Nov 25, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers proper wing Matvei Michkov (39) towards the Vegas Golden Knights at Wells Fargo Heart. Necessary Credit score: Eric Hartline-Imagn Photographs The Philadelphia Flyers are taking part in their finest hockey of the season, however a contemporary problem awaits Thursday after they host the defending champion Florida Panthers.
Philadelphia is 4-0-1 over its final 5 video games with three additional time wins throughout that stretch. Rookie winger Matvei Michkov has scored OT targets in two of these victories. The 19-year-old Russian has three OT tallies within the final 9 video games, together with Saturday’s 3-2 win at St. Louis.
“We have had some confidence with (additional time),” Philadelphia coach John Tortorella stated. “Michkov has helped us fairly a bit there. Final 12 months, we struggled with it.”
The Flyers have had a pleasant break since Saturday’s victory, although, so it stays to be seen if their latest momentum will carry over into Thursday’s contest.
One space that might assist towards Florida is the potential return of No. 1 goaltender Samuel Ersson, who has been out since Nov. 11 with a lower-body damage. Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov have break up time in internet throughout Ersson’s absence with blended outcomes.
Tortorella is grateful for the chance to judge each of his workforce’s backup goalies, however he additionally needs to proceed assessing Ersson, who’s in his first full season as a workforce’s main netminder.
“All these items with the accidents, the goalie, our No. 1 man gone, it provides us an thought of what we’ve,” Tortorella stated. “And that is an enormous a part of this 12 months and, fairly truthfully, subsequent (12 months) as a result of there aren’t any free brokers coming. We’ve got to maintain on evaluating what we’ve within the group.”
Florida, after all, is aware of what it has in its prime goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky. Nonetheless, the Russian netminder has been out currently whereas awaiting the start of his youngster. He probably will miss Thursday’s contest, as effectively, which might imply one other begin for Spencer Knight.
Knight allowed 5 targets on 16 photographs in Tuesday’s additional time loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins that left Panthers coach Paul Maurice with blended feelings.
“It was alright. I feel that is how we felt about it,” Maurice stated. “I do not assume we gave up an incredible quantity. I do not assume we took benefit of some issues that we usually do. I am not one hundred pc positive how I really feel about that one.”
After profitable their earlier three video games by a mixed margin of 17-4, the Panthers trailed the Penguins 4-1 with beneath 14 minutes remaining. Nonetheless, Matthew Tkachuk registered a purpose and two assists within the third interval to assist pressure the additional session earlier than his workforce in the end fell quick.
“I suppose it is a level that we’re pleased to get,” stated Tkachuk, who completed with two targets and two assists to surpass 600 factors for his profession. He now has 603 in his ninth season. “However once we combat again, you simply actually need to get that win.”
Becoming a member of Tkachuk with a multi-point effort was Jesper Boqvist (two assists), whereas his brother Adam Boqvist was among the many different purpose scorers for Florida.
“We simply know once we go on the market that we are able to put on groups down,” Adam Boqvist stated. “I feel we nearly confirmed that tonight with the third interval. Simply transfer on from this.”
The Panthers defeated the Flyers 4-3 in a shootout final month in Florida. The groups will meet once more Jan. 13 in Philadelphia.
–Area Degree Media