The Philadelphia Flyers have officially won the Battle of Pennsylvania.
The Flyers eliminated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday night after defenseman Cam York found paydirt 17:32 into overtime, sending a shot from the point off the short-side bar and in past Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs.
York’s goal was the only puck to dent the twine for either team, giving the Flyers a 1-0 win and a 4-2 first-round series victory.
“It means the world,” York said to TNT after the game of winning at home. “These fans have waited so long for us to be a playoff team. To grind one out like that against a really good hockey team, it feels super good. So happy for the guys in that room. We fought all year for this position, and it feels good.”
The goal was York’s first career playoff tally and his first since January 21. Matvei Michkov, who was healthy-scratched in Game 5, was credited with the primary assist.
After York scored, he threw his hockey stick into the crowd as Flyers players mobbed the 25-year-old defenseman down the ice.
“I just tried to put it there,” York said. “We knew that [the goal] was going to be a greasy one, and it felt really good to see that one go in.”
Dan Vladar had 42 saves in the victory and became just the fifth Flyers goaltender in franchise history to post a series-clinching shutout. Brian Boucher, who was a part of TNT’s telecast, was one of the five.
Both Vladar and Silovs combined to make 58 saves to send the 0-0 game into overtime. Vladar stopped all 10 shots he faced to be victorious in OT, including a furious netfront scramble minutes before York’s tally.
Silovs stopped 31 of 32 shots he faced, earning 3rd Star honors.
For the Penguins, the loss ends their season and takes the team into uncertain times. Heading into the offseason, Evgeni Malkin‘s future remains cloudy as the team continues to try to retool around its other aging stars.
“I mean, I hope it’s not over,” Malkin said over the weekend. “I hope we’re still fighting, and my future, like I said, I want to be here. I want to be part of the team next year, too. And I want to be retired in Pittsburgh. But it’s not my choice. It’s Kyle’s decision. It’s the new owner’s, probably, too. But again, I just play my game tomorrow, and I hope it’s not over and we’re back to Pittsburgh because we want to play to our fans, too. They deserve it.”
