The debut of Matvei Michkov in a Flyers uniform was everything you could’ve hoped for except for the win. But a lot of other Flyers made good first impressions in the opening game of the Rookie Series in Allentown Friday evening.
The Basics
First period: 4:51 – Adam Edstrom (Brennan Othmann, Matthew Robertson) (PPG), 18:54 – Alexis Gendron (Spencer Gill, Santeri Sulku)
Second period: 8:58 – Matvei Michkov (Jett Luchanko, Massimo Rizzo) (PPG), 14:32 – Adam Edstrom
Third period: 7:36 – Kalle Vaisanen (Adam Sykora, Brye McConnell-Barker), 19:45 – Massimo Rizzo (Oliver Bonk, Emil Andrae)
Overtime: No scoring
Shootout: Flyers: J.R. Avon – no goal, Matvei Michkov – no goal, Jett Luchanko – no goal. Rangers: Ryder Korczak – no goal, Brennan Othmann – goal.
SOG: 36 (PHI) – 27 (NYR) (End of Regulation)
Some takeaways
Slow start
After reportedly 300 people turned out to see Matvei Michkov’s first practice with the Flyers on Thursday morning, a horde of fans made the trek to Allentown for his debut against the Rangers. The line of Michkov, Jett Luchanko and Elliot Desnoyers started the game and didn’t do a whole lot with Michkov dumping the puck in before concluding his first shift. The Rangers got a decent chance on a deflection about two minutes in but Flyers goaltender Carson Bjarnason made the save, one of a handful of stops early on which stopped the Rangers momentum temporarily. Hunter McDonald, who looked a bit steadier in the first period than his partner Oliver Bonk, dumped a Ranger on his backside but was sent to the box for a minor. The Rangers Adam Edstrom put the puck past Bjarnason to give the Rangers the 1-0 lead.
Michkov marvels as Boulton bowls over Rangers
Shortly after the Rangers goal the Michkov line were back out and has some fine chances but came up empty. Following the Rangers icing the puck Michkov had another chance but missed, leaving the Flyers without a shot on goal more than halfway through the first period (7-0 Rangers) against the Rangers’ starter Dylan Garand. The “Mad Russian” also got in a a bit of a scrum 12 minutes in but nothing came of it. What was clear was every time the line was on the ice, the puck was more often than not in the Rangers’ defensive zone. Meanwhile Flyers forward Sawyer Boulton bowled over a Ranger player with relative ease, the first of a handful of times he did it in the first.
The Flyers’ best shift came late in the first when J.R. Avon had not one but two stellar chances to tie things up but came up empty. Seconds later defenseman Spencer Gill took a simple shot towards the goal that Alexis Gendron deflected past Garand to tie the contest 1-1 with just over a minute left.
Power play potential?
The Rangers took a minor at the end of the first period, leaving the Flyers with the man advantage to open the second. Luchanko and Michkov created a short bit of razzle dazzle but the Flyers took a minor about 45 seconds into the power play, leaving it scoreless. Philadelphia’s Samu Tuomaala, who had a strong first period, maintain his fine play but was stymied by the Rangers’ keeper,. Moments later he made a great play through the Rangers defenseman but could put the puck home, smashing his stick against the glass in frustration. The play was free-flowing for a good chunk of the second with several minutes without a stoppage.
Later on the Flyers had almost a full two-minute two-man advantage, a prime chance for Michkov to strut his stuff. Playing the point to start, Michkov saw the Rangers clear the zone but came back up ice and delivered, standing just to the side of the net and poking the puck around Garand’s left goal pad and into the net to give him his first goal as a Flyer and the Flyers a 2-1 lead. As of now Michkov is now on pace for a goal each game he plays in his Flyers career!
Desnoyers doesn’t disappoint
Perhaps one of the bigger questions marks was which Elliot Desnoyers would show up in this Rookie Camp. Well if his play with Luchanko and Michkov was any indication, he held his own among the three. The passing between the two youngsters on the line was very impressive but Desnoyers looked like he fit right in. Although he had nothing to show for it halfway through the game, it should be a confidence boost for him. He had a prime chance to put the Flyers up by two but didn’t cash in. Moments later the Rangers’ Adam Edstrom potted his second of the night to tie things up 2-2.
Flyers hold on after 40
The Flyers took a few minor penalties in the final minutes of the second but then caught a break when Edstrom took a minor high sticking penalty. The four-on-four play created some open ice for both Michkov and Luchanko make some plays. Nothing materialized however.
Samu having whale of a game
Although he didn’t score, Samu Tuomaala was a force to be reckoned with all night. Early in the third period he was responsible for another scoring chance but didn’t execute. Nonetheless, outside of Michkov and Luchanko, Tuomaala was a huge thorn in the Rangers side from start to finish.
After some rather lackluster play, Michkov found Desnoyers and fed him with a great pass. Although it was another pass you had to grin about based only on its finesse, the Flyers couldn’t score the go-ahead goal. Michkov fed Tuomaala with a similar pass moments later but again no dice.
Sadly the Rangers cashed in on a nice two-on-one play as Adam Sykora fed a soft pass that Kalle Vaisanen got his stick on to deflect it behind Bjarnason to give New York a 3-2 lead.
Michkov tries to flip off, er, over Rangers
It wasn’t a middle-finger salute but Michkov found himself behind the net roughly 11 minutes into the third. Drawing two Rangers toward him, the Russian forward tried to flip the puck over the net hoping for a bounce but was unsuccessful. Given his NHL career being 50 minutes old, it’s a play very few stars would attempt in their first game.
Not to be outdone, Luchanko drew a penalty with under five minutes left and could’ve ended up with a penalty shot. The refs thought otherwise and the Flyers went on the power play. Here Philadelphia showed more effective passing then they did most of last season a man up. The unit of Bonk, Andrae, Lunchanko, Michkov and Desnoyers were strong, appearing to have played for a few weeks together and not a few shifts. Yet again no dice despite the great opportunities by Bonk and Michkov.
Gill and Rizzo push game to overtime
With the Flyers net empty, the Rangers looked to sew things up but Flyers blueliner Spencer Gill refused to give up on the play and kept the puck out. The Flyers then went back up the ice and Massimo Rizzo tied things up.
Fun overtime
There were plenty of chances on both sides in the five-minute overtime, with both sides having chances to finish it off. Michkov had a chance in front of the Rangers goal but was denied. The shootout had one goal as the Rangers’ Brennan Othmann beat Bjarnason. Avon, Michkov and Luchanko were all stopped by Garand. All in all a good first impression by a lot of Flyers young’uns.
