Flyers hold off Bruins, ending eight-game point streak at Xfinity Mobile Arena
The Bruins saw an eight-game point streak snapped Saturday when the Philadelphia Flyers beat them 3-1 at Xfinity Mobile Arena, a game marked by Dan Vladar's 26 saves and key goals from Travis Konecny and Jamie Drysdale.
Bruins' streak halted in Philadelphia
Boston entered the game riding a stretch that left the team 5-0-3 in its previous eight, and the Bruins' record stood at 33-21-5; Philadelphia, now 27-21-11, ended that run with a 3-1 victory at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday and recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since Jan. 3-6.
Vladar answers the bell with 26 saves
Goaltender Dan Vladar finished with 26 saves, 16 of them in the second period, and drew an ovation from fans behind his net during that middle frame; he stopped seven shots during two Bruins power plays and denied Sean Kuraly on a breakaway with 5: 43 left in the period.
Key saves on Morgan Geekie and momentum swings
Vladar made two notable stops on Morgan Geekie late in the second: with 15: 00 remaining he got his right pad on a slot shot from Geekie, and with 4: 17 left he snapped his pads closed to stop a rebound from the bottom of the left face-off circle during a Boston man-advantage. Geekie said it was "just one of those nights, " adding that the Flyers' goalie "played well. "
Konecny, Drysdale and Couturier finish the scoring
Boston appeared to score 1: 05 into the third on Hampus Lindholm's shot from the right point, but referees waved the goal off for goaltender interference. At 3: 41, Christian Dvorak dumped the puck in from the left boards; it took an awkward bounce to the middle of the ice, Swayman reached to redirect it and Dvorak backhanded it into the crease, where Travis Konecny tapped it in for a 1-0 lead. Jeremy Swayman finished with 14 saves in his first game since helping the United States win a gold medal at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 and called the deflection "one of those things that happens in hockey all the time. " Drysdale pushed the lead to 2-0 with a goal from the left hash marks at 11: 55, and Sean Couturier also scored to make it a three-goal game for Philadelphia.
Coaches and players on the defensive tweaks
Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said the Flyers "adjusted a few things (defensively)" after the Olympic break and saw some of those changes pay off, noting the team still has tweaks to make. Bruins coach Marco Sturm credited Vladar's saves and said Boston "didn't do enough of a good job being around him or being front of him. "
Pregame expectations and context
The matchup had been scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 28 at 3 p. m. ET at Xfinity Mobile Arena, with Trevor Zegras and Morgan Geekie listed as two players to watch ahead of the game; pregame projections had favored the Bruins as a +1. 5 ATS pick with an Over/Under of 6. 5 and a score prediction of Flyers 4 - Bruins 3.
Christian Dvorak finished with two assists for the Flyers, and Konecny and Drysdale each had a goal and an assist in the 3-1 win. Vladar, who downplayed being more locked in than usual, said the team is "a confident group" and that they need to "get back the swagger. "
Philadelphia had beaten the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime on the road Thursday before this game at Xfinity Mobile Arena, and the Flyers now have consecutive wins for the first time since Jan. 3-6; the Bruins will regroup after the loss, while the Flyers prepare to build on back-to-back victories.
