Flyers climb into playoff position as Porter Martone's first NHL goal provides a crucial 2-1 overtime win over Bruins

Jackie Spiegel, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Apr 5, 2026

Published in Hockey

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PHILADELPHIA — In case you were unsure, Sunday’s game was a big one for the Philadelphia Flyers.

How big? Lauren Hart singing “God Bless America” instead of the national anthem big.

With a win against the Boston Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena, the Flyers would move into a playoff spot for the first time since Jan. 12.

The result: a 2-1 win in overtime on a goal by none other than Porter Martone. It is his first NHL goal — and a power-play goal to boot.

Philly got a five-on-three when Christian Dvorak was hooked by David Pastrňák on a breakaway, and, on the ensuing faceoff, Trevor Zegras was high-sticked by Charlie McAvoy. Fifteen seconds into the man advantage, with Zegras, Dvorak, Martone, Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny on the ice, Martone got the puck in the bumper and scored.

With the win, the Flyers have 90 points. They jumped a point ahead of the idle New York Islanders and moved into the third spot in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders, who the Flyers have a game in hand on, fired head coach Patrick Roy and hired Peter DeBoer earlier on Sunday.

The Flyers are also now two points ahead of the idle Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings — who lost to the Minnesota Wild, 5-4, on a power-play goal by Kirill Kaprizov with under two minutes left in regulation — for the final second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

The Flyers took a 1-0 lead under five minutes into the game on a goal by Dvorak, but it was the play of Martone that made it all happen.

Working their way out of their own end, Rasmus Ristolainen passed the puck up the boards to a waiting Martone. The rookie peeked over his shoulder and saw Dvorak curling up and knew that Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm was caught in no man’s land. So when the puck came to him, the 19-year-old playing in his fourth NHL game, with his back turned, redirected the puck between his legs perfectly onto the stick of Dvorak.

The center broke out on a two-on-one rush with Travis Konecny, with Mason Lohrei the lone Bruin back. With the passing lane clogged, Dvorak kept the puck and beat Joonas Korpisalo for his 17th goal of the season before turning and pointing right at Martone, who earned his second NHL point.

Dvorak is now one shy of his career high set during the 2019-20 season, when he and Flyers coach Rick Tocchet were with the Arizona Coyotes.

Both teams had chances after that, yet couldn’t find the back of the net through 40 minutes.

The Flyers put 37 shot attempts and 17 shots on goal across the first 40 minutes. In the first period, Travis Sanheim stepped up and skated down and across the crease, but Korpisalo flashed the leather on the backhand shot by the defenseman.

Not long into the middle frame, Matvei Michkov weaved through the Bruins’ defense to get to the middle of the ice on a power play but clanged the post. Carl Grundström, who was a healthy scratch on Friday, got a turnover and broke in, but was stopped by the pad of Korpisalo.

On another Flyers’ power play, Martone was strong on the puck, using his long reach to set up Tyson Foerster for a chance. And late in the second, Noah Cates put a shot on that no one knew where the puck went; it led to a scramble with Alex Bump and Michkov trying to jam it, as it was actually loose in the crease.

Dan Vladař stifled the Bruins through 40 minutes, even if he needed the crossbar’s help to stop Morgan Geekie not long before the Dvorak goal. He made a slick poke check on Pastrňák as he cut across the crease and was ready to bury it around the Flyers’ goalie, and stopped Geekie on a three-on-two.

But 35 seconds into the third period, the Bruins buried the puck on a power play that carried over from the second. Pastrňák fired off a one-timer that looked to be tipped on the way by Viktor Arvidsson and just dribbled wide of the open net. Casey Mittelstadt was at the right post and tapped it back to Pavel Zacha, who buried it from atop the crease.

With under five minutes to go in the third, the Flyers really turned it up. Martone had a chance with a snapshot, and then Konecny ended up with the puck in the neutral zone, skated in, and fed Martone — who was loaded up for the pass — and he fired it hard off the pad of Korpisalo.

Then, with 3:16 left, Jamie Drysdale skated in, shot the puck hard, forcing a rebound. Foerster was right there and was robbed by the right toe of Korpisalo.

Breakaways

Defenseman Noah Juulsen and forwards Garrett Wilson, Garnet Hathaway and Denver Barkey were healthy scratches. … The Flyers’ power play went 0 for 3 in regulation and had five shot attempts — two from high-danger spots — three shots on goal, and five scoring chances.

Up next

The Flyers hit the road for a three-game trip beginning in New Jersey on Tuesday against the Devils.

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