O&B Puckcast Episode #296 Flyers Are Playoff Bound! with Bill Meltzer

The 2026 Philadelphia Flyers have reached the NHL postseason for the first time in six years. Isaiah, Chef, and Dan are joined by Bill Meltzer (flyers.nhl.com, hockeyhotstove.com) to break down how the Flyers went from a 3.8% playoff probability one month ago to finishing with 98 points and securing third place in the Metropolitan Division, setting up a first-round matchup with their archrival, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The panel examines how the Flyers turned a season that once looked headed for the draft lottery into a remarkable comeback, highlighting key turning points, coaching decisions, and the factors that reshaped expectations for the franchise. Central to the surge were the unexpected return of Tyson Foerster, the emergence of young contributors such as Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, and Jamie Drysdale, and the steady presence of team MVP Dan Vladar in goal. In the show's final segment, Anthony DiMarco of DailyFaceoff.com joins to provide his insider perspective on how the Flyers pulled it off, the league-wide reaction to their surge, and what to expect in the playoff series against Pittsburgh. He also breaks down the matchups and offers his predictions alongside the panel.   Photo credit: Michael Reaves   Catch the Puckcast livestream on YouTube, X and Facebook, crafted for Flyers Faithful. Like, subscribe, and join the conversation! #NHL #Flyers   Follow the show on social media X and Bluesky: @oandbpuck GETTR: @oandbpuckcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/@obpuckcast4794?si=hNETQYvbte8vPvG8   Subscribe to our show on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Tune In, Deezer, Amazon Audible+ (5 star ratings on Apple are always appreciated 😃 )   Please Support Our Sponsors!k   Summit Adjustors:  https://summitpublicadjusters.com Jim's South Street: https://jimssouthstreet.com   Affiliations: flyersnittygritty.com and hockeyhotstove.com Hosted by https://libsyn.com/libsyn-podcast-hosting-features/ Advertisers: Contact us at [email protected] or DM us on X.