definitely deserved it. He’s been big for us, and we just got to work on being better for our goalies.”

    In the second period, the Capitals outshot the Flyers 12-9 and seemed to have the ice tilted their way. Although they broke through once — and missed the net a few more times — Vladař came up big again to keep the score close.

    He stopped a point shot by Ethan Frank off a face-off win, kicked out a Ryan Leonard shot to the boards, and then seconds later made a masterful stop on another shot by Leonard.

    Unhappy with his game, Matvei Michkov ‘was training every day’ over break
    Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (bottom) was a bit shaken up after defenseman Nick Seeler (24) fell over him late in the second period.

    Later, Vladař made a save on a Brandon Duhaime shot from nine feet out, and Nick Seeler pushed it back for him to cover. But there was a bit of a scramble, and Seeler fell over him, and the goalie seemed a bit stung. He flexed his right arm at the next whistle but stayed in the game.

    Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin scored the Capitals’ opening goal in the period. Philly regrouped and reset after a three-on-two by Washington — and Michkov broke up a pass in front, but then allowed the blueliner to skate down from the point behind him. Hendrix Lapierre found him for the 1-0 goal.

    And while he again allowed a goal in the third period, Vladař kept his team in the game. With the Flyers on the penalty kill, Pierre-Luc Dubois got the puck near the net and turned to take a shot, but Vladař was aggressive with the stick and poked it away. He was tracking the puck well all night and seconds later squared up to snare a Strome tip-in attempt on a point shot.

    With the game tied, he robbed Lapierre, who got a return touch pass from Duhaime in the slot after the Flyers couldn’t break out of their own end.

    “He’s a battler,” Tocchet said. “He’s done it all year for us. But the lateral goals are the tough ones; we don’t want to give those up. That’s the one thing. Vladdy’s played really well for us, but if we eliminate those that will really help. It’ll help Vladdy, too, [because] those laterals are tough to save.”

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    Breakaways

    Protas added a short-handed empty-net goal with 25.6 seconds left in the game. … Defenseman Emil Andrae and forward Nic Deslauriers were the Flyers’ healthy scratches. What does Andrae, who hasn’t played since Jan. 26, need to do to get back into the lineup? “He’s not a PK guy,” said Tocchet pregame. “So actually, this week, he’s worked on his penalty killing. That’s really what it’s going to come down to.“ … Forward Carl Grundström, who has been playing wing all season, centered the fourth line. … The Flyers went 1-for-1 on the penalty kill and 0-for-2 on the power play.

    Up next

    The Flyers’ restart is already grinding away as they face the New York Rangers on Thursday at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m., ESPN).

  • Trevor Zegras scores twice against his old team in the Flyers’ 5-2 win over the Ducks

    Trevor Zegras scores twice against his old team in the Flyers’ 5-2 win over the Ducks

    Ed Snider would be proud.

    The crowd brought it. The Flyers brought it.

    On what would have been the founder and late owner’s 93rd birthday, in front of a sellout crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena, and with the faithful amped up, the Flyers dominated the Anaheim Ducks 5-2. It was their second straight win and fifth in the past seven games.

    In between boos and words not safe for print, former Flyers prospect Cutter Gauthier struck first for the Ducks with a power-play goal, celebrating with a “mark it” reaction. But the Flyers answered with four straight goals.

    Flyers’ Bobby Brink, Jamie Drysdale exit Ducks game early with injuries

    Trevor Zegras, who was acquired from the Ducks in June and has been off to a red-hot start with his new club, scored twice past goalie Lukáš Dostál in the first period — each from the same spot.

    The first came at even strength, when Christian Dvorak, who signed a five-year extension on Monday, kept a bouncing puck in at the Ducks’ blue line. He carried it down and sent a no-look pass to Zegras between the bottom of the right circle and the goal line. The New York native sent a one-timer past Dostál from the sharp angle.

    On the celebration, he “hung up the phone” on the Ducks. He said on NBCSP’s postgame show, “That’s how quick the phone call was before.”

    Just over four minutes later, Zegras did it from almost the exact spot on a Flyers power play to give the home team a 2-1 lead. On this goal, it was Cam York who skated down and sent a no-look pass over to Zegras for the one-timer from the bottom of the right circle for his 17th goal of the season.

    Zegras now has four games with two goals this season and 11 in his career. He has never had a hat trick.

    Early in the second period, York got the puck at the point, and after walking the line a few steps, he put it on net. The puck appeared to be deflected on the way in, but York was awarded his third goal of the season.

    Travis Sanheim pushed it to 4-1 after Noah Cates won a faceoff deep in the Ducks’ end back to him. The defenseman stepped into the puck and fired it home.

    Anaheim’s Alex Killorn scored a power-play goal to cut it to 4-2 early in the third period, but Nikita Grebenkin added an empty-netter with 1 minute, 14 seconds left in the game.

    And the Flyers dominated the game despite a decimated bench.

    Goalie Dan Vladař earns Czechia Olympic nod amid breakout season with the Flyers

    Already without Matvei Michkov, who is day to day with a lower-body injury, the Flyers lost two more players in the game.

    Bobby Brink left the game and did not return after a blindside hit by Jansen Harkins just 2:38 into the first period. Off the rush, Brink received a pass from Nikita Grebenkin and was skating toward the net when Harkins cut across the slot and clipped Brink.

    Noah Cates went right after Harkins, and the two dropped the gloves. According to Hockeyfights.com, it is Cates’ first pro hockey fight. The site says he had one fight with Omaha of the United States Hockey League in 2018, dropping the gloves with Paul Cotter, who now plays for the New Jersey Devils. Cates said postgame he “wouldn’t consider that [USHL one] a fight,” and he doesn’t think he got a five-minute major.

    In the second period, Jamie Drysdale was curling high in the offensive zone without the puck. Anaheim forward Ross Johnston was skating into the zone and appeared to stick out his right arm as Drysdale skated by. The puck was deep in the Ducks’ zone.

    Drysdale, who was acquired in the deal for Gauthier almost two years ago to the day, lay on the ice and did not move for a considerable amount of time. The stretcher came out, and the doctors came out of the stands, but Drysdale sat up and skated off the ice with help.

    But he did not return, and Johnston was handed a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct. The play by Johnston came after Garnet Hathaway drilled Olen Zellweger — cleanly — in the offensive zone.

    Flyers’ Noah Cates (right) shown during the second period of Tuesday’s game against Anaheim.

    Breakaways

    Hathaway also threw a huge hit into Ducks defenseman Ian Moore in the third period and dropped the gloves with former Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas. … Forward Nic Deslauriers and defenseman Noah Juulsen were healthy scratches. … Before the game, Flyers Charities presented the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation with a $300,000 donation for assistance with programming and operational support for four Philadelphia ice rinks.

    Up next

    The Flyers host Scott Laughton and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

  • Flyers hold off the Chicago Blackhawks for a 3-1 road win heading into NHL’s holiday break

    Flyers hold off the Chicago Blackhawks for a 3-1 road win heading into NHL’s holiday break

    CHICAGO ― It’s 760 miles to Chicago from Philly. Despite playing Monday night, the Flyers had a full tank. It was dark, and by the end, they were wearing sunglasses because things are looking bright.

    The Flyers defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1, giving them a two-game winning streak heading into the NHL’s holiday break. It is the Flyers’ third win in five games and fifth in December.

    And they now sit two points back of the Metropolitan Division’s top team, the Carolina Hurricanes. Add in that they have the sixth-best points percentage in the NHL (.625), and things are looking good 36 games in.

    But the win may have come with a cost. Forward Denver Barkey did not return for the third period. He was called for boarding and was hit hard in the ensuing scrum behind the Blackhawks’ net. According to coach Rick Tocchet, “He got hit from behind on that penalty. Just get reevaluated from the doctors.”

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    Defenseman Travis Sanheim, the Flyers’ top minute muncher, was clipped by Alex Vlasic in the third period. Per Tocchet, he did not play the final 12 minutes, 33 seconds, as he was pulled by the NHL’s concussion spotters. “I think he’s fine, though,” Tocchet said.

    Travis Konecny gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead with, fittingly, his 11th goal of the season 10:17 into the first period.

    After the Flyers killed off a tripping penalty on Trevor Zegras, he stayed on the ice, and Konency tried to find him as Zegras tried to get open near the right post. Zegras was covered by Blackhawks defenseman Wyatt Kaiser so it didn’t connect, but he stayed with it and picked up the puck behind the net.

    Skating untouched, Zegras carried the puck around the net and curled before finding Konecny. The alternate captain evaded detection before cutting to the net to receive the pass.

    Zegras has 13 points in 12 games in December and 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 36 games this season. The New York native is riding a career-high nine-game point streak, with five goals and six assists.

    Konecny wasn’t done collecting points, and in the second period, he helped the Flyers double their total with a power-play goal off Noah Cates’ stick.

    Handed a gift when the Blackhawks got called for too many men in the second period, the Flyers’ five-man unit of Konecny, Zegras, Cates, Bobby Brink, and Jamie Drysdale hopped onto the ice after the other unit got a chance. Set up in the offensive zone, they worked it around the perimeter, going from Zegras on the right flank to Brink at the point to Drysdale on the left flank.

    Konecny, with Drysdale in his spot, glided down to the left post and received the puck from his defenseman. The forward turned his back net-front, drawing in Blackhawks defenseman Connor Murphy, giving him the ability to send a no-look pass under his lifted right leg to Cates in front.

    Despite having Vlasic all over him, Cates banged in the puck for his ninth of the year and second power-play goal of the season. His career high on the man advantage is three, set in 2022-23. Cates is riding a four-game point streak (two goals, two assists) while the assist was the 300th of Konency’s career in 682 games.

    Konecny now has 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists) in 36 games this season. In December, he has six goals and 14 points — spearheaded by four multipoint games — across 12 games.

    Flyers left wing Noah Cates, shown on Dec. 11 against Las Vegas, scored his second power-play goal of the season against the Blackhawks.

    Through two periods, Sam Ersson allowed one goal on 14 shots, with Natural Stat Trick noting that he faced just one high-danger shot. For the most part, he saw the puck well — the goal by Chicago’s Ryan Donato from the high slot during four-on-four action looked like it was screened by up to three members of the Flyers — and played his angles.

    Ersson didn’t face his first shot of the night until 7:57 into the opening frame, making a glove save on Ilya Mikheyev. He later stopped a Murphy slap shot and robbed Donato on a two-on-one that also saw the Boston native try to bury the rebound.

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    In the second period, the Swedish netminder moved well to make a save on a Matt Grzelcyk point shot with Oliver Moore standing in front. He stopped Donato from the right circle and then again when he went to the front of the net and tipped a shot.

    And in the third period, with the Flyers up by one, he made a nifty glove save on a wide-open shot by Louis Crevier. Ersson made 20 saves on 21 shots for his best save percentage (.952) of the season. He snapped a four-game losing streak — losing two in a shootout — to earn his sixth win of the season.

    Breakaways

    Carl Grundström scored an empty-netter to seal the win. … Defenseman Noah Juulsen and forwards Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway were healthy scratches. … Drysdale has two points on the power play this season, coming in the past three games.

    Up next

    After the NHL’s three-day holiday break, the Flyers return to the ice on Saturday for a practice in Seattle before taking on the Kraken on Sunday (8 p.m., NBCSP, NHLN).