The Philadelphia Flyers returned from a four-day break, back home and playing the St. Louis Blues for the second time in just under a week.

Things didn't get off to an ideal start for the Flyers, but if this group has developed one reliable habit, it’s refusing to let an imperfect start dictate the ending. Down 2–0, the Flyers clawed back—first through Rodrigo Abols, then Tyson Foerster—before Travis Sanheim capped things off in overtime with a shot that sent the building into a collective exhale.

1. A Pattern They Don’t Want, but Know How to Handle

The Flyers admitted postgame that the opening half was not what they envisioned after four full days between games. St. Louis dictated the early pace, attacked the middle of the ice, and built a 2–0 lead in a way that felt uncomfortably familiar—clean entries, net pressure, and the Flyers a half-step behind on retrievals. For a team that spent days drilling intensity and physicality into their practice habits, the first period felt out of sync with the intention.

But here’s the thing about this group: even when the start is rough, the response is never passive.

Once the Flyers got through their early miscues, the second period carried a noticeable shift in tempo. More puck support, more structure, and more engagement in battles along the boards. They started generating zone time—real, layered, sustained zone time—and the game eventually tilted. It wasn’t always clean, and it wasn’t always pretty, but it was incremental progress within the game itself, something they’ve grown surprisingly good at.

Sanheim told media postgame, "It's not the start you wanted. In saying that, you have four days off. It takes a little bit to get your mind and your legs back into. I thought we started to find our game toward the second half."

Nick Seeler echoed the sentiment, calling this result "another resilient win for us," one that they "need to build on and continue to work at those first-period starts."

2. Dan Vladar Keeps Them in It With Some of His Most Acrobatic Work Yet

The storyline doesn’t work without Dan Vladar, who delivered another sharp performance to keep the Flyers in this game.

Vladar’s best moments came in those scrambles: sprawling back-door stops, lateral slides through traffic, and a couple of saves where the mechanics mattered less than the refusal to concede the goal.

The Blues’ early push could have easily turned 2–0 into something insurmountable. Vladar made sure it didn’t.

Dan Vladař v prodloužení podržel svůj tým, aby o minutu později Travis Sanheim vystřelil výhru pro @NHLFlyers. 🔥#LetsGoFlyers#Vladarpic.twitter.com/cY0Bw0TECH

— NHL Česko (@NHLcz) November 21, 2025

3. Travis Sanheim’s OT Winner Caps Another Resilient Night for Him

If Travis Sanheim didn’t want to wait for the committee to decide whether he’s playing like an Olympic-caliber defenseman, he gave his own argument in overtime.

The winner was a product of patience and confidence: Sanheim got the puck, realized how much space he had to go forward, and then finished with conviction. It was calm but assertive—exactly the tone he’s been setting in his game.

SANNY ENDS IT IN STYLE. #PHIvsSTL | @fwwebbpic.twitter.com/ncYywkM6AI

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 21, 2025

His season has been full of these moments: leadership by presence, and a steadiness that lets him punch above his narrative weight. As the Flyers continue to navigate inconsistent portions of their lineup, Sanheim’s reliability (and occasional game-breaking contributions) have become a foundational part of why they stay competitive in tight games.

4. The Flyers Can’t Keep Doing This—But They Also Keep Figuring It Out

No team wants a reputation built around digging out of early holes, especially not after a four-day break intended to reset habits and sharpen attention. 

But the resilience is real. And in overtime, where the Flyers have been unexpectedly comfortable this season, they once again showed the ability to elevate their pace and execution under pressure.

Goals from Rodrigo Abols and Tyson Foerster prove that every single line is ready to fire, and when one guy breaks through, the floodgates seem to open. And against a stubborn, structured Blues team—one they’ve now beaten twice in less than two weeks—they've once again shown that they're building four lines that are always ready for battle.

Another comeback. Another overtime. Another sign that the Flyers have a backbone they can lean on, even when their best hockey takes a period or so to find