The Philadelphia Flyers have gotten off to an emphatic start in their 2026 Stanley Cup playoff run. Monday night’s 3-0 blanking of the Pittsburgh Penguins puts Philly in the driver’s seat. Two more games of this, and Sidney Crosby’s offseason could get to a much earlier start than anticipated.
But this playoff run almost didn’t happen. There was a point at which the Flyers seemed out of a playoff spot for good.
On March 15, the Flyers were six points out of a postseason berth. But a strong run, including a 7-3-0 mark in their final 10 games, sealed a return to the playoffs for Philadelphia.
The reasons for the strong finish to the season are abundant. From Dan Vladar’s heroic year to the return of Tyson Foerster. But as insider Elliotte Friedman noted, it was a conversation that happened months earlier that changed the Flyers’ fortunes this season.
According to Friedman’s narrative, Flyers’ coach Rick Tocchet had a conversation with current New York Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer. During that conversation, DeBoer offered Tocchet some insights into improving the Flyers’ defensive game.
The tips evidently worked. Things turned around for the Flyers, which led to a postseason appearance.
Of course, it’s worth noting that DeBoer wasn’t the coach of the Islanders when the conversation took place. In fact, DeBoer offered his insights while he was not under contract by an NHL club, and both coaches were assistants on Jon Cooper’s staff at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The outcome is certainly ironic because the tips DeBoer offered served to dethrone the team that he would eventually coach. The Islanders held on to a playoff spot for more of the season. But as the Islanders faded down the stretch, Tocchet’s Flyers overtook them.
Flyers' defense has been the story in series against Penguins
So, it’s been the Flyers’ defense that has truly stood up in their series against the Penguins. Pittsburgh has had a resurgent season thanks to its offense. After all, Crosby continues to be an elite scorer, with Evgeni Malkin getting a few sips from the fountain of youth. The supporting cast around Crosby and Malkin has chipped in significantly, helping lead the Penguins to an unlikely finish this season.
But that offense hasn’t been enough against the Flyers’ tight defense. In two games thus far, the Penguins have managed just two goals. Not many would have predicted that outcome after two games.
Of course, it’s no surprise to Flyers fans to see their team playing extremely well. However, the 2-0 series lead is even more impressive when considering Philly won the first two games on the road.
With the series moving back to Philadelphia, it seems the Flyers will have the Penguins on the ropes. This series could be over much sooner than most anticipated. So, it remains to be seen if the Penguins and their championship experience can still make a series out of things moving forward.
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