What Happened
Carter Yakemchuk's first career regular-season goal came on the power play with seven minutes remaining in regulation, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving the Ottawa Senators a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. Nick Cousins had opened the scoring at even strength midway through the first period, tipping a Tyler Kleven shot past Joseph Woll. Philadelphia answered in the second period on the power play. Ottawa improved to 3-1-0, while the Flyers fell to 0-3-2.
Key Details
- Yakemchuk's game-winner came with seven minutes left in regulation; he debuted in the NHL in last spring's playoffs.
- Linus Ullmark made 29 saves for Ottawa; Joseph Woll stopped 24 shots for Philadelphia.
- Matvei Michkov scored Philadelphia's goal after a Trevor Zegras shot squeezed through Ullmark's pads.
- William Eklund left in the first period after a hit into the boards by Simon Benoit and did not return.
- Ottawa went 0-for-4 on first-period power plays, managing five shots on goal with the man advantage.
- The game opened a stretch of three games in four nights for Philadelphia.
What It Means
The result keeps Ottawa's strong start intact at 3-1-0 and gives the Senators a young scorer to build around in Yakemchuk, whose first regular-season goal decided a tight game. For Philadelphia, the loss deepens a winless opening stretch at 0-3-2, with the team still searching for its first victory. The Eklund injury adds concern for a Flyers group already facing a compressed schedule of three games in four nights.
What's Next
Philadelphia continues its busy stretch with three games in four nights, while Ottawa looks to build on a 3-1-0 start. Eklund's status will be worth monitoring after he left with a leg issue and did not return.