PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 18 -- Travis Sanheim called it "a little bit of a relief," and after the start the Philadelphia Flyers had endured, the phrase fits. They beat the Ottawa Senators 3-1 on Saturday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena for their first win of the 2026-27 season.

Nine straight losses to open a season is the longest such streak in franchise history, and Philadelphia was outscored 32-11 across them, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. Three of the nine came past regulation, going by the 1-6-3 record NHL.com lists. Sanheim said that in a hole like that, "it feels like you're never going to get out of it."

The result mattered beyond the standings. NHL.com reported that it kept Philadelphia from becoming the 11th team in NHL history...