The Philadelphia Flyers played a gutsy game on Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton dominated most of the game, with the lopsided 25-11 shot count after 40 minutes underscoring the Oilers’ dominance.
But the Flyers came out and played a fantastic third period. Philly outshot the Oilers 9-5 and had the Western Conference champions on their heels the entire period.
Then, with less than 30 seconds to go, the Wells Fargo Center erupted as it appeared Travis Konecny had scored the go-ahead goal. The goal was the result of the Flyers’ hard work and tenacity throughout the night.
But there was a brief pause amid the Flyers’ celebration on the ice. The goal underwent review, with the play deemed offside.
Check out the play here:
The image shows both of Owen Tippett’s feet over the blue line before the puck entered the zone. It’s a bit of a grey area as the puck appears to touch the blue line. That situation would have allowed the play to continue.
However, the Situation Room believed the play was indeed offside, leading the Flyers’ go-ahead goal to be called back.
The game went to overtime with Jack Roslovic ending the night with his fourth of the season. While the Flyers got a point out of the game, it’s a tough pill to swallow nonetheless. Philly got a much-deserved goal, which, unfortunately, got called back on a technicality.
Flyers goalie Dan Vladar continues to shine in the crease. He made 30 saves on the night, keeping Philadelphia in the game the entire night.
The early onslaught from the Oilers kept the Flyers on their heels for the first period and most of the second. While Philly found its footing later in the second period, the game was clearly tilted in Edmonton’s favor.
If it hadn’t been for Vladar’s strong outing, the game could have easily been a blowout. It’s also worth pointing out that the Oilers did their best to crash the Flyers’ net. Two incidents, one involving Curtis Lazar and the other Trent Frederic, proved the Oilers were out to knock Vladar out of the way.
The Lazar incident saw the Oilers’ depth forward land on Vladar’s hand. The Flyers’ goalie was in visible pain but was ultimately fine. The collision was more the result of incidental contact than anything else.
But it was Frederic’s intentional collision in the third period that led to a major scuffle around the Flyers’ crease. Frederic ended up getting the gate for interference on Vladar. Meanwhile, the Flyers’ netminder got called for roughing as his frustration boiled over.
The Flyers must be more protective of their goalie moving forward. An injury to Vladar at this point could put the Flyers in an even tougher spot.
The Denver Broncos received tough news Friday afternoon.
As NBC Sports noted, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that running back J.K. Dobbins will amiss Sunday’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs due to a significant foot injury.
Rapoport added that Dobbins is “believed to be out for the foreseeable future.”
His placement on injured reserve remains a real possibility as the team evaluates its options.
“Dobbins is still working through options, and while there is no final determination, IR remains a possibility,” Rapoport said.
The report came from himself and Tom Pelissero.
The development marks a quick escalation from earlier in the week, when Dobbins missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practices.
At that point, the team had not revealed the full severity of the injury.
Dobbins’ injury stems from a hip-drop tackle last Thursday against the Raiders, a play that left him frustrated enough to take to X and call for the move to be banned.
Dobbins ranks fifth in the NFL with 772 rushing yards and has been a huge part of Denver’s offense so far this season.
While Dobbins has officially been ruled out for Week 11, the next major decision comes quickly.
The Broncos must determine by Saturday afternoon whether to place him on injured reserve.
If he is moved to IR before Sunday, the Chiefs game will count toward a required four-game absence.
Placing Dobbins on IR would sideline him for matchups against the Chiefs, Commanders, Raiders, and Packers.
He would be eligible to return Week 16 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Head coach Sean Payton acknowledged that discussions are ongoing.
“Nothing has been decided yet, and at some point there will be more clarity with him and some of these other players,” Payton said earlier this week.
Denver’s Week 12 bye gives the team a small cushion, but if the injury is significant enough to keep him out multiple weeks, the IR designation becomes more likely.
“With JK Dobbins potentially headed to Injured Reserve, all eyes turn to RJ Harvey,” Rapoport said.
RJ Harvey has already flashed his dynamic potential in limited work.
Payton praised Harvey’s running style, durability, and readiness to step into a larger role:
“When we drafted him, it was his running skillset, and he had a lot of touches at Central Florida,” Payton said.
“You are starting to see him grow in front of our eyes, and he will have more opportunities in this game.”
Tyler Badie will likely mix in as a third down guy, while Jaleel McLaughlin could be active as well.
Sunday’s divisional matchup against the Chiefs carries major playoff implications for both teams and Harvey has a huge opportunity to step up and flourish in the RB1 role.