The Philadelphia Flyers led the Edmonton Oilers for nearly all of their late-night contest—until they didn’t. Falling 4-3 in overtime, the Orange and Black moved to 1-1-1 on the season but got a standout performance from Matvei Michkov. What were some takeaways from him and the rest of the team?
Michkov Had His Breakout
For Michkov, it was really only a matter of time. For his entire life, he has dominated the competition. Whether it was among Russians his age, the best prospects in hockey, or the best European players, finding ways to score has come easy for the 19-year-old. Now in the NHL, he has instantly become one of the Flyers’ best players (just as suspected).
With two power-play goals in the first period and a game where he was the center of attention overall, Michkov was excellent. In just his third contest on NHL ice, he was the only one rivaling a buzzing Connor McDavid. The young Russian scored his first and second goals of his career in quick succession, showing the hockey world how good he already is.
The type of game that Michkov had has been a once-in-a-blue-moon effort for the Orange and Black in recent memory. Lacking talent, they just haven’t had many individual performances like that. Remember, this is the third NHL game for a teenager. If he continues to get better as the season moves along (young players tend to do this), he’ll be a treat to watch the rest of the way. His point-per-game pace (three points in three games) may hold up, and it may not. All that really matters is that he is doing things that his teammates generally cannot at the age of 19.
Luchanko Is Going Nowhere
I figured this before the season even began, but it’s becoming more and more clear that 18-year-old rookie Jett Luchanko won’t be going back to juniors. He had the highest ice time among Flyer centers against the Oilers (17:00) and was one of the best forwards on the night. While there are still things to work on, he has been a net positive on the ice—his usage reflects that.
At this point, it seems like Luchanko is playing at a high enough level to remain in the NHL. Not only that, he has been invaluable down the middle for the Flyers. When he was taken out of the lineup against the Calgary Flames because he had played less than 24 hours before, Philadelphia was not good at all. His impact is far too great for him to see any time with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) again, which is a massive compliment to where he is at. Taken in the 2024 NHL Draft just a few months ago, his maturity is off the charts.
Ersson Remains Hot, Flyers’ Defense Not
This season, Sam Ersson has done his best to keep the Flyers in games. While allowing four goals on 33 shots can seldom be a “good” effort, he was one of the reasons his team made it to overtime in the first place. Particularly on the game-tying and game-winning goals, his defense didn’t come through for him. This has been one of the biggest themes of 2024-25.
The Flyers had their best game on the expected goals front, sacrificing 3.08, but there were some miscues that left Ersson in a difficult spot. Head coach John Tortorella has run back the same unit for three games in a row with Nick Seeler being on injured reserve—it might be time for a change. Emil Andrae could be a good option to sub in, someone who perhaps can change the dynamic of defensive play. Forwards play a role in defensive play, too, but the back end hasn’t been the best.
Though it’s a small sample size, the Flyers seem to be re-entering the territory of relying too heavily on Ersson to win games. Even if that’s the case and backup Ivan Fedotov sees struggles, their originally-planned workloads shouldn’t drastically change. When Ersson was given too many starts last season, Philadelphia went from having one good goalie to zero. His play has been inspiring, but they’ll need to be smarter this time.
Related: Philadelphia Flyers Need to Play the Long Game with Ivan Fedotov
Next up, the Flyers will close out their season-opening four-game road trip against the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 17. Thankfully, it’ll be their last 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time start for a little bit.
