Joseph Woll’s 28-save shutout sends Flyers past Bruins as Michkov strikes early

Two goals, three periods, no comeback window

The first swing came fast. Michkov opened the scoring at 4:02 of the first period with a backhand, set up by Porter Martone and Helge Grans, and that single play gave Philadelphia something precious in a low-scoring game: scoreboard control. Nothing else went in during the second period, so Boston spent most of the night chasing a one-goal deficit without ever getting the reset of an equalizer.

The game did not truly change shape again until 2:57 of the third, when Knuble finished a backhand of his own off helpers from Jacob Gaucher and Jett Luchanko. That made it 2-0 and turned every Bruins push into a must-score-twice problem. In a matchup where both clubs finished with 28 shots, the scoring timeline mattered every bit as much as the final totals.

Boston still had enough goaltending to stay alive, and DiPietro deserves mention for that. He stopped 26 of 28 for a .929 save percentage, which is usually enough to keep a team competitive. The Bruins were competitive. They just never found the finishing touch that matched Philadelphia’s two decisive moments.

Woll’s blank sheet had plenty of support

Woll was the headline performance, because a shutout against 28 shots leaves no room for a soft goal or a brief lapse. Boston had three power-play opportunities and still came away empty. When the opposing goalie closes the door that completely, the margin for error on the other side gets very small very quickly.

Philadelphia’s defense made the night sturdier in front of him. Cam York led the way with five blocked shots, Simon Benoit added two blocks and three hits, and the heavy-minute group carried a large share of the work: Travis Sanheim skated 26:03, York 24:23, Rasmus Ristolainen 23:22 and Jamie Drysdale 22:34. Those numbers do not prove territorial dominance, but they do show where the Flyers leaned when Boston kept the game close.

The Flyers also handled one of the game’s quieter battlegrounds a little better. They won 57.1 percent of the faceoffs to Boston’s 42.9, with Christian Dvorak finishing at 83.3 percent and Sean Couturier at 71.4. In a game that stayed 1-0 for so long, those extra possessions mattered. Philadelphia did not need a flood of offense; it needed enough control to preserve the lead it had built early.

Our take: Boston left itself too little room

Our take: this was not a night to say Boston failed to show up. The Bruins matched Philadelphia in shots, and individual volume was there from James Hagens with five shots, Dans Locmelis with four, and Michael Eyssimont and Charlie McAvoy with three apiece. The better criticism is narrower and more useful: Boston generated attempts, but not the kind of finishing that could turn an even-shot game into an even-score game.

Our take: the Bruins can help themselves first by trimming the puck management problems that show up in 26 giveaways against just one takeaway. In a 2-0 game with identical shot totals, handing possession back that often is a hard way to live. The power play belongs in the same sentence. Boston went 0-for-3, so the chances that should have tilted the evening instead disappeared without a goal.

Philadelphia should enjoy the shutout and still see the rough edges. The Flyers were also loose with the puck at times, finishing with 24 giveaways, and their own power play went 0-for-2. They took four penalties for 11 minutes, which handed Boston three opportunities with the extra skater. On this night, Woll and the two finishers covered for it. Another night, cleaner discipline and fewer wasted possessions would make a result like this feel less narrow and more dependable.

Scoring moments

1. 1st · 4:02

   Matvei Michkov Goal (1) Backhand, assists: Porter Martone (1), Helge Grans (1)

2. 3rd · 2:57

   Cole Knuble Goal (2) Backhand, assists: Jacob Gaucher (1), Jett Luchanko (3)