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Tag: Travis Sanheim

  • Travis Sanheim scores game-winner to cement Flyers’ 3-2 OT comeback victory vs. Blues

    Travis Sanheim scores game-winner to cement Flyers’ 3-2 OT comeback victory vs. Blues

    You’ve heard this all before: Another slow start. Another early deficit. Another comeback.

    The Flyers trailed 2-0 and tied things up before Travis Sanheim scored the game-winner in overtime to give the Flyers a 3-2 win. It is the Flyers’ second win in five games.

    Travis Konecny, who missed his shot on an open net in the last minute of regulation, chipped the puck to Sanheim in the Flyers’ end. The defenseman, in front of several members of Hockey Canada’s Olympic staff, skated the puck down the ice and ripped it past Blues goalie Joel Hofer. It was Sanheim’s third goal of the season and fourth career overtime winner.

    Hockey Fights Cancer night hits home for many connected to the Flyers: ‘They’ve battled much harder than any of us’

    Despite having 28 chances in the first period, with six coming from high-danger spots, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers trailed after 20 minutes. It is the sixth straight game Philly allowed the opposition to get on the board and the 13th time this season. They also tied the New York Islanders with their ninth comeback win.

    The comeback started late in the second period.

    Rodrigo Ābols scored his first goal of the season to cut into the Blues’ 2-0 lead.

    Trevor Zegras pulled up at the half-wall in the Blues’ end and carried the puck deep, chipping it to Owen Tippett. Despite being pinned by Blues defenseman Matthew Kessel along the end boards, Tippett sent a backhand pass to Ābols, who hopped in after Christian Dvorak went for the change, following the play for the goal.

    It was Ābols’ third of his career. He spent the night centering the fourth line between Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway. Ābols and coach Rick Tocchet said postgame the line focused on being more predictable, and it worked. Natural Stat Trick had the line down for 13 chances to two for St. Louis at five-on-five; they had seven scoring chances to zero for the Blues.

    Everyone thought the Flyers tied the game at 2-2 with 11 minutes, 45 seconds left in regulation. On a power play, Bobby Brink sent a cross-crease pass through the legs of Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker to Zegras near the right post. Zegras sent the one-timer off the bottom of the glove of Hofer and then saw the puck bounce off the ice and the right post.

    And then they did tie it up on Tyson Foerster’s fifth goal of the season.

    Blues forward Robert Thomas tried to clear the puck, but Emil Andrae tracked down the puck inside St. Louis’ blueline. Moved up to the second pairing with Jamie Drysdale, the puck-moving defenseman fed Foerster for the one-timer from the top of the left face-off circle.

    Andrae saved a sure goal with three minutes left in regulation when he blocked a shot by Dalibor Dvorský after Pavel Buchnevich got robbed on the doorstep by Dan Vladař.

    It was the Justin Faulk show in the first period. The St. Louis defenseman, who also scored last Friday in the Flyers’ 6-5 shootout win in Missouri, notched two goals in a 6:37 span to put the Flyers in an early hole.

    His first goal of the night was a seeing-eye one-timer from the point that found the top left corner. Vladař, who stands 6-foot-5, could be seen popping his head over the 5-9 Nathan Walker of the Blues in front and Flyers teammate Dvorak, who is 6-1. Andrae was tying up St. Louis’ Alexey Toropchenko in front, too, and the puck squeaked through everyone.

    Emil Andrae’s improved consistency is what forced the Flyers to loan Adam Ginning to the AHL

    Faulk’s second of the night was a power-play goal. Standing at the goal line, Jake Neighbours fed Faulk across the ice in the left face-off circle for the one-timer. The Flyers entered the game with the third-best penalty kill in the NHL (87.5%), but allowed a tally for the second straight game.

    Breakaways

    The Flyers held their annual Hockey Fights Cancer Night. Jason Myrtetus, a Flyers broadcaster and host of the “Flyers Daily” podcast, dropped the ceremonial puck alongside his Penn care team, which included his oncologist, Dr. Daniel Altman, Heather Levinsky, CRNP, and his surgeon, Dr. Erica Pettke. The players also wore special SkateSkins in warmups, with seven skaters wearing ones they designed with children ages 8-19 who are battling cancer. The goalies also wore masks designed with children, too.

    Flyers center Sean Couturier wears his Hockey Fights Cancer skates designed with children ages 8-19 who are battling cancer.

    Up next

    The Flyers practice on Friday at noon in Voorhees before honoring Bernie Parent with a public celebration of life at Xfinity Mobile Arena at 6 p.m. They then host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday (7 p.m., NBCSP). New Jersey is without Jack Hughes, who underwent surgery on his finger a week ago after a “freak accident” when he got cut by glass at a team dinner.

  • Flyers GM Danny Brière provides injury updates on Rasmus Ristolainen and Oliver Bonk

    Flyers GM Danny Brière provides injury updates on Rasmus Ristolainen and Oliver Bonk

    After an off-day on Sunday, the Flyers hit the ice Monday for practice in Voorhees, and there was a big piece missing.

    Defenseman Travis Sanheim did not skate, and when asked if it was a maintenance day, coach Rick Tocchet said, “Kind of, yeah.”

    “Just dealing with a little tweak here and there,” he added. “It’s better [for] us to just keep him off the ice. He’s played a lot of minutes.”

    In his ninth NHL season, Sanheim ranks second among all NHL skaters in ice time, averaging 26 minutes, 28 seconds. He only trails Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks.

    Flyers send Jett Luchanko back to junior team, Guelph

    The blueliner, who does not skate on the power play, does play against the opposition’s top line and kills penalties.

    “Just whatever’s asked of me, whenever they need me to go out there,” Sanheim said on Oct. 19. “I’ve got the lungs to do it. I recover pretty good. So just whatever they kind of ask [of me].”

    Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim, who ranks second in the NHL in ice time, has one goal and four points this season.

    Ristolainen update

    Rasmus Ristolainen is inching closer to a return.

    “In Risto’s case, everything’s coming along nicely,” Flyers general manager Danny Brière said on Monday of the defenseman, who has been skating on his own. “Pretty soon, we’re hoping he starts practicing with the team.

    “I don’t know how far away that is, but he’s progressing well, and everything’s going well. We’re hoping next month, in about a four-to-six-week range, hopefully he’s back with the team.”

    Ristolainen has not played this season after undergoing surgery on a right triceps tendon rupture on March 26. In 2024, Ristolainen underwent two surgeries, including a repair to a ruptured triceps tendon. According to Brière in April 2025, the injury was similar, although he wouldn’t confirm if he tore the tendon again.

    Trevor Zegras propels the Flyers’ comeback to win it in a shootout over the Islanders

    Before the start of training camp, the GM announced Ristolainen was expected to miss the first six to eight weeks of the season. It sounds like he is on track.

    The Finnish defenseman played in 63 games last season, with four goals, 15 points, and the first positive plus-minus of his career (plus-3) while averaging more than 20 minutes. One of the Flyers’ top blueliners, Ristolainen, who also played on the power play this season, last played on March 11.

    Bonk update

    It’s been weeks since prospect Oliver Bonk has been spotted on the ice. The 20-year-old, who just turned pro, is dealing with an upper-body injury that kept him from participating in the rookie series against the New York Rangers in early September and training camp.

    Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk will make his professional hockey debut this season.

    “Things are not moving … as quickly as we expected,” Brière said on Sept. 16, adding that he underwent medical imaging that morning despite skating with the rookies in a noncontact jersey.

    Unlike Ristolainen, his timeline is still to be determined. But the hope is for the highly touted blueliner to get back to action soon.

    “As far as Oliver, we didn’t know how serious it was at first. We’ve kept him out of rookie camp, and it lingered. We kept him out of main camp, thinking that it would get better, and it’s been a slow process with his upper-body injury,” Brière said on Monday.

    “But it’s going well now. We’re just hoping that there’s no setbacks. We’re trying to give him the time and proper space between skates for him to feel good enough to come back and play. It’s a little tougher on a timeline with him. We’re kind of waiting on the progression and making sure there’s no setback on him.”