Apr 29, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Dan Vladar (80) reacts against the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime in game six of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA -- When the third period ended with the Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins deadlocked with no score, you had the feeling the Flyers would have been behind on all judges' scorecards had it been a boxing match.
A connecting haymaker is what was in order for them to pull out Game 6 and win the first round series. They got it on a point shot from Cam York with 2:28 to go in the overtime for the 1-0 win to clinch the series and send them to a second round and a meeting with the Carolina Hurricanes.
It was fitting that coach Rick Tocchet compared the game to a famous Muhammad Ali and George Foreman bout from the 70's in which Ali laid on the ropes for most of the fight, absorbing shot after shot from Foreman, with the idea of tiring him out before going for the win. Ali did just that with an eighth round knockout.
Not sure that was exactly the game-plan Tocchet or his team had in mind, but it sure played out that way as Pittsburgh had so many opportunities to knock out the Flyers from the second period on by endlessly controlling the puck, forcing the Flyers into middle-of-the-ice turnovers, and winning almost every battle along the boards.
All the while, goalie Dan Vladar absorbed shot after shot after shot from the Penguins. There were 42 of them in all, and he blocked each and every one. Much like Ali.
"There were some stretches where we were rope-a-doping out there", said Tocchet. "That's what I love about this team, they hung in there. Obviously Vlady was phenomenal tonight, he was terrific."
Vladar's 42 saves were the fourth most in NHL history in a shutout to close out a playoff series, trailing only Patrick Roy, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price.
Per NHLStats, Dan Vladar made the fourth-most saves in a series-clinching shutout win over the past 70 years. The only goaltenders with more are Patrick Roy (63 in Game 4 of 1996 SCF), Andrei Vasilevskiy (49 in Game 4 of 2022 R2) and Carey Price (43 in Game 6 of 2015 R1). https://t.co/WwoM287v6n
— Flyers Media Information (@FlyersMediaInfo) April 30, 2026
There aren't enough superlative adjectives or comparisons to past goalies that will give Vladar his just due on his performance on Wednesday night. He was that good. He saw through screens, he patiently waited on Penguin players who were left all alone in front of him with the puck. Vladar controlled rebounds, managed deflections and, quite simply, stole this victory for the Flyers, allowing them to advance to the second round for the first time in six years.
"For me it's just a belief," said Vladar. "I was trying to give the guys in front of me a chance. There was never a doubt. I think I can speak for the whole locker room, there was never a doubt. If somebody had a doubt, that's their problem. We all believe that we can do it. For me, nothing's changed. I cannot try to stop the puck harder. I can still continue to do the same things, still being positive, because if you come in and be a good person, I feel good things happen to good people and we are good people in here, so we deserve this. For me it's just the winning mentality. My goal is just to let one goal less than the other guy that's on the other side of the rink."
He did just that in posting his second shutout of the series, extremely impressive when you consider this was the 28-year-old's first opportunity in the playoffs. Oh, and he didn't have a shutout in the regular season despite having the second-most games allowing two goals or fewer (behind Vasilevskiy).
In all, he stopped 148 of the 158 shots he faced. There were a couple of fluke goals, one he misplayed behind the net in Game 4, and another that bounced off the glass behind him, took a crazy carom and found it's way behind him in Game 5. He brushed those gaffes aside as flawlessly as he did Pittsburgh shots in Game 6.
@danvladar you are a BAAADDDDD man!!
"I think just his character after both those losses, his mindset and he's a leader for this team," said defenseman Travis Sanheim of Vladar's resiliency. "He has been all year. You just knew he was going to step up and play a great game. I'm not sure we thought he was going to play that well. We needed him a lot there, especially in overtime they were pushing. He was great for us and really happy for him."
After York got the game-winner, the arena expectedly erupted. Players flew off the bench to join in the celebration along the boards after York threw his stick into the stands. Vladar raised his hands in triumph, saluting towards the crowd as he made his way over to the celebration.
"You saw in overtime it was just so back and forth, Grade A chances both ways," said York. "It just felt like nothing was going to get past Vlady. We all felt that. We just needed one good, decent look and we were able to capitalize. He was unbelievable for us tonight. Just so many Grade A chances that they had and he just stood tall for us. Can't say enough about him."
No one could. It was exactly the type of effort you need from a goalie when the other play around isn't really on par to clinch a series.
WHAT A SERIES FOR DAN VLADAR pic.twitter.com/xMhjScjMHg
"How do you not love the guy," said Tocchet of his goalie. "He's like, 'Ah, I should have had this goal.' Blaming himself when it's not his fault. That's what he does, he's taking the bullet for some guys and for the team and taking the bullet for me. We love the guy. He was great all series. He was great all year. He was phenomenal tonight for us.
"You can't play this brand of hockey, can't do rope-a-dope all the time. When you don't have your A-game, you got to have your B-game, and I thought that they played a really good B-game."
They played it in front of a goalie that had even more than his A game. And now with a series coming up against the heavily favored Carolina Hurricanes, they'll need more of it from Vladar.
"Guys are fighting for every inch," said Sanheim, who logged over 31 minutes of ice time in the clincher. "You know what's at stake and what's on the line. Nobody wanted to be the guy that made the mistake. With that comes solid defensive play and both teams weren't giving a whole lot. Both goaltenders were great. We're really happy we found a way to get that win."
And glad that they have a goalie who will give them a puncher's chance as the playoffs move on.
