In a projected battle between two young Russian “superstars in the making” on Tuesday, Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov earned the edge over Montreal Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov with a critical assist. However, a lot of credit should also go to Habs goalie Jacob Fowler, who gave up the puck to the former in the dying seconds of the second period, leading to a deflating 3-1 goal, in an eventual 4-1 Flyers victory on the road.
Two young superstars in the making face off tonight — which would you prefer on your squad? 🤔
— NHL (@NHL) December 16, 2025
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Game Recap
On the play, Michkov gathered the puck, which Fowler had dropped for a teammate. The Flyers forward quickly got it over to Bobby Brink in the slot, who made no mistake scoring into the empty net. Travis Konecny added another empty-net goal late in the third period, this time of the official variety with Fowler pulled, to bring an end to the scoring.
Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier opened the scoring in the final minute of the first, which seemed to bode well for the home side, seeing as the general consensus is goals like that tend to set the tone for the following period. The only problem is Carl Grundstrom responded 40 second later, scoring on a cross-crease pass from Owen Tippett on which Fowler, who made 17 saves in the contest, admittedly had no chance. Flyers goalie Dan Vladar countered with 21 in a game in which he was still rarely challenged.
Trevor Zegras scored the game-winning goal in the second, on a two-on-one, converting a feed from Konecny. Demidov meanwhile ended the game without a point, a disappointing single shot on goal and two penalties in minutes after retaliating by cross-checking Rasmus Ristolainen in the first following an especially hard, but, by-all-accounts legal hit by the Flyers defenseman.
Related: Projected Lineups for Flyers vs Canadiens – 12/16/25
It was Ristolainen’s first game of the season upon returning from injury. The Canadiens meanwhile missed defenseman Mike Matheson, who is now day-to-day with an upper-body injury, as he joins several other key Habs in the infirmary. The Habs are now 17-12-4 and next host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. The Flyers are now 17-9-6, next playing the Buffalo Sabres, also on Thursday, as they continue their four-game road trip.
