As Matvei Michkov called to the crowd after his second-period breakaway goal, his return to the lineup was on its way to being a successful one.
And despite coughing up a 3-0 lead, the Flyers survived to make sure Michkov's performance wasn't wasted. The 19-year-old helped lead the Flyers to a 4-3 shootout win Monday night over the Sharks at the Wells Fargo Center.
Michkov and Travis Konecny scored in the skills competition.
Michkov was back in force after a couple of healthy scratches. He had an assist to go along with his marker, giving him 12 points (five goals, seven assists) through 14 games.
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"The guy loves to play hockey and you can really see it," Emil Andrae said. "I'm happy for him that he bounced back."
The Flyers (6-8-2) have earned at least a point in six of their last nine games (5-3-1). Monday night started a stretch in which six of their next seven games come at the Wells Fargo Center.
Konecny and Erik Johnson also scored goals for the Flyers, who could have had three more on the night. They had some misfires and tough bounces in close, which very nearly cost them.
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The Flyers gave up the game-tying goal with 2:24 minutes left in regulation and fended off a San Jose power play in overtime. Michkov was whistled for roughing 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini as the third-period buzzer sounded.
"Definitely there are going to be some things we've got to clean up, but you can sense that our game's coming," Konecny said. "We're playing more consistently the last four games in the style we want to play and getting better results."
John Tortorella wanted the Flyers to carry over what they did on their 1-1-1 road trip against three contenders.
"I think where we're beginning to find ourselves," the head coach said in the morning, "I'm hoping we can do it another night."
The Flyers improved to 3-1 in the shootout this season. They've gone to the shootout the last three games.
For the first half of this game, the Flyers took advantage of a Sharks (5-9-3) team that played Sunday night at the Prudential Center. San Jose eked out a 1-0 win over the Devils behind a 44-save shutout from Mackenzie Blackwood.
• Michkov had some extra offensive pizzazz to him after sitting the last two games.
"I watched the two games, it's good to watch," he said through translator Slava Kuznetsov, a Flyers consultant. "Get some time off and rethink."
The Flyers feel the healthy scratches are all part of the process for the rookie winger from Russia.
"He's competitive and that's what we love about him," Konecny said. "He brings all the other stuff to the game — the skill and that offensive mindset. But he also competes and he hangs in there. He had some hits tonight, too, so he's not just contributing in offense; he's trying to do different parts of the game."
Ryan Poehling, back from injured reserve, delivered an excellent stretch pass in the second period on Michkov's goal, which padded the Flyers' lead to 3-0.
Michkov also helped the Flyers' power play find some momentum. The club had to be happy with his response to being sat. The line of Michkov, Poehling and Anthony Richard was good.
"I wasn't worried about how he was going to respond," Tortorella said of Michkov. "I wasn't worried about that at all. He competes."
• Samuel Ersson converted 28 saves on 31 shots. Over his last five appearances, the 25-year-old has denied 109 of 116 shots.
He was superb in OT with five saves and was perfect in the shootout, facing only two attempts.
"When it comes to the shootout, he just seems so confident," Tortorella said. "Big reason why we win."
Ersson made back-to-back saves with a little over five minutes to go in the first period to keep the Flyers ahead. Konecny rewarded him about a minute later by cushioning the Flyers' lead to 2-0 with a power play goal. Michkov found him with a nice touch pass.
The Sharks struck twice in the final five minutes of the second period to whittle the Flyers' lead down to 3-2.
"I liked our game, I liked our game," Tortorella said. "Other than three or four minutes [when] we did some dumb stuff."
Ivan Fedotov was Ersson's backup. Aleksei Kolosov, recovering from a lower-body injury, was on the ice for morning skate.
San Jose netminder Vitek Vanecek stopped 40 of the Flyers' 43 shots.
• Richard showed off his speed to set up Johnson's game-opening goal just 1:40 minutes into the action.
Before he could even catch his breath, Johnson stepped up for Michkov by fighting Givani Smith on the ensuing faceoff. Smith and Michkov were in a shoving match, so Johnson swooped in to defend his rookie teammate.
"I'm not much of a fighter but we have each other's backs," Johnson said. "If you have to stand in there and take a few punches to let your teammates know that you've got their back, I think that's important. Whether you eat a few or not, win or lose the fight, I think it's just the message that counts."
The veteran defenseman has 998 career NHL games and a Stanley Cup title on his résumé. Just a pro and the Flyers have loved his influence on the team.
"That's exactly what he brings to the locker room," Konecny said. "Whether he's in or out [of the lineup], he's making a difference in the locker room every day."
• The last time the Flyers gave up a power play goal was Oct. 27. Their penalty kill is on a 17-for-17 run and came up big in the third period and OT.
• Tortorella had some lineup changes for both injury and performance. More on that here.
• The Flyers practice Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET in Voorhees, New Jersey before flying to Ottawa, Ontario for a matchup Thursday against the Senators (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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