Midway via the third interval of what would develop into Dan Vladař’s first profession playoff shutout, the Flyers had been caving in.
They nonetheless led by 2-0 after the second interval, however the vaunted Pittsburgh offense was leaping, closely outshooting the Flyers and at last stepping into its cycle offense.
“They were pressing us,” coach Rick Tocchet mentioned. “For about three or four minutes, [before] we got to the timeout. They were coming in waves at us.”
The man talking up the most at the bench? Vladař.
» READ MORE: Dan Vladař, Flyers take commanding 2-0 series lead behind their first shutout of the season
A variety of goalies choose to keep by their internet to hold centered throughout the timeouts. Many goalies — a notoriously superstitious and internally centered place — don’t even like to discuss to teammates in the locker room on the days they begin a sport. But that’s not Vladař.
“He said, ‘We’re OK,’” Tocchet mentioned. “’Guys, don’t worry about it. Relax.’ He says that, he’s the goalie, he’s getting peppered. It means a lot. Now, guys are like, ‘I’ve got to pick my game up. I’ve got to block a shot for this guy.’”
Monday’s Game 2 was simply the newest instance of Vladař talking up and lifting the room, one thing that Tocchet mentioned a lot of the Flyers haven’t seen from a goalie earlier than.
“I’ve never played with a goalie that’s been that vocal, both on the ice, off the ice. In TV timeouts, he’s always coming by and keeping us going,” winger Owen Tippett mentioned.
Multiple teammates couldn’t even level to a particular second when Vladař rallied the workforce due to how continuously it has occurred over the course of the season.
There’s a lot of perception in the Flyers’ locker room, and Vladař lives it, Jamie Drysdale mentioned. His standard strains are fairly easy, and go one thing like “Boys, believe in here. We’ve fricking got this. We can do it.” That constructive method has labored wonders up to now.
“[Goalies] have a lot to focus on in their own right,” Drysdale mentioned. “Definitely a stressful position. They’re the only goalies on the ice, but the fact that he focuses on that, keeps himself locked in, as well as being a leader in the room, it’s real cool to see.”
As his goalie accomplice, Sam Ersson sees extra of Vladař, 28, than anybody else on the workforce. He’s a bit extra reserved in contrast to Vladař, however the two of them have labored extraordinarily effectively collectively, working to construct one another up and to discuss via objectives and begins.
Even throughout video games, Vladař loves to discuss — principally about hockey, Ersson mentioned. But generally he simply “needs to get something out.”
“He’s just a really positive guy,” Ersson mentioned. “He comes in with a ton of energy every day.”
Vladař, the “backbone” of the Flyers’ unlikely run to the playoffs, mentioned he’s all the time been a goalie who likes to be vocal, however he’s by no means felt as comfy with a workforce as he has with the Flyers. His power has “rubbed off on everyone,” Drysdale mentioned.
As Vladař has gone from third string in Boston to a 1B goalie in Calgary to his first playoff collection as a starter with the Flyers, he has developed the confidence and the expertise to be a vocal chief.
When he signed a two-year,$6.7 million contract in Philadelphia on July 1, he mentioned he was shocked to obtain 15 textual content messages from future Flyers teammates welcoming him to Philly. “That’s not very common, right? But the little things show,” Vladař mentioned.
“Since day one, I felt like I can be myself,” he added. “Whether it was on the ice or off the ice, I just felt really good here. Obviously, when you’re feeling good and you’re excited to be coming to work, whether there’s ups or downs, you’re still enjoying it.”
Vladař’s consolation degree off the ice led to career-best numbers, with the netminder posting a .906 save proportion and a couple of.42 objectives in opposition to mark in 52 video games (51 begins), which was 22 greater than he’d ever performed in a season. Among goalies with 30 begins, Vladař ranked third in objectives in opposition to common, tied for twelfth in save proportion, and was second in high quality begin proportion (.725), which Hockey Reference measures as the proportion of video games that a goalie begins when he completed with a save proportion above the league common (.896). He was additionally tenth amongst goalies in objectives saved above anticipated (13.8), in accordance to Money Puck.
The Flyers’ goaltenders put up a league-worst .879 save proportion and fifth-worst 3.45 goals-against common in 2024-25, sinking any hopes of a playoff push. Vladař, initially signed to be a tandem goalie, has crammed the No. 1 void the Flyers had in internet over the earlier two seasons.
» READ MORE: The inexperienced Flyers stole the Penguins’ will in their Game 2 victory. Now, the series shifts to Philly.
The Czech netminder’s breakout is main to a little bit of awards discuss, even from hockey’s biggest participant ever. Before the playoffs, TNT analyst Wayne Gretzky included him as certainly one of his finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which is given to the league’s finest goalie, and as an honorable point out for the Hart Trophy, or league MVP. Vladař’ disregarded the award mentions, saying his most important focus was on the playoffs. He made 15 saves on 17 pictures in a Game 1 win and shut out the Penguins on 27 pictures in Game 2.
But he actually has been certainly one of the MVPs on the Flyers, each on the ice and in the locker room.
“I hope he knows the amount of respect that we have for him in this room,” Garnet Hathaway mentioned. “We see how hard he works. We know the journey he’s been on, and we know when he opens his mouth, it’s for the team completely and entirely to help us be better as a group.”
