Michkov keeps humming, Flyers beat Sabres with 7 more goals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
After a stretch of 11 losses in 12 games, the Flyers won their second straight Saturday afternoon with a 7-4 decision over the Sabres at the Wells Fargo Center.
Matvei Michkov put up his second straight two-goal performance. Jakob Pelletier scored his first as a Flyer and Noah Cates potted the go-ahead 4-3 goal in the second period. Cates had a three-point effort.
Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster and Ryan Poehling gave the Flyers third-period insurance. The markers for Tippett and Poehling came on the power play. The Flyers’ man advantage has produced goals in back-to-back games and is 3 for 38 in March.
The Flyers (30-36-9) are 2-0-0 under interim head coach Brad Shaw and have scored 13 goals. They beat the Canadiens, 6-4, two days ago after John Tortorella was fired in the morning.
“It’s just different, just like a reset,” Cates said after Saturday’s win. “When you’re in a season like that, a tough spot, any change is welcomed. Unfortunately it’s a coach and a well-respected guy.”
The Flyers have seven games left.
“We realize in here that we were a part of the problem,” Tippett said. “If we performed better, then maybe those circumstances don’t happen. I think it was kind of a wake-up call for all of us and we just want to finish the rest of the season strong here.”
The Flyers are 2-0-0 against the Sabres (30-36-6). The clubs meet in the regular-season finale April 17 at KeyBank Center.
• Michkov’s push to become the first Flyer to ever win the Calder Trophy continued to heat up.
“He’s an exceptional player with the puck, an exceptional player offensively,” Shaw said. “I think what he has to learn is that the better he checks and the better he plays without the puck, the sooner he gets it back and then the more opportunistic he can be and the more he can show off the skill package that he has.”
The 20-year-old winger leads all NHL rookies in goals with 24. He has three overtime winners, three shootout tallies and 56 points. Over the last 20 games, he has recorded 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists).
“There’s so much room for growth away from the puck,” Shaw said. “Even with the puck, he’s going to learn, as he goes, what works and what doesn’t work in so many different scenarios. And he’s well down that path already.
“That’s a real exciting player to sort of picture where he may be three, four years from now. He’s a challenge, he can be opinionated and he can be a little bit stubborn, but he’s playing some great hockey for us offensively right now and we’re reaping the benefits.”
Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson, Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Flames goalie Dustin Wolf are expected to be Michkov’s top competition for the rookie honor.
• The Flyers came into Saturday just one point ahead of Buffalo for the Eastern Conference’s worst record. The Sabres have played three fewer games, so it’s something to keep an eye on the rest of the way.
But the Flyers also entered Saturday just one point behind the Kraken and two points back of the Penguins and Bruins. There’s potential for a lot of movement before the end of the season when it comes to the 2025 NHL draft lottery odds.
• Samuel Ersson won consecutive starts for the first time since Feb. 22-25, when he picked up victories in the Flyers’ first two games out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
The 25-year-old made 17 saves on 21 shots Saturday.
Buffalo netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 25 of the Flyers’ 32 shots.
• Cam York was back in the lineup after sitting on the bench for all of Thursday night’s game because of a disciplinary issue.
The 24-year-old played alongside Jamie Drysdale. Both were a plus-1.
• Garnet Hathaway (undisclosed) and Rasmus Ristolainen (upper body) remained out.
• Before the game, the Flyers honored Bob Kelly, who recently retired after serving the organization for over 50 years.
Known as “The Hound,” Kelly was on the Flyers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning clubs in 1974 and 1975.
“It really goes back to the fans, our fan base, we wanted to give them a product that they could be happy with,” Kelly said. “It’s kind of what was enjoyable.”
Following his playing career, Kelly held many roles in the organization’s community relations department.
“A very good man who worked his ass off for this team,” Hockey Hall of Famer and Flyers icon Bob Clarke said.
• The Flyers are back in action Monday when they host the Predators (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).