Three Takeaways From Flyers Win vs. Blues

The Philadelphia Flyers secured their second consecutive win with a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues, a game that saw them extend their steady defensive play while carrying momentum from their recent success against the Bruins.

The Flyers showed continued promise on both ends of the ice, with a balanced performance that reflected their increasing growth, confidence, and adaptability.

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Setting The Tone

The Flyers’ defense has been impressive over the last two games, stringing together disciplined, effective performances that have allowed them to largely control the pace and limit opponents’ scoring chances.

Against the Blues, the Flyers once again demonstrated composure on the back end, keeping the puck out of dangerous areas and providing more reliable coverage for goalie Sam Ersson. The defensive core, led by players like Travis Sanhein and Nick Seeler, has shown a marked improvement in structure, focus, and communication.

In these recent games, the defense has played an essential role in supporting the team’s offensive push. Instead of sitting back, they’re breaking up plays with purpose, quickly transitioning the puck forward, and creating opportunities for the forwards to sustain pressure in the offensive zone.

This new defensive intensity is helping the Flyers hold their ground, build confidence, and establish a style that head coach John Tortorella and his staff have been emphasizing from the start.

A Teaching Moment For Michkov

One of the most talked-about moments of the night came when Tortorella briefly benched Matvei Michkov in the first period, a move that generated plenty of buzz, but, as Tortorella explained, was a routine part of holding players accountable.

“He’s a 19-year-old kid playing in the best league in the world,” he said. “He’s beginning to see what the actual [NHL] is as far as time and space, all the things that come with. There are gonna be some major struggles with that five-on-five. We expect that…Just like any other young player, or really any other player in that room, he’s gonna be held accountable.”

For a player…