Martone wins it in OT with 1st goal, Flyers defeat Bruins to move into playoff spot

PHILADELPHIA -- Porter Martone scored his first NHL goal at 2:31 of overtime for the Philadelphia Flyers, who moved into third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 2-1 victory against the Boston Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sunday.

Martone scored on his own rebound in front while on a 5-on-3 power play. The play started when Trevor Zegras passed to Christian Dvorak at the left side of the net, where he fed Martone in front. The forward stuck with it when his first shot was blocked, putting the second chance away by tucking the puck around Bruins goalie Joonas Korpisalo's left pad.

"'Devo' made a good play to me in the middle, and just buried the rebound," Martone said. "To see that crowd pop, that's a big two points for us."

Martone signed a three-year, entry-level contract on March 29, and in the week since then has played four games in the middle of a playoff push. He got his first NHL point on an assist against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, and the 19-year-old became the first player in Flyers history to score his first NHL goal in overtime.

"It's awesome, especially for it to come in that way too, overtime winner as your first NHL goal," Martone said. "It's pretty special. I think just continue to keep playing my game. ... You want to get a lot of chances and my linemates have been setting me up great, and it's nice to see that one go in."

Martone also had an assist, and Dvorak had a goal and an assist for Philadelphia (39-26-12), which is 14-6-1 in 21 games since the break for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Dan Vladar made 18 saves.

It's the first time the Flyers are in a playoff spot since Jan. 12. They are one point ahead of the New York Islanders, who have played one more game, and two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"There's a lot of growth," Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. "I think the team's done a great job since training camp. A little bit of a roller coaster sometimes, but for the most part, this team has stuck together all year. Really proud of them."

Pavel Zacha scored and Korpisalo made 29 saves for Boston (43-26-9), which has lost three straight, including 3-1 at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.

The Bruins hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

"A huge point for us," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. "Guys battled back. We wanted to have a power-play goal in the third and we did. 'Korpi' made some great saves. Unfortunate there in OT, but we'll definitely take that point."

Martone did his own setup work on Dvorak's goal that gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead at 4:19 of the first period. He played a puck off the boards between his legs to send Dvorak and Travis Konecny off on a 2-on-1 rush. Dvorak kept the puck and snapped a shot past Korpisalo's glove from the right face-off circle.

"Not an easy play at all," Dvorak said. "And straight on my tape, I (didn't) even have to move my stick. A high hockey IQ play. Very smart player. Those are big plays and he was a massive difference maker for us tonight.

"He's a confident kid, confident player. And that's what you need in this League. So it's been fun to watch, fun to play with him. And he's only going to get better."

In four games since his debut March 31, Martone has three points (one goal, two assists) and leads the NHL with 20 shots on goal. 

"Awesome," Flyers forward Noah Cates said. "He's helped us. That's the biggest thing this time of year, and especially for a younger kid, to come in and help us, bring energy. It's huge for us. For him to keep going and get one and get confidence, it's been big for us."

Just 35 seconds into the third period, Zacha tied it 1-1 with a power-play goal. Vladar stopped David Pastrnak's one-timer from the left side, but the puck landed just outside the post to his right. Casey Mittelstadt centered it to Zacha, who lifted it over a fallen Vladar from the top of the crease.

"He (Mittelstadt) looked at me quick," Zacha said. "He's a great passer. He could have probably scored himself but he gave it to me. It was a nice play by him."

NOTES: At 19 years, 161 days old, Martone is the second-youngest player in NHL history to have his first NHL goal come in overtime. Alexis Lafreniere was 19 years, 109 days old when he scored for the New York Rangers on Jan. 28, 2021. Martone is also the fourth teenager to score his first NHL goal in overtime, along with Luke Hughes (19 years, 216 days on April 13, 2023) and Cody Ceci (19 years, 360 days on Dec. 16, 2013). ... Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei had one shot on goal and three blocked shots in 16:16 of ice time in his return after missing four games because of an upper-body injury. ... Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov became the ninth Russia-born defenseman to play 800 NHL games.