The Philadelphia Flyers won’t be making any changes to their lineup on Saturday, which means Matvei Michkov will again be a healthy scratch versus the Florida Panthers.
Assistant coach Brad Shaw told reporters that the Flyers will have Sam Ersson in the net and that the lineup won’t be changed.
Michkov was a healthy scratch on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning in favour of forward Anthony Richard. Michkov had appeared in the first 13 games for the Flyers before getting benched.
Prior to being a healthy scratch, Michkov had seen his ice time steadily decline over the past four games, going from 21:33 TOI on Oct. 27 to 13:57 on Nov. 5.
“It’s just part of the process,” head coach John Tortorella told reporters. “With young guys, they can watch games too, as far as development. It’s trying to help him.”
The 19-year-old is leading rookies in scoring, with four goals and six assists in 13 games. Despite this, he’s faced a steep defensive learning curve. The Flyers are getting outscored 10-4 while he’s on the ice at even strength. He’s also committed a team-high 19 giveaways, including five in the defensive zone.
The Flyers used their seventh-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft to select Michkov, which was considered a controversial move since his KHL contract was set to keep him in Russia until 2026. But he made the move to North America ahead of the 2024-25 season to participate in the Flyers’ training camp.
The Flyers currently sit second-last in the Eastern Conference with a 5-8-1 record, ahead of only the Montreal Canadiens.
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