Flyers Goalie Stands Tall in Home Opener Victory

In his second regular-season start as a Philadelphia Flyer, Dan Vladar gave the 19,421 fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena plenty to cheer about — and a glimpse of what might be the club’s most stabilizing presence in years. Facing the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers once again after starting against them in the season-opener, Vladar stood tall under pressure, backstopping the Flyers to a 5–2 victory that set the tone for their home campaign.

"It feels good," Vladar said. "We finally got rewarded and we just got to keep going."

From the opening puck drop, Florida peppered the Flyers’ net with early looks, forcing Vladar into action just seconds after the national anthem. He calmly turned away a long-range wrist shot from Aaron Ekblad before stopping a tricky deflection in close from Anton Lundell, one of several point-blank chances the Panthers generated in the first period. The 27-year-old Czech goaltender’s poise was evident throughout, tracking the puck cleanly through traffic and limiting rebounds that Florida typically thrives on.

When the Flyers went shorthanded midway through the first period after an Owen Tippett penalty, Vladar made arguably his best sequence of the night — a pad stop on a 6-foot tip-in attempt by Lundell, followed immediately by a glove save through a screen on Sam Reinhart. The crowd roared its approval as Vladar calmly cleared the puck to his defense, killing off the penalty and preserving Philadelphia’s early lead.