Matvei Michkov had two assists and Ivan Fedotov made 28 saves to steal two points from another non-playoff team. The result was a 2-1 win for the Flyers over Nashville at Wells Fargo Center Monday night.
The basics
First period: No scoring
Second period: 8:50 – Ryan Poehling (Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov), 13:41 – Zachary L’Heureux (Michael McCarron), 13:48 – Jamie Drysdale (Matvei Michkov, Travis Konecny)
Third period: No scoring
SOG: 18 (PHI) – 29 (NSH)
Some takeaways
Stealing two points?
Nashville had more of the chances and controlled more of the play most of the night. It wasn’t a case of Fedotov stoning the team. It was more of Nashville not being able to put the puck in the ocean, something that’s haunted them most of the season. The Flyers weren’t doing a heck of a lot, just making the most of a few chances they had. Through the first 50 minutes Nashville had a 26-14 shot advantage. Yet still trailed 2-1.
A mad scramble in the dying seconds saw more blocked shots and Fedotov hanging in before the Flyers made a game-saving clear to get another win, their third in a row under Brad Shaw.
Hathaway returns
Garnet Hathaway replaced Nic Deslauriers in the lineup on the fourth line, his first game since receiving a cheap shot by Pittsburgh’s Bokondji Imama on February 27. Hathaway, playing in his 600th game, started the game on the bench as the Flyers opened with Noah Cates’ line. It took almost four minutes for the game’s first shot, a wrister by Cates that was snapped up by the Preds goaltender.
Hathaway also was on the point covering for Travis Sanheim on another relatively early shift as Sanheim looked more like a rover than a defenseman. He looked engaged but seemed to be working some of the rust off being out of the lineup for over a month.
Slight second period sag
The Flyers have had oodles of problems in the second period all season. This night they had extended shifts in their own end, losing a lot of one-on-one battles and not being able to move much up ice. Despite all the firepower Nashville has on paper, they’ve been offensively bad most of the season. They didn’t capitalize on anything while having the better of the play, and were being outshot at one point 8-2 early in the middle frame.
Nashville’s first power play was a tough shift for Cam York as he blocked a shot, lost his stick and then took a healthy shove from behind, eventually hobbling off the ice licking his wounds. The Predators scored soon after when the gigantic Michael McCarron drove to the net hard, leaving Zachary L’Heureux to pick up the rebound and get it by Fedotov.
Michkov a man possessed
The line of Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov have been heating up the last few games. And they almost kept things going early on. Michkov feathered Konecny a pass that almost had him in on a breakaway but didn’t score. The second half of the opening power play nearly ended up with Michkov burying a loose puck but couldn’t bang it home. And if that wasn’t enough, a short breakaway saw the Mad Russian just inches from putting the puck by Justus Annunen. A little bit of good luck and he would’ve had a pair just 10 minutes into play.
In the second, more misfortune came for the line as Michkov fed Konecny with a nice pass but Konecny’s shot hit the post. But about a minute later, Michkov hit paydirt when he made a great play coming across the faceoff circles, feeding Konecny who found Ryan Poehling for his eleventh of the year (and sixth in his last seven games).
WHAT A PLAY FROM MATVEI MICHKOV!!!
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) April 1, 2025
POEHLING FINISHES FROM KONECY. #Flyers pic.twitter.com/GXoKbJv6Ht
After Nashville tied things 1-1, Michkov went back down the ice and got a bit of lady luck. A misfire on a shot in the slot ended up going to Jamie Drysdale who scored his seventh of the year, putting Philadelphia ahead.
Jamie Drysdale puts the Flyers back in front to make it 2-1.
— Andrew Coté (@acote_88) April 1, 2025
Goal: Drysdale (7) Assists: Michkov (34) Konecny (49)pic.twitter.com/fc6KA1QgHT
Fedotov still flailing
After believing he would be shipped back to Siberia as long as John Tortorella had any say in the matter, backup Ivan Fedotov saw his first post-Torts start Monday evening. The keeper made his first save on his first shot on goal, a Michael Bunting attempt Fedotov stopped with his blocker. But he almost made a costly gaffe in the first, sweeping the puck with no sense of a Predator bearing down on him. A pass out front was blocked by what looked like his neck as he was anywhere but a proper goaltender position.
One sometimes gets the sense Fedotov will allow a goal while drinking from his water bottle, believing there was a stoppage in play. He also nearly botched a Filip Forsberg wrist shot that bounced away from both himself and the goal line. In the third, after losing his stick, the puck bounced inches from the goal line as Fedotov tried to figure out where the puck was. Although he sometimes appears to be a deflating whoopee cushion in the net, Fedotov made the saves he needed to make.
Seeler rubbing off on Sanheim
The pairing of Nick Seeler and Travis Sanheim might have made Sanheim develop a slightly meaner, rougher streak. Sanheim threw some heavy hits in the second and took a few himself. It’s not something some fans would be keen on seeing, that is Sanheim turn into a shot blocker and wake up the next morning with deep bruises all over him.
The defenseman had a chance to make it 3-1 on a quickly developing two-on-one he and Owen Tippett had. But Sanheim’s attempt was answered by Annunen.
Stamkos stampeded
Steven Stamkos got some rough treatment in the third period. After pushing Fedotov’s pad in and believing he tied the game 2-2, the future Hall of Famer was shown the quickest way to the ice by a few Flyers who defended Fedotov. The scrum didn’t amount to much but it was nice to see the team stick up for their beleaguered goalkeeper. Officials waved off the goal due to goalie interference.
