Mar 5, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen (55) and defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) against the Utah Mammoth during the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
VOORHEES, N.J. — Neither Travis Sanheim nor Rasmus Ristolainen won gold at the Winter Olympics, but they did take home something far more important from the best-on-best tournament.
Perspective.
Both played very well, Sanheim for Team Canada and Ristolainen for Team Finland, and playing at that level and that pace for three weeks, the duo realized that once they got back stateside, they needed to play with the same intensity, same heaviness and same discipline within the team structure to help the Flyers take one final kick at the making-the-playoffs can.
They did, and boy, did it help.
The top defensive pairing for the Flyers, the two played 25 games together after the Olympics. Sanheim averaged 25:40 of ice time. Ristolainen averaged 22:30.
Combined they posted 21 points and were a plus-24.
Plus/minus is not always a good measure, so let's look a little deeper. Sanheim and Ristolainen played 400 minutes together over the final 25 games of the season (not including the last game against Montreal where they were both out of the lineup).
Their expected goals for percentage (xGF%) over those 25 games at 5on-5 hockey was 54.34 when paired together. Ninth-best in the NHL among pairs with at least 300 minutes played together.
They've also been able to contribute offensively as well. Sanheim has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in those 25 games while Ristolainen has eight points (all assists).
Putting the two together has been a big part of the Flyers being one of the better defensive teams in the league entering the postseason.
"I feel like that's where my season turned around, too" Ristolainen said of his Olympic experience. "I got a lot of confidence playing against the best players in the world and it went pretty well, so, obviously that helped."
Men's hockey begins today at the Winter Olympics #MilanoCortina2026
Team Canada: Travis Sanheim & Rick Tocchet
Team Czechia: Dan Vladar
Team Finland: Rasmus Ristolainen pic.twitter.com/3QzFQrbpHQ
Playing with Sanheim, though, also helped. They are two players with similar skill sets in that that are both big, hard to get around, can skate, and move the puck well.
Sanheim has more of an offensive flair than Ristolainen, but that's quite alright for the big Finn, who is just excited to finally be playing in the playoffs.
Ristolainen had the longest active streak of games played (820) without making an appearance in the playoffs, spanning 13 seasons.
It's the third-longest streak in NHL history behind Jeff Skinner (1,078) and Ron Hainsey (907).
"I'm really happy for him," Sanheim said. "He's waited a long time. I think when he came here initially, he probably thought it would happen a lot sooner. So, I'm just really happy for him to get the opportunity. Just the style of game he plays, I think it really fits the playoffs and I'm really looking forward to playing with him and seeing how he does."
Sanheim, too, cashed in on the Olympic experience. Brought to Milan as the seventh defenseman for Canada, Sanheim was thrust into regular duty after an injury to Josh Morrisey in Canada's first game.
He felt the experience was just what the doctor ordered for the pairing once they returned to the Flyers.
"Understanding the level that was needed over there and then coming back here, it really benefitted us," Sanheim said. "It has allowed us to kind of stay at that level and try to play a well-rounded game."
For his part, Tocchet has loved what he's seen out of the pair, who he actually started giving a look in some games prior to the Olympic break as well.
This moment is so awesome. Travis Sanheim sprinting to Sean Couturier, one of the two guys on this team to make it 6 years ago with him. Jamie Drysdale tackling Cam York as they go for the first time in their careers. These guys care. They’re hungry. I’m so Flyer’d up right now. pic.twitter.com/q5X1tF1R9W
"I think it's been huge," Tocchet said. "They're tough to get around - in the corners, in front of the net. They're big guys and when they play big like that, it wears the other teams down. ... And they're mobile. They can make plays. That's the key. They don't just rip pucks. They both can skate and it's hard to find big guys who can skate."
The duo will be tasked with shutting down a potent Pittsburgh offense and occasionally, a lethal Penguins power play.
Yes, they're long in the tooth, but Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and offensively gifted defensemen like Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson are still very dangerous. Throw in an Anthony Mantha, who came out of nowhere to score 33 goals this season and solid support players like Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell, and there's a lot to be worried about in this matchup.
But both Sanheim and Ristolainen are up for the task and want to be the duo that the Flyers can count on to pull of the franchise's first playoff series win outside of the Covid bubble since 2012.
"I believe I'm at my best the bigger the game is," Ristolainen said. "The bigger the stage is you have those good nerves and the excitement and it's different when you play meaningful games. I'm very excited."
