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Philadelphia Flyers right wing Owen Tippett (74) celebrates his goal with right wing Matvei Michkov (39) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Flyers’ Youth Is Facilitating a Playoff Push

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Justin Giampietro | Last updated Apr 6, 2026 2:20 PM ET

The Philadelphia Flyers are in the midst of a historical turnaround. After entering February with the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference, they find themselves in a playoff spot with five games to go. Their odds of making the dance, according to Hockey Stats, sit at 60%.

The veterans have played a big role in this stunning resurgence. Encouragingly, however, the kids have arguably shown out even more. They’re facilitating this run.

Flyers’ Best Players Since Feb. 2

Since Feb. 2, the Flyers are 15–6–2. They are third in points percentage, only trailing the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens, according to Natural Stat Trick. Over the past two months, the Orange and Black have been one of the NHL’s toughest teams to beat. Why is that?

During this span, the Flyers’ defense and goaltending have been solid. Their 5-on-5 save percentage ranks second in the league, and their overall save percentage is fourth. The defensive corps has upped its puck-moving game and generally avoided breakdowns.

Looking at individual point-scoring, there isn’t one true standout. Instead, the Flyers have several key contributors. Five players have 15 or more points, and they are the following: Noah Cates (17), Owen Tippett (16), Christian Dvorak (15), Matvei Michkov (15), and Trevor Zegras (15).

If we shift to points per 60 minutes—a rate metric rather than raw totals—the youth truly shines. The top five are as follows: Alex Bump (2.74), Cates (2.73), Porter Martone (2.66), Michkov (2.51), and Tippett (2.33).

While rate metrics are just that, the results are great to see. Three of the Flyers’ top four producers in points per 60 are under the age of 23. When Bump, Martone, and Michkov hop over the boards, they seize the opportunity.

Bump, Martone, and Michkov’s Recent Brilliance

The impact of those aforementioned three—Bump, Martone, and Michkov—was especially felt in perhaps the two biggest games of the season: against the New York Islanders (April 3) and the Boston Bruins (April 5).

With the third-place spot in the Metropolitan Division being wide open, the Flyers vs. Islanders game was a must-win for both sides and was expected to be close. But on the road, the Orange and Black dominated to the tune of a 4–1 decision.

That game was the Bump and Michkov show. At 5-on-5 play, the two outscored the Islanders 3–0, had a 96.6% expected goal share when paired together, and combined for two goals and three assists. A 22-year-old and a 21-year-old willed their team to victory—that says a lot.

While the Bruins more or less have the top wildcard spot locked up, a win was a must for the Flyers. In a fairly low-event contest, it was Martone who broke down Boston. He had a beautiful assist to set up a 2-on-1 rush from the defensive zone in the first period, then ended things in overtime with his first NHL goal.

The No. 1 star against the Islanders was Michkov. The No. 1 star against the Bruins was Martone. When the Flyers needed someone to step up the most, it was the kids who took over. Thanks to their efforts, Philadelphia has better odds than not to host its first playoff game since 2018 in the coming weeks.

The Flyers’ veterans still get a huge chunk of the ice time. So, while the Orange and Black are a youthful team on paper, it’d be misleading to say that the youngsters are solely responsible for all this—that would mean further elevating the roles of Bump, Martone, Michkov, and others. But regardless of their usage, the kids are driving this improbable run.

Stats courtesy of Hockey Stats and Natural Stat Trick