The Flyers had a lovely 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks to kick off their west coast road trip. However, the biggest takeaway isn’t about Noah Cates continuing his goal streak, which now extends to five straight games. It isn’t Morgan Frost scoring the crucial goal to regain the Flyers’ lead in the third. It’s who we didn’t see in the final frame, raising some questions.
Matvei Michkov recorded less than 10 minutes in the contest and was benched for the third period. Tortorella stated after the game, “It’s just been a struggle. His energy and everything about his game right now- I just got done talking with him, and I think the schedule has caught up with him. It’s going to happen. We’re asking so much out of a 20-year-old.”
Tortella went on, “You could see his game drop before the break, and just his skating and energy, it’s just not there. We’re going to try to help him. If I have to take him out or miss some time in periods, he’s going to. In the big picture, we’re just trying to help him get his energy back.”
This was a refreshing quote from Tortorella since his objective is to help Michkov continue to develop. During training camp, Tortorella said he would protect Michkov from the media. This coach generally cares about his players on and off the ice.
This was a significant milestone game for two players. Travis Konency played his 600th career game as a Philadelphia Flyer, and Bobby Brink played his 100th career game as a Flyer. The impact from Konency fell short in terms of points. However, he and Cutter Gauthier chirped a little. To sum it up, the now Anaheim Ducks forward was originally drafted fifth overall in the 2022 draft to Philadelphia. Gauthier wanted to leave Philadelphia, but the reason is still unknown. The Flyers traded Gauthier to Anaheim and, in return, received Jamie Drysdale and a second-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Heading into the game, Gauthier said that he had this game (against Philadelphia) circled on his calendar.
After practice, John Tortorella said he didn’t give a (bleep) about Cutter. Fast forward, Gauther had a less-than-impactful game on the ice. He played 13 minutes, served two penalty minutes, three giveaways, and two shots on goal.
After an ugly 7-3 loss to the Penguins heading into their holiday break, goalie Sam Ersson needed a win like this in Anaheim to regain his confidence. Anytime a player falls short in a high-scoring high-scoring loss, it takes a toll on them. Today, Ersson had 32 saves and was on his “A” game. Former Flyer and now captain of the Ducks Radko Gudas had a powerful shot that Ersson saved that showed me he looked sharp in the net again.
Philly Sports Network’s writers also commented on what this win means for Philadelphia. “I don’t drink the Cutter Gauthier haterade, but I get why people do. It feels nice to keep him off the scoreboard, but I don’t think players pay much attention to an NHL rookie that isn’t on their team,” -Chris Babos.
“It was good seeing the team bounce back after a recent rough stretch, but it was more important seeing Ersson bounce back strong after the loss to the Penguins. The Cutter drama was expected, and it’ll be even crazier when the Ducks visit Philly on January 11th. Michkov being benched in the third period made people forget about Gauthier,” -Nate Tennesen.
Scoring Summary:
First Period: 0-0
Second Period: Cates PHI (1) Terry ANA (1)
Third Period: Frost PHI (2), Farabee PHI (3)
Final 3-1 PHI
Philadelphia has a back-to-back as they head to L. A. to face the Kings Sunday night at 9 p.m. puck drop.
Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
