97.5 The Fanatic Flyers Roundup: Goal Drought, Matvei Michkov’s Response
The break for the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off couldn’t come soon enough for the Philadelphia Flyers. A depleted lineup struggled to score goals in five consecutive losses.
The Flyers snapped the streak with a win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in their final game before the 13-day layoff.
Related Content: Flyers Selected to NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Rosters
The victory tied them with their cross-state rivals for 14th place out of 16 Eastern Conference teams. However, the Orange and Black also limped through the first three-game shutout streak in their 58-year franchise history as part of the recent losing stretch.
Thin offensive firepower doesn’t paint a positive picture for the remaining 25 games of the 2024-25 regular season.
- Sunday 2/2 at Ball Arena: Colorado Avalanche 2, Flyers 0
- Tuesday 2/4 at Delta Center: Utah Hockey Club 3, Flyers 2
- Thursday 2/6 at the Wells Fargo Center: Washington Capitals 4, Flyers 3
- Saturday 2/8 at the Wells Fargo Center: Flyers 3, Pittsburgh Penguins 2
Shutout Streak, Depleted Lineup
The Flyers have scored only 43 goals in 19 games since January 1. Their slump hit a new low when John Tortorella sent an underwhelming lineup (to put it lighly) on the ice for the unprecedented three-game shutout streak.
Trading Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost subtracted two full-time NHL players from the active roster, regardless of how much anyone valued their contributions.
Injuries to lineup regulars Owen Tippett and Ryan Poehling made a forward corps that isn’t too talented to begin with look even less threatening. Rasmus Ristolainen and Egor Zamula both missed time during a tough stretch leading into the break.
Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier slowly made their way to Philadelphia after a long travel and visa process following the trade. Kuzmenko finally played his first game for the Flyers against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
While neither of the two former Calgary Flames will solve the problems of the rebuild, they’ll bring reinforcements to reestablish a more suitable nightly NHL lineup.
Anthony Richard returned to the AHL after Kuzmenko joined the team. Jacob Gaucher will likely follow close behind him. Rodrigo Abols scored his first NHL goal in Utah during his seventh career and added an assist against Washington two nights later. He remains with the big club for now.
Matvei Michkov Responds
Tortorella’s relationship with Matvei Michkov has proven to be the most fascinating storyline of an otherwise forgettable season.
The fiery head coach benched Michkov on January 30 in a 3-0 loss. He self-assessed his own mistake the following week. Tortorella spoke with the tone of sensibility that separates him from ego-centric coaches who force their systems on talented players.
“Quite honestly, if I had to do it again, I probably should’ve played him in the third period… I learn too. Emotion is a double edged sword. It’s a really good thing, but also, you make mistakes with it too, and I think we both live in that world.” -John Tortorella
Tortorella also acknowledged that he and Michkov share similarly competitive and passionate personalities. The star rookie has grown on his head coach this season, and he showed why against the Capitals on Thursday.
Michkov consistently created scoring chances from his opening shift. He scored his 15th goal of the season on a breakaway in the first period and his 16th on a pretty passing play in the second.
He narrowly missed a dramatic Michigan goal that would’ve given him his first career hat trick in the third.
Michkov has hit a speed bump in his first 82-game regular season at age 20. He’s followed up his point-per-game pace in his first 27 NHL games with only five goals and four assists in his next 28 games.
While the rookie has progressed well recently interacting with teammates and speaking the English language, the NHL’s upcoming 13-day break will benefit a talented young player in need of a reset.
“Just to get up and down the ice, it’s just like the weight of the world’s on him (Michkov). I think he’s tired mentally, and once that clears up, I think he’ll be more free flowing… Everybody talks about athletes being tired, and they always think it’s physical. More often, it’s mental.” -John Tortorella
Go Birds
The world of Philadelphia sports has inevitably focused on the Eagles and Super Bowl LIX. The Flyers have respectfully wished their neighbors good luck.
First-time NHL front office executive and long-time sports radio host Keith Jones spoke about the Eagles on 97.5 The Fanatic after he joined the organization in 2023. He went as far to call them a model for success in the Philadelphia market.
“I’ve watched what they’ve done. I understand how good they are and why they’re so important in this city. Number one, it’s football, but more importantly, they’re a damn good team and they do a great job. And and not just when things go wrong, they fix it quickly. And that’s really impressive what’s happened there when it went wrong (with Carson Wentz), when bad, they somehow get this guy (Jalen Hurts) in the second round, and all of a sudden here they are.” -Keith Jones
Upcoming Schedule
Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim will represent Team Canada in the international best-on-best showcase. Rasmus Ristolainen will patrol the blue line for the Finns, and Sam Ersson was a late addition to Team Sweden.
John Tortorella will also work as an assistant coach for Team USA under Mike Sullivan of the Penguins.
- February 9-21: NHL 4 Nations Face-Off Break
- Saturday 2/22 vs. Edmonton Oilers, 1pm on 97.5 The Fanatic
- Sunday 2/23: Flyers Charities Carnival at the Wells Fargo Center
