Porter Martone has completely won over Rick Tocchet after 4 games

The Philadelphia Flyers are finally back in a playoff spot. On Sunday, the Flyers defeated the Boston Bruins 2-1 in overtime to not only move into a spot, but into third place in the Metropolitan Division. That's all thanks to rookie, and 2025 first-round pick, Porter Martone.

In overtime, the Flyers were on a 5-on-3 powerplay. Martone had an incredible shot on goal after a pass from Christian Dvorak. The shot was stopped by Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo, but Martone was able to knock in the rebound to secure his first career NHL goal. That's already an incredible feat, but Martone did so in overtime to help push the Flyers into a playoff spot with over a week left in the season.

The Flyers brought in Martone to help them in their push for a playoff berth for the first time since 2020. Martone played in four games and his presence has been felt in that span. He already accomplished one thing, and that's winning over Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet.

Rick Tocchet on Porter Martone after first four NHL games: 'Love that kid'

"You can just tell he's a hockey player," said Tocchet. "He loves the game. Even on the bench, you tell him something, he's a very engaged kid. He's not afraid to say something. He was talking about the power play to some guys, 'Hey, I'll be here. You be here.' I like that. A young kid like that, doing that. So you can just tell he's been around. He's just a hockey player. Love the kid."

Sure, Martone putting pucks on net and making life difficult for opposing defensemen is great and all. But for Tocchet, he really appreciates how confident he's been in communicating with his teammates, whether that's on the bench or on the ice. Martone said after signing his entry level contract last week that he wants to help the Flyers get into the playoffs. Right now, they are in the

Martone spoke about securing his first goal after the game, saying that it was a "pretty special" moment for him, especially since it was a game-winner.

"It's awesome, especially for it to come in that way, too. You know, overtime winner as your first NHL goal, it's pretty special," said Martone. "I think just continue to keep playing my game, that's someone who I am, want to get a lot of chances. I think my linemates have been setting me up great and it's nice to see that one go in."

In four games, Martone has one goal, two assists, a +2 plus/minus rating, and 20 shots to his credit.

The Flyers may be in playoff position, but they are just one point ahead of the New York Islanders for third place in the division. This week, the Flyers have three games against the New Jersey Devils (Tuesday), Detroit Red Wings (Thursday), and Winnipeg Jets (Saturday). This gives the Flyers some chance to at least increase their lead over the Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets (88 points).

Martone has provided a boost to the Flyers' lineup. We'll see if he can keep it up this week as the Flyers look to clinch a playoff spot.