I had a sense going into this one that we were gonna see a tough outing from Philadelphia’s group as a whole despite them and Boston probably deploying rosters that were close in strength for this matchup. How it played out was that the team as a whole, particularly the blue line core save for perhaps Cam York and Jamie Drysdale (though the latter made some questionable choices at times and of course committed the turnover that led to an ENG), was simply not up to snuff when it came to maintaining possession. Far, far too many puck touches turned into turnovers. That said, after having watched so many of his phenomenal KHL outings, I also knew RW Matvei Michkov was going to have plenty of good shifts in store for us.

I was situated behind one of the nets and therefore got to see much of his work in the OZ in the second period when he really got the engine going. I was content with his defensive and transition games in the first stanza, as well as his subtle work with his touches the very few times they got to happen, but the middle frame was when matters really started to take off. His first real opportunity at possession play in the OZ saw him use both evasiveness and puck protection in alternating fashion and ultimately generated a very good shot on net. There would be one more play of that exact nature which was a bit quicker, but yielded a beautiful shot-pass which Travis Konecny knocked home for the team’s only goal of the game.

Some of his best passing work was manifested in the form of passes that his teammates were not prepared for. Even Morgan Frost, a more than worthy counterpart, fell victim to this, at times. That said, the two do play well off of one another, and their impact on even the young defensive pair of Oliver Bonk and Hunter McDonald demonstrates that. He also was still able to find seemingly impossible lanes at quite a fair number of junctures in the game in his trademark manner despite the group’s lack of cohesiveness and even competency. His IQ was on display in the same manner it always is. His processing ability also clearly extends to making one-on-one defensive reads despite perceptions about that area of his game (he’ll never become a shot-blocker, but it would be a disservice for him to do so, and the pure “responsibility” aspect is something he’s already quite adept at and he’s making more progress on it and will continue to). The likes of David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy were players he was able to get the better of and take the puck off of when the situation called for it. He’s well-rounded already and it’s only gonna be up from here.

Here is some data that fits in with my perception of how well he played, quite remarkably in a game wherein his team registered just 14 shots on goal:

@SuitableAlias on X provides the following:

“Matvei Michkov at 5v5: 0.76 xG

Next closest Flyers forward who spent 0 time with Matvei?

Sean Couturier: 0.49 xG”

“The Flyers created 1.4 xG at 5v5

MM39 was on the ice for 54.3% of Philly’s 5v5 offense in expected goals.

Obviously, he assisted on their only goal.”

Now, how does this fit in with his preseason as a whole? Derek has some more data for us:

“The Flyers in preseason at 5 on 5:

9.85 xGF

12.75 xGA

43.58% xG share.

Matvei Michkov in preseason at 5 on 5:

2.44 xGF

2.27 xGA

51.76% xG share

The Flyers without MM39’s minutes:

7.41 xGF

10.48 xGA

41.4% xG share.”

@WJCRankings on X also notes that Michkov has had points on 83% of the Flyers’ preseason goals since Thursday (the 26th). The discrepancy between the team’s capabilities with him on the ice vs. without demonstrates that he is already capable of massive positive impact at 19. Yes, this is preseason, but he’s winning these minutes in a way none of his fellow forwards are capable of in this environment at present. As the system run by John Tortorella begins to lock in, allowing his teammates to play a more structured game (with hopefully better fundamental execution, as well, considering that was the most significant issue in this particular game) and giving him a chance to familiarize himself with it, I imagine he’ll be even more productive. This rookie season could very well be as great as I projected.