Behind Bobby Brink shootout winner, the Flyers tie their season series with the Islanders two games apiece. Let’s wrap on all the sights and sounds of the contest.
Zero to 60
At the 3:28 mark of the second period, the Flyers broke a scoreless tie thanks to Tyson Foerster. Foerster roofed a back-hand shot under the cross bar after a conscientious stick-check by Matvei Michkov in the neutral zone. The young Russian forward was able to get the puck up to Foerster, who then skated the disc into the Islander zone. Foerster quickly dropped the puck back to Sean Couturier to create some separation and once the puck came back to him, the 23-year-old finished off the play in all alone.
“We have a lot of young guys that I think are going to be key pieces here for a long time,” Brad Shaw said. “As a staff, we feel it’s our duty to the organization to try and keep them playing as focused and as disciplined as we can.”
Additionally, Michkov picked up his 36th assist on the goal and now owns 13 points (4g-9a) in his last nine games. According to NHL stats, Michkov also became the eighth Flyers rookie all-time to record 60 points in a season. He is the first to reach this plateau since Mikael Renberg did it during the 1993-94 season.
Despite dealing with the transition to North America and some heavy-handed coaching from John Tortorella at times, Michkov’s rookie campaign has by and large been a quality one. Almost nightly, it feels like he’s adding his name to the Flyers record books, showcasing his all-world vision and creativity with the puck.
Overall, the Flyers 2024-2025 hasn’t been nearly good enough, but they do have a fantastic building block in Michkov.
Twice-yson
Moreover, Foerster went on to add another goal in the third period, notching his seventh multi-point game (2g-0a) this season. Like Michkov, he too extended a point streak, but his over three games (6g-0a). Foerster ranks third on the team in goals and power-play goals (6).
“I like how he earns his success,” Shaw said of Foerster. “I like how he doesn’t cheat to get his success. That’s not an easy thing to do on a regular basis. Real good sign from a young guy that’s showing that he’s going to be a good pro and a good player for a long time.”
Foerster has been inconsistent on the whole this season, but has significantly picked up the offensive side of the game of late. It is unfortunate that his recent hot streak is coming at a time when it would be more advantageous for the Flyers to lose to improve their draft positioning. However, Foerster is seen as a part of this team’s future. It’s imperative that he finish the season strong and for the club’s sake, carries that into next season.
They Said It
Brad Shaw on Sam Ersson’s 37 save performance: “I thought he was good all game. I loved him in the shootout. He had a little bit of swagger. I liked that. When we see that from Sam, it usually bodes well for how many pucks he’s going to stop.”
Jakob Pelletier on his line with Ryan Poehling and Owen Tippett: “It’s great. I think our line, we skate fast, we take advantage of our speed, and I think it’s how we create goals.”
Tyson Foerster on getting the chance to kill penalties: “Catesy helped me out a lot. Catesy is a great penalty killer, he’s got the best stick in the league so he’s helped me a lot.”
Same Ersson on the atmosphere around the team lately: “Obviously, winning makes things easier. We’re trying to end the season on the high note. Bring good habits and a good feeling into the off-season.”
Did You Know?
According to NHL stats, Jakub Pelletier scored his seventh goal of the season and his third goal as a Flyer. He now owns six
points (3g-3a) in his last seven games.
On Deck
Quick turnaround for the Flyers, as they head to Ottawa to take on Claude Giroux and the Senators at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be broadcast locally on NBCSP plus.
