The Philadelphia Flyers snagged their first win of the four-game exhibition season Thursday night at home, beating the Boston Bruins 2-0 thanks to a monster 28-save shutout from Joseph Woll! Seriously, this dude was lights out. And yeah, Matvei Michkov looked pretty awesome too.
Michkov Delivers on Coach’s Vision
Philly’s opening goal came from none other than Matvei Michkov, just a little over four minutes into the first period. Porter Martone and Helge Grans grabbed the helpers on that one. Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet had been talking earlier in the day about a potential trio of Martone, Michkov, and Trevor Zegras reversing the team’s power play woes. He even compared Martone’s build to former Flyer Tim Kerr, a guy who could just get to the dirty areas and score with defenders draped all over him. Tocchet basically said, “Get Zegras or Michkov to toss it down low to Martone and see what happens.” Well, that’s exactly what went down on Michkov’s goal, even if it wasn’t a power play tally. Michkov and Martone drove hard to the net, and the rebound popped right to the Russian phenom who buried it. Talk about a coach’s vision coming to life! On the actual power plays though, the Flyers didn’t score on their first chance, and late in the second, they were still stuck.
Young Guns Fighting for Spots
This game was a proper dress rehearsal for a good chunk of the Flyers’ lineup, even if the entire expected forward unit for the season opener wasn’t fully dressed. While the first three lines pretty much know they’re making the roster, that fourth line of Jett Luchanko, Cole Knuble, and Jacob Gaucher had guys scrambling to survive those final camp cuts. The youngsters weren’t exactly lighting it up in the first twenty minutes, with the rest of the line often driving the play and creating the real chances. If not for Bruins goalie Michael DiPietro, Philly could’ve been up 3-0 after one period! The Flyers were super strong in the first but got outshot 14-7 in the second. Still, Knuble kept looking good, scoring another goal in tight early in the third period to give Philadelphia that crucial insurance tally. He looked a bit better than Luchanko overall, which was expected given most of the Flyers were getting their first taste of exhibition play. Both players really pushed hard in the third, probably realizing this was their last shot to impress or stand out. It’ll be super interesting to see if either one gets the nod for opening night. If they don’t, you know they’ll make some kind of contribution to the team later in the season.
So, the Flyers snag their first win, Woll’s a brick wall, and Michkov’s already showing he’s the real deal. With the exhibition season rolling on, every shift is a statement for these guys trying to earn a spot.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Broad Street Hockey.
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