“I guess we’ll start winning when I get here,” said Matvei Michkov after Philadelphia drafted him #7 overall at the 2023 NHL Draft.
Well, the winning has begun in Philadelphia. Matvei Michkov led the way with the game-tying AND game-winning goal in overtime. Ivan Fedotov finished the night in net strong with 25 of 27 saves, earning a 2.00 GAA and .926 SV%. Jett Luchanko continued to flash his skill, and competed well on both ends of the ice. The Flyers improve to a 3-1-0 record in the preseason.
First Period
Shots: 12-10 Bruins
Score: 1-1
The defensemen for the Philadelphia Flyers are going to hope the video staff lose the tape of the first 20 minutes. Particularly the first 10 minutes were the worst, when the Boston Bruins led 9-4 in shots. Egor Zamula went off for hooking to kick off the period. Adam Ginning had a slew of turnovers, Hunter McDonald literally fell over his own skates with no pressure that led to a breakaway for the Bruins, and Jamie Drysdale had an unforced turnover that eventually led to the Bruins taking a 1-0 lead. It was a nightmare-ish start for the defensive group.
Sean Couturier was having none of it, and sent a message to the rest of the league: If you think you’re going to mess with Michkov, that will be addressed immediately.
Just seconds after the captain stood up for the rookie, Olle Lycksell and Rasmus Ristolainen connected on a beautiful play. From behind the net, Lycksell found Ristolainen by the right circle, with Ryan Poehling earning the secondary assist.
Second Period
Shots: 28-22 Flyers
Score: 2-2
The Flyers entered the period with some momentum and a power play but were unable to convert. Unfortunately, just 3 minutes into the period, Joel Farabee would turn the puck over in the neutral zone on another power play, where Trent Frederic would spring Matthew Poitras on a semi-breakaway where he sniped a goal short-side high-glove.
This gave Boston the lead for about a minute and a half until “Michkov-Mania” wreaked havoc on the power play. It was the first real look at the strength of the kid. Michkov has a reputation for being gifted offensively, but I do not think most people understand why. One of his strengths is his ability to hold the puck while facing pressure. See the sequence below that lead to his goal.
His lower-center gravity is unbelievable, especially at just 19 years old. From here, it was history, with Lycksell again making a nice feed, this time from the top of the ice to Michkov, who was holding the right goal post for a tap-in power play goal.
There would be a lot more back and forth that ensued shortly after this goal. Who was at the center of it? Who responded? Well, if you followed what happened in the first period, you’ll find that your educated guess is probably right. Somehow, only the Flyers ended up with a penalty despite Boston trying to jump a teenager (again).
Things would stay even until the end of the period. The Flyers continued to push and get to the net, but Joonas Korpisalo stood tall in net.
Third Period
Shots: 37-26 Flyers
Score: 2-2
The Flyers largely controlled play. They outshot the Bruins 9-4 in this period, but Korpisalo wanted overtime, and overtime he got.
This period featured a lot of great work by the Couturier line with Michkov and Travis Konecny. Several scoring chances were created between the 3 of them, but none were able to find the back of the end.
However, the Flyers would get one last shot in the dying seconds, and when I say shot, I mean Ristolainen blowing a dude up at their blue line.
Overtime
Shots: 40-27 Flyers
Score: 3-2 (OT) Flyers
Brad Shaw spiced things up with the starters in overtime, sending on Michkov, Konecny, and Drysdale; a total offensive overload. However, the Flyers would struggle for the first few minutes.
Fortunately, Fedotov gave the Flyers a chance and Michkov did not waste his opportunity. Flying out from the left wing (he’s natural right winger, by the way), he slowly glided towards the slot before fixing his positioning and ripped a wrister low-glove from the left hash marks.
Michkov recognized the defenseman overplaying the pass and had taken full advantage. I was able to capture this moment and I am not going to lie, I have probably replayed this video at least a thousand times.
For a guy who had rumors swirling around him for being toxic, this sure did not appear like a guy his teammates loathed.
Observations
- The Flyers travel to Long Island on Monday, facing the New York Islanders in their second matchup in the preseason. The puck drops at 7:00pm.
- The Flyers’ penalty kill went 3/3, while the power play went just 1/7. Despite going only 1/7, it is clear how much the power play has improved with Michkov as the QB from the left circle.
- The Flyers’ defense continued to experience challenges with zone exits and turnovers. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond on Monday night.
- Jamie Drysdale is looking better each game, and is making moves in the offensive zone I have never seen him try before. He will play a key role in the Flyers’ top 4 this season.
- Jett Luchanko continues to hang in there with the big boys. Despite some turnovers, he was largely able to make up for, and sometimes was able to recover on the same sequence.
- Olle Lycksell has made a strong impression thus far, and earned 2 primary assists on the night, both of which were excellent reads and he possessed great playmaking with the puck on his stick.
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