Apr 20, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York (8) moves the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Bryan Rust (17) during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
PITTSBURGH -- There have been so many great storylines for the Flyers through their first two playoff wins in Pittsburgh.
Whether it's been 19-year-old phenom Porter Martone being the first teenager in NHL history to score game-winning goals in his first two playoff games, or it's been the surprising efficiency of the team's penalty kill, or the commitment to playing a more physical, more nasty, more uncomfortable brand of hockey, or even Dan Vladar finally getting his first Flyers shutout in the playoffs, there's been more than enough talking points to go around.
But there are some unheralded players, too. Guys who have put the work boots on and done a job and not gotten much love.
Cam York is at the top of that list.
When you think of the Flyers penalty kill, you think of the forwards and you usually think of the big, physical defenseman, like Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler.
York doesn't immediately come to mind, but he's a key cog on that kill.
In Game 1, he led the team in shorthanded ice time at 2:49. In Game 2 he was second (4:31) only to Travis Sanheim (4:56).
And York has been eating up a lot of minutes. The Flyers have been leaning heavily on their top four defensemen so far this series. Seeler has been getting average minutes almost as a rotational guy, but the No. 6 defenseman - Emil Andrae in Game 1 and Noah Juulsen in Game 2, have gotten limited minutes.
York has played 45:28 across the two games, and is a plus-2 with six hits and four blocked shots.
On top of that, according to HockeyStatCards York was the Flyers most impactful player in Game 1:
NHL Game Score Impact Card for Philadelphia Flyers on 2026-04-18: pic.twitter.com/NDJA7MS6dX
And he was among the best in Game 2:
NHL Game Score Impact Card for Philadelphia Flyers on 2026-04-20: pic.twitter.com/RkHitelAh8
York hasn't found his way on the scoresheet, but that doesn't mean he hasn't had a large bite of the playoff apple so far. Sometimes, your best defensive players are hardly noticed with the eye test. York has flown under the radar so far.
That said, the Flyers are crossing their fingers that he's O.K. physically. He took a puck to the ribs and has been dealing with that injury, but playing through it. Additionally, he seemed to get sucker punched in the chops by Kris Letang near the end of Game 2 and it looked like it stung a bit. He'll likely play through it, even if he's got a sore jaw, but they need him to keep playing the way he did in the first two games of the series, because he's been a difference maker, even if he's been overlooked.
Since Feb. 26 the Flyers are 13-2-0 on the road.
That's an almost unfathomable statistic. But it's true.
And in those 15 games they have a goal differential of plus-23 (58-35).
How did the Flyers suddenly become the best road team in the sport? It's hard to put too fine a point on the reason, but one thing is for certain, they were much happier to have to start this playoff run away from home. That's not a slight to the fans in Philadelphia at all. It's just that this group of Flyers seems to do a really good job of focusing on the task at hand when they travel together and can focus solely on their job and not any extra life stuff that sometimes gets in the way.
"I honestly was thinking about that a little bit," Noah Cates said before Game 2. "Just get away from home and have that first (playoff) experience here on the road with less noise around. It's just easier on the road with food and things like that. You just kind of show up and play and go to work. I definitely have thought about it and it's a huge thing.
"But, you know, when we get home, it'll be fun."
And there's no doubt that now that the series shifts back to Philadelphia that Xfinity Mobile Arena is going to be berserk. Fans have waited eight years just to see a Flyers playoff game, 10 years just to see a playoff win, and 14 years just to see a Flyers series win in person. The first of those things will happen Wednesday. Both of the others could happen by the weekend. There's been a lot of losing in between, so the opportunity to see those demons exorcised is going to have the building in a state of frenzy and euphoria it has likely never experienced in the 30 years since it was constructed.
And those experiences wouldn't be possible had the Flyers not started out away from home and been so good at hockey when they are.
When the Flyers claimed Luke Glendening off of waivers from the New Jersey Devils in early March, it was an unheralded move. But the Flyers knew that if they wanted to get where they are right now, they'd have to improve in the faceoff circle.
Glendening has a history of being a good faceoff guy (55.6% win rate in his career), especially on right circle draws. His addition helped down the stretch as he won 57.2% of his faceoff in 18 games with the Flyers. But now, in the playoffs, he and Sean Couturier are wining a lot of key faceoffs to control puck possession.
It was especially so in Game 2, where Couturier specifically won 13 of 18 draws (72%).
Empty net goal for Philadelphia!
Scored by Luke Glendening with 02:05 remaining in the 3rd period.
Assisted by Sean Couturier and Garnet Hathaway.
Pittsburgh: 0
Philadelphia: 3#PHIvsPIT #LetsGoPens #IgniteTheOrange pic.twitter.com/Y10FS0oAR1
It's why even though the duo are considered part of the Flyers "fourth line" they actually play a lot more than that. In Game 2, Couturier skated 16:30, third among all Flyers forwards. Glendening's 12:56 ranked eighth among forwards. These are far more meaningful minutes than most fourth liners have in playoff games.
"I would say they've been one of the most impactful lines," said Travis Konecny. "If you looking at [Martone's] goal [in Game 2] that whole shift was set up by them. They've been giving us key penalty killing minutes, shot blocking ... it's a calming feeling when you see them doing the right things. It'll settle us down in certain moments. They're really leading the charge right now. They're doing a great job. Those are the guys you want to lean on. They got the experience and when they settle the game down, everyone falls in line."
The "third line" didn't get a lot of ice time in the third period. Well, the wingers didn't, at least.
Noah Cates still got a regular shift, but both Matvei Michkov and Denver Barkey were rooted to the bench for much of the period. Barkey's had a few good shifts across the first two games, but the Penguins have done their best to manhandle the diminutive winger, making it tough sledding for him on the ice.
Meanwhile Michkov hasn't looked good at all across the two games. He hasn't had the chronic turnovers, but he's had a couple of clearing attempts that he couldn't get the puck out of the zone, forcing his team to be hemmed in to their own end for extended shifts. He also has seemed reluctant to drive to the net, settling for shots from distance. And when he has the puck, he seems to hold onto it a bit too long looking for himself to create an opportunity rather than keep the puck moving and see if his teammates can help create time and space for chances to arise.
Michkov played just 9:32 in Game 2 and Barkey a mere 8:53.
While it's doubtful coach Rick Tocchet would scratch Michkov, even if it's worth considering, it is worth wondering if Alex Bump gets a shot to crack the lineup on home ice in place of Barkey in Game 3 on Wednesday.
