97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Roundup: Will The Rebuild Bring Better Shootout Luck?
After the Philadelphia Flyers dropped to 2-6-1 on October 27 in an ugly home loss, the 2024-25 season looked in danger of serious regression in comparison to an upstart 2023-24 season that fell just short of a surprise playoff berth.
While the Flyers still don’t sit favorably to earn a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a few (uncommon) shootout victories and some heroics from Matvei Michkov have kept them afloat during a 3-0-1 stretch and a return to respectability.
“I know we’re playing the right way when we’re getting some rush chances. We’re playing faster. We’re causing turnovers in the neutral zone, not spending as much time in our endzone. That’s a constant every day.” -John Tortorella
- Saturday 11/9 (Sunrise, FL): Florida Panthers 4, Flyers 3 (SO)
- Monday 11/11 (Wells Fargo Center): Flyers 4, San Jose Sharks 3 (SO)
- Thursday 11/14 (Ottawa, ON, CAN): Flyers 5, Ottawa Senators 4 (OT)
More Matvei Michkov Magic
Everyone who has ever seen a hockey game had an opinion about John Tortorella sitting Matvei Michkov as a healthy scratch 13 games into his NHL career. Regardless of how you felt about the controversial coaching decision, the rookie phenom has exploded back into the lineup.
Michkov first found the scoresheet Monday against the Sharks as part of a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play to feed Travis Konecny for a power-play goal.
He took a breakaway pass in the second period to put the Flyers ahead 3-0 with first NHL goal at 5-on-5.
Despite sloppy defensive lapses pushing the game past regulation, Michkov converted for his first career NHL shootout goal to help the Flyers earn two points.
The Mad Russian wasn’t finished his dramatic week. He went scoreless for 60 minutes of regulation in Ottawa. He only skated for 13:50 of total ice time, but he made it count during the 3-on-3 overtime.
Michkov has creatively attempted shots from different areas of the ice throughout his 15 NHL games. None have paid off more than an overtime winner from an awkward angle along the goal line that snuck past Linus Ullmark for the game-winner.
It’s nearly impossible to measure the subjective effects of a healthy scratch on a player’s immediate performance after returning to the lineup. However, anyone watching the 2024-25 Flyers can see the dynamic ability of a budding star player.
The fate of the rebuild’s most important piece is partly on the coaching staff to handle his development properly but ultimately up to Michkov himself to accept hard coaching and craft his all-around game.
Flyers Changing Shootout Fortune?
Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov lit the lamp for shootout goals on Monday, and the Flyers improved to 3-1 on the season past the 3-on-3 overtime period.
The NHL instituted the shootout in 2005 as part of the new rules designed to move the league into a new era that showcases speed, skill, and scoring.
Philadelphia’s .384 win percentage in shootouts over those two decades ranks last among 32 NHL franchises, and frankly, it’s not even close. The Calgary Flames rank 31st with a .425 win percentage, and the 41-point disparity is the same distance between 26 and 31.
The Flyers would have to win 12 consecutive shootouts to pull the franchise’s all-time record above .425. They’ve only won 13 since the beginning of the 2020-21 season.
Owen Tippett beautifully picked a corner over the shoulder of future Hall of Famer Andrei Vasilevskiy to steal the second point from the Tampa Bay Lightning last week. Michkov also has the crafty skill to become a shootout weapon over a long NHL career.
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Sam Ersson sits just a tick behind Michal Neuvirth for the best shootout save percentage in franchise history. His fearless attitude between the pipes lends itself to confidence and patience against opposing shooters.
The Flyers very well might’ve sold their soul to squeak past Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers on the final day of the 2009-10 regular season. However, their shootout fortune has irregularly turned out well early in the 2024-25 season.
Erik Johnson Set For 1000 NHL Games
Former first-overall pick Erik Johnson is set to receive the commemorative silver stick before his 1000th career NHL regular-season game on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center.
The tradition of the silver stick honors the milestone of veterans who have survived the physical grind that roughly 5% of NHL players in the league’s history have achieved.
The Flyers acquired Johnson ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, and he re-signed on a one-year deal as a seventh defenseman for his 17th (and possibly final) NHL season. The 36-year-old has played a role in the team’s leadership group with admirable maturity paving the way for players the organization views as key long-term pieces.
Johnson has consistently pumped the tires in front of the media for rookie defenseman Emil Andrae. He joked after the San Jose game that Andrae has already graduated from their defensive pairing to a higher place in the lineup.
The 2022 Stanley Cup champ also let Jett Luchanko live with him temporarily during his short stint in the NHL. Johnson talked on Nov. 4 about how he was simply passing along a favor for a shy rookie just like the one he received many years ago.
“I lived with Al MacInnis my rookie year in St. Louis when I was 19. I kind of had a person to lean on like that. It can be overwhelming as a teenager coming in and just focusing on hockey. If that’s (a living situation is) handled away from the rink, I think it makes your on-ice (focus) a lot better.” -Erik Johnson
Although Johnson downplayed his individual accomplishment, the silver stick unquestionably helps NHL veterans gain perspective as they near the end.
His former teammate Keith Tkachuk reached the milestone in 2007 during Johnson’s rookie season with the St. Louis Blues. Johnson joked that he looked at the franchise icon like an old-timer before he realized that hockey players in their mid-30s are still young men from a life standpoint.
“Being a part of the team is the best thing on a day-to-day basis, just being with guys everyday, it’s cool to sometimes take a step back and look back at the journey. For me, I just kind of pinch myself. I think being a little kid, if you told me I was going to do all this, I’d sign up every day of the week. So I’m pretty grateful just to all the people that helped me along the way. You never know what’s going to happen when you step on the ice for your first game and where the journey’s going to take you. It’s been a fun one.” -Erik Johnson
Upcoming Flyers Schedule
- Saturday 11/16 vs. Buffalo Sabres, 7pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Monday 11/18 vs. Colorado Avalanche, 7pm on 93.3 WMMR
- Wednesday 11/20 vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7:30pm on 93.3 WMMR
- Saturday 11/23 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 1pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
