Flyers stars set the tone against Ottawa to fuel the team’s first win of the season
Porter Martone, Trevor Zegras, and Matvei Michkov all found the back of the net, with Michkov adding an assist as the Flyers snapped their nine-game winless streak to start the season.
That’s one.
After two-plus dreadful weeks, the Flyers played an urgent game and beat the visiting Ottawa Senators 3-1 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday. The win snapped a nine-game winless streak (0-6-3) to start the season, the longest in franchise history.
The Flyers came out more aggressive on the forecheck, creating turnovers and scoring chances. They hit trailers, got high-danger chances, and it all started with a first period that saw double-digit shots for the first time all season (14).
Ottawa did get on the board first when former Flyers captain Claude Giroux set up Drake Batherson on a two-on-one less than six minutes into the second period.
Things looked OK for the Flyers when Noah Cates, the old man on “The Kid Line” at 27, pressured Ottawa’s Tim Stützle in the neutral zone. The German center turned back into his own end and lost the puck to Matvei Michkov, who curled in the right circle.
Michkov fed Oliver Bonk at the right point, but his one-timer went just wide, and Travis Sanheim pinched down but got caught as Stützle chipped the puck off the boards up to Giroux. The two broke out with only the 21-year-old Bonk back, and Giroux sent a saucer pass over his stick and right on the tape of Batherson’s stick for the goal.
Less than four minutes later, the Flyers version of “The Kid Line” — minus-1 after the Batherson goal — got one back.
Michkov, 21, who had his legs all night, got the puck in the neutral zone as he streaked down the right side. He pulled up and sent the puck to Jamie Drysdale, got it back, and then tried to hit the defenseman who had dropped low.
It didn’t connect, and a Senators player knocked it away, but the puck went to Michkov above the left circle. As he corralled it, he skated into the circle, and the winger, known for his vision, sent the puck to the teenager Porter Martone in front for a tap-in.
Martone had been in the scrum after the pass to Drysdale didn’t connect and smartly peeled off, getting between himself and Ottawa’s captain Thomas Chabot atop the crease. Martone now has two goals in nine games.
With under two minutes left in the middle frame, the Flyers got their third power play of the night when Carter Yakemchuk took down Tyson Foerster and was called for interference.
Both units looked good on the first two power plays with, according to Natural Stat Trick, 12 shot attempts — two from high-danger spots — seven shots and five scoring chances.
On their fourth shot attempt, and third shot on goal on this specific power play, Michkov gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead.
Michkov got the puck above the right circle and sent it to defenseman David Jiříček, who had been on the other unit the first two power plays but had been on the ice for 61 seconds when the penalty was drawn. Jiříček faked a shot, sending it down the boards to Martone and, with time and space, sent it back.
The blueliner walked the line to the right and went back to Martone in the left circle for the one-timer. Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark made the save, but the rebound went right to Michkov as he snuck down the right side, with Senators penalty killers focusing on Jiříček and Martone.
It marks the Flyers’ third power-play goal of the season and the second this season against Ottawa. Michkov has a team-high four goals and five points this season while averaging less than 15 minutes a night.
Michael Bunting earned the primary assist as it looks like Martone’s shot nicked his stick on the way in. It is Bunting’s first point in six games since signing with the Flyers on Oct. 6.
Martone and Michkov are the first two forwards to have multipoint games; Sanheim is the only other player, coming in the second game of the season when he had a goal and an assist against the New Jersey Devils.
In the third period, the Senators pushed hard, putting 11 shots on goal, including five during a power play. But Dan Vladař, who made several big-time saves earlier in the game, including an authoritative glove save on Dylan Cozens, shut the door.
Trevor Zegras blocked two shots in the final 25 seconds and sealed the win with an empty-netter for his second goal of the season. It is the first time this season the Flyers scored three goals and the fourth time at least two.
Breakaways
Flyers broadcast network host Jason Myrtetus, who was diagnosed in 2024 with colorectal cancer and learned in July that the disease had spread, with a prognosis based on data of 6-24 months, spoke to the Flyers before the team’s morning skate. After the win, he was awarded player of the game, which this season is giant Rocky gloves. Coach Rick Tocchet started his postgame press conference by giving Myrtetus the game puck, saying his “speech today was unreal,” and later said what Myrtetus said “was a message to the guys [that] ‘Hey, you should be happy, we’re in the NHL, we’re playing game, we’re asking for effort.’ This guy’s going through stuff that you can’t imagine.” ... Owen Tippett was a game-time decision and did not play due to an upper-body injury. Garrett Wilson slotted in for the second time this season, skating on the fourth line.
Up next
The Flyers practice on Sunday at 12 p.m. at the Flyers Training Center and host the Colorado Avalanche on Monday (7 p.m., NBCSP).
