3 Takeaways From Flyers’ Needed 6-3 Win Over Mammoth

For kids who didn’t want to put away their Halloween costumes or stop eating candy, October could’ve lasted a little bit longer. For the Philadelphia Flyers, the month couldn’t have ended soon enough.

Philadelphia’s .357 points percentage was the third-lowest in the NHL. It was their worst mark since a .344% performance in March 2025, a spiral that helped sink them to the Eastern Conference cellar by the end of the season. It could be a turning point not just this season, but in the success (or lack thereof) of their current long-term vision.

There’s only one way to avoid that: play like they did to start November for the rest of this season. The Flyers opened the new month looking like a new team. Facing a strong Utah Mammoth side, the Flyers opened the scoring and didn’t let a quick equalizer faze them. They finished with a season-high six goals, enough for a convincing victory. For at least one game, their early-season ghosts are in the rearview mirror.

Answering Their Call

Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals certainly confirmed the Flyers hadn’t figured things out during their three-game win streak. The team made it clear they saw it that way, from Sean Couturier calling the team “soft” to Nick Seeler stumping for a more team-first style, to Rick Tocchet more or less agreeing with their assessments.

The Flyers didn’t exactly come out of the gates guns blazing on Sunday afternoon. They had only two high-danger chances in the first period and took the only two penalties. It probably should’ve been 0-0, but friendly bounces both ways 1:34 apart left it tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.

It was a decent period, but the Flyers upped their game in the second. They outshot the Mammoth 9-5, collected 56 percent of the 5-on-5 expected goals (per Natural Stat Trick), and drew the only penalty. That work turned into two goals, putting them in a good spot with 20 minutes to go.

What really stood out, though, was how they started the third period. Even when the Flyers had chances to win early in the season, they often seemed to play more “not to lose” hockey than truly push for a win. For example, after erasing a 2-0 deficit early in the third period against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 13, the Flyers were outshot 6-0 in the final 10:43 of regulation and 5-0 in overtime before falling in the shootout.

This time, the Flyers added to their lead right away. Christian Dvorak ripped in a shot from the slot just 62 seconds into the period, giving Philadelphia its first three-goal lead of the season. That quickly became four when an equally open Oliver Bonk gained attention by unloading a slapshot for his second career NHL goal and first of the 2026-27 campaign. Rather than sweat through the final 20 minutes, the Flyers grabbed full control with two goals in the first 5:35 of the frame.

Flirting with Fright

That control became somewhat tenuous down the stretch. The Flyers did start to sit back at 5-on-5 in the back half of the frame, but almost every NHL team does that when leading by four goals. What most teams don’t do, however, is take three penalties in that situation, providing the Mammoth a lane to rally.

Sure enough, Utah eventually capitalized on Philadelphia’s discipline issues. The Flyers finished minus-three on power-play chances, 5-2, tying their worst mark of the season in their second game. Across the league this season, only 10 teams have finished with a worse penalty differential, going 4-5-1 in those games.

After killing each of the first three penalties, Utah went back-to-back on a Mikhail Sergachev one-timer and a Logan Cooley rebound goal. Given how much has gone wrong for the Flyers this season, it would be understandable if Cooley’s marker sparked legitimate fear that they may find a way to blow their lead.

The Flyers righted the ship quickly without much more angst after that. For how little they’ve had the puck this season, it’s a bit impressive the Flyers entered this game plus-one in power-play differential for the season. But they’re underwater after this game, and got a reminder of what can happen if their composure slips.

A Needed Boost

The Flyers can’t use injuries to excuse their atrocious start to the 2026-27 season. But they can hope that getting healthy will help them turn things around.

After Cam York returned two games ago, the Flyers’ forward core returned to full strength on Tuesday. Travis Konecny, out since Oct. 8, and Owen Tippett, sidelined since Oct. 15, both returned to the ice against Utah. Konecny has led the team in scoring the last five seasons, and Tippett has been top three in three of his four full seasons in Philadelphia.

Konecny certainly made a difference in his first game back. He was a bit fortunate to score his first goal of the season on what may not have been an intentional bank shot off Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka’s skate to start the second period. However, he deserves plenty of credit for spotting Dvorak for the 4-1 goal early in the third. He also brought plenty of physical play, finishing tied for second on the team with four hits and unsurprisingly sparking a second-period scrum. He finished with a solid 51.15% xG mark, too.

Tippett was a bit rustier, but did showcase his trademark straight-line speed on a couple of occasions. But he’s still a welcome presence back in Philadelphia’s lineup, helping push Cole Knuble (who scored the empty-netter) and Noel Acciari back to the fourth line after both auditioned on the top line while he and Konecny were sidelined.

What’s Next

The Flyers have a road-heavy November slate, with 60 percent of their 15 games this month on the road. After hosting the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, the Flyers travel for eight of their next 10, starting with a five-game road trip beginning at Madison Square Garden before heading to Western Canada.

Tuesday’s game will look new, however. The NHL is announcing its new set of jersey designs, branded Hometown Remix, on Monday. A Liberty Bell alternate logo on the team’s draft room floor in June seems likely to be included in at least some part of Philadelphia’s design, as it was displayed on the video boards outside Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday promoting the game.