The Ramos roundup is a weekly Philadelphia Sports column highlighting all the pertinent news of the week featuring the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, and Union.
Flyers, Michkov Down Blackhawks 3-2 in Overtime
Two third-period goals from Sean Couturier and Noah Cates helped the Flyers tie Saturday’s matinee with Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks before Philly’s Matvei Michkov won the game in overtime. In what was quickly turning into a snoozefest of a game got quickly entertaining in the final frame of the contest. On the game-winning goal and really all season, Michkov has regularly displayed instincts to consistently identify soft spots in coverage and attack them quickly. Then, in post-game, the Flyers Russian wunderkind delivered this ice-cold quote:
Make no mistake, Travis Konecny made an excellent pass to set up the game winner. But when you consider how young Michkov and how well he thinks the game at his age, it’s hard not to be excited about what’s to come.
Also, congratulations are in order for goalkeeper Alexi Kolosov on his first NHL win. Kolosov, 22, made 19 saves in the game on 21 shots. Kolosov had previously lost his last five starts in goal.
Report: Blackhawks Looking at Morgan Frost?
In other Flyers news, the NHL’s most prominent hockey reporter Elliotte Friedman mentioned in his 32 Thought’s column that the Chicago Blackhawks may be looking to bolster their center depth and could have interest in Morgan Frost. Of course, Frost has spent four of the last six games as a healthy scratch, though he did play against (ironically enough) the Hawks on Saturday.
With a dearth of options at the center position already, the Flyers should probably look to scour the trade market to make Frost a part of a larger trade that nets the club the kind of center they’ll need to push their rebuild forward. It does feel as though the end of Frost’s tenure with the Flyers.
You can read more about the rumors surrounding the Flyers here.
Union Sign Defender Olivier Mbaizo Through 2026
On Thursday, the Union announced that the club re-signed defender Olivier Mbaizo. The 27-year-old is guaranteed to be under contract through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2028. Mbaizo appeared in 21 matches for the boys in blue and tallied just one assist.
Clippers, Harden Drop Sixers
Former Sixer James Harden led the way for the Clippers on Sunday, posting 23 points and eight assists to push the Sixers to a shameful 3-13 record on the season. Rookie Jared McCain scored 18 points and Tyrese Maxey had 17, on the other hand, for Philly.
A pedestrian 1-for-9 start from three sunk the Sixers chances early in the game, while the Clippers filled it up from beyond the arc, going 7-for-11 from three-point range.
The Sixers again were without their injured and maligned All-Stars Paul George and Joel Embiid. Both players were dealing with knee ailments.
At this point, could the Sixers realistically be looking at Cooper Flagg sweepstakes instead of a playoff berth? It doesn’t seem like an exaggeration.
Eagles, Barkley Trample Rams 37-20
Much to the chagrin of the New York Football Giants, Saquon Barkley posted a franchise-record 255 rushing yards in the Eagles beatdown of the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night football. Jalen Hurts also turned in a quality performance, completing 15-of-22 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles QB also added 39 yards rushing on 12 carries as well.
The 9-2 Eagles now have a three-game lead on the Washington Commanders in the NFC East. With little travel and only two matchups left with teams in playoff in contention, the birds should finish the year strong.
Also, prayers for a speedy recovery for Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham. Graham told reporters in the locker room after the game that he torn his triceps muscle and will be finished for the rest of the season. This couldn’t more sad, as this season was expected to be Graham’s last with the Eagles. It’s really unfortunate if this is how a club legend would finish his career.
Graham’s strip sack on Tom Brady to secure the Eagles first Super Bowl victory in 2018 delivered one of the greatest sports moments of many of Philadelphians lives. If this ends up being the final time we see him in an Eagles uniform, it was an amazing ride.
