Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar fires back at doubters after clinching playoff berth

The Philadelphia Flyers took a 3-2 shootout victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night. The victory clinched the Flyers’ first playoff berth since 2020, as the team will finish third in the Metropolitan Division.

As the building erupted in celebration, Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar took time to speak with NBC Sports on the bench and fire back at doubters, according to a video posted by the team’s account on X (formerly Twitter).

“We just proved everybody wrong,” an excited Vladar said.

Vladar made a massive impact on the game. After giving up two goals in the first period, he would not allow another puck to find the back of the net. Overall, he stopped 24 of 26 shots in regulation and overtime, giving the Flyers a chance to tie the game and force overtime. Still, the team needed the win to clinch a playoff spot. The Czech netminder then stopped the first three shots in the shootout, before Tyson Foerster beat Brandon Bussi in the fourth round. Alexander Nikishin then had the chance to tie the game for the Hurricanes, but Vladar turned away the shot, winning the game.

It is a surprising turnaround for a team not expected to compete this year, and some analysts saw the team as an afterthought in the Eastern Conference, such as Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.

“The most that the Flyers can hope for this season is the continued progress of its young players as new coach Rick Tocchet power-drills fundamentals into them. They’re going to be a tough out and fun to watch, depending on how much time Trevor Zegras and Matvei Michkov are given to create content. But the Flyers aren’t likely to grab too many headlines in Philadelphia this season. The Jalen Hurts discourse can continue, uninterrupted,” Wyshynski wrote before the start of the season.

Vladar, who joined the squad as a free agent ahead of the year, helped prove him, and many others, wrong.

The Flyers are now 42-27-12 on the year, and will host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night in the regular season finale. They will then prepare to face their cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, slated to start on Saturday.

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