Matvei Michkov has started turning the noise down in Philadelphia.
Last season, the Flyers’ young Russian forward became an easy target after he was reportedly out of shape when he arrived at training camp, a rough start that helped sink his early season and kept the team from finding any rhythm. That conversation around him turned sour fast, but through the first 11 games this season, Michkov has answered it the only way that matters: by producing.
He leads the Flyers with six goals, which is four more than the next player behind him. Philadelphia has also won back-to-back games against the Ottawa Senators and Colorado Avalanche, two teams that have not been simple to handle this season, and Michkov has been right in the middle of that push.
Over the last two games, he has scored three goals and added an assist. That is the kind of stretch that makes the Flyers look dangerous, because the split is impossible to ignore: in their first nine games, all losses, Michkov had only three points.
In the two wins since, he has four. If Philadelphia is going to build any kind of run, it needs him involved every night.
The advanced numbers tell the same story. In some of those first nine games, the performances were rough, and his metrics reflected it.
After 11 games, Michkov sits at 41.2% xGF, but he has posted 81.6% and 75.8% in his last two outings. That kind of swing says plenty.
The numbers will settle where they settle, but the Flyers’ path gets a lot cleaner if Michkov can stay above 50% in most games.
Rick Tocchet seems to have found a useful spark by pairing Michkov with Porter Martone. The rookie has also been over 75% xGF in the last two games since joining him, even though the Martone-Michkov line was outscored 1-0 in eight minutes on Monday night against Colorado. Trevor Zegras, not Martone, assisted on Michkov’s even-strength goal in that game.
It is still a tiny sample, and nobody in Philadelphia should pretend otherwise. But the early results are hard to dismiss, especially with Noah Cates alongside them. After 11 games, Michkov is on pace for 46 goals, and if he gets anywhere near that number, there won’t be much room left for the critics.
In Other News...
Flyers Face An Early Test As Buffalo Brings A New Problem
The Flyers arrive in Buffalo with a little momentum after shaking off a slow start and winning two straight, a welcome shift as they head into KeyBank Center for an early-season test. Philadelphias recent uptick has given the group a steadier feel, and the matchup offers another chance to see whether the gains they've made can hold up against a Sabres team that is just coming off a road trip through Canada.
Buffalo also brings a different look this time, with the club expecting one of its top blue-liners back in the lineup after time away. The projected goalies, betting odds and forecast all point to a game that should be tight enough to hinge on the details, which is exactly the sort of spot where Philadelphia can find out whether its recent surge is something more than a short-lived bounce. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers May Have Finally Found A Power Play Fit For Michkov And Zegras
Rick Tocchet has been shuffling the Flyers power-play setup in search of a better fit, and the early signs have been encouraging. The changes have given Matvei Michkov a more natural lane to operate in, and the unit has looked sharper since the coach adjusted the personnel and spacing around him.
The real intrigue is how Trevor Zegras has been used in the mix, with Tocchet trying to unlock more from a group that needed a jolt. Michkovs recent power-play production has helped validate the approach, but the broader question for Philadelphia is whether this alignment can stick once opponents start game-planning for it. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Surge Just Changed Danny Brieres Trade Deadline Pressure
The Flyers spent the early stretch of the season trying to keep their footing while key players were hurt and the results lagged behind the effort. General manager Danny Briere resisted the temptation to force a move during that rough patch, in part because the roster was so banged up and in part because there was little reason to sell off pieces when the team had yet to find any rhythm.
A small surge has changed the tone around the front office, though, and it has added a different kind of pressure. Two straight wins, including one over the Colorado Avalanche, gave the Flyers a little more breathing room and showed younger players can help steady the lineup, which makes Brieres trade-deadline decisions look a lot less straightforward than they did just a short time ago. [Read more 🡒]