Matvei Michkov likely to return for Game 6 after Flyers scratched him for a game
Michkov and Alex Bump came off the ice with the regulars after an optional skate on Wednesday. Garnet Hathaway stayed out late with the players who have been scratched regularly.
The Flyers could be poised to make another lineup change on Wednesday in Game 6 of their series with the Penguins.
During an optional skate Wednesday morning, Alex Bump and Matvei Michkov both came off the ice with the regulars, while Garnet Hathaway stayed out late with the players who have been scratched regularly.
Rick Tocchet did not shed any light on potential changes, but Michkov could be drawing back into the lineup after he was scratched in favor of Bump in Game 5, a 3-2 Flyers loss that kept Pittsburgh alive in the best-of-seven series.
Tocchet said that he made line changes Monday, inserting Bump and moving Denver Barkey up in the lineup, to spark lines that had not been working. Those changes helped a bit — both Bump and Barkey had strong games — but failed to help the Flyers solve the Pittsburgh forecheck.
“Our forecheck has been just OK the last couple games,” Tocchet said. “I think that’s something — and you can group them into our team playing better on the forecheck, faster, getting in on more chaos, disruption. We’re chasing behind the net a lot."
Bump was arguably the best player on the ice for the Flyers in Game 5, scoring a goal in his first career playoff game. He was active defensively with his stick, breaking up an empty-net opportunity in the final minute, and played well along the boards.
Michkov was mostly ineffective in his four games, scoring no points and playing the second-fewest minutes of any Flyers forward. But Michkov was the team’s leading scorer after the Olympic break, and the 2023 first-round pick’s offensive potential is very high.
The team didn’t run line rushes at morning skate, with Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Owen Tippett, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Christian Dvorak all off the ice for maintenance ahead of Game 6, so it was not clear exactly where Bump and Michkov could fit in.
» READ MORE: Three lessons the Flyers should heed if they hope to close out the Penguins in Game 6
Michkov played the first four games on a line with Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster, which is exactly where Bump slid in for Game 5. Michkov and Cates played together through the end of the regular season, and Cates said they need to get back to what helped them establish puck possession.
“Being dangerous from holding on to pucks and being strong down low,” Cates said. “[Michkov is] obviously such a strong player down there, and he makes his plays, but it starts with getting that possession, staying close, and then you can spread out and be creative and make your plays from there.”
Holding on to pucks is something that Tocchet praised Bump for doing well in Game 5, so keeping that line together could be a priority. But Michkov’s playing style is not a fit for the fourth line, which has, at its best in this series, set the tone with its physicality. Michkov compiled just 33 hits in the regular season.
Someone like Foerster could be a candidate to move down to the fourth line. He has no points in five games so far this series after returning from an upper-body injury late in the season, but Tocchet was complimentary of him Tuesday despite his struggles.
“He’s a really good hockey player. We’re trying to stick with him,” Tocchet said. “It’s [not just] him; we’ve got some other guys there that we need a little bit more from. But it is tough, hitting the wall, to be able to play at that pace and all that sort of stuff. Maybe he has hit the wall a little bit. But 24 hours or 36 hours off, reset your brain, can do wonders for a guy, and usually guys like that, they find their way. We’re not giving up on Tyson, he’s too good of a hockey player.”
Breakaways
Noah Juulsen appears set to reenter the lineup in place of Emil Andrae. Juulsen played in Games 2, 3, and 4 after Andrae suffered an upper-body injury. Andrae returned to the lineup for Game 5. … Despite his stellar season, Dan Vladař was not named as one of three Vezina Trophy finalists, with Boston’s Jeremy Swayman, the New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin, and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy earning the honors.
Flyers lead series 3-2
Game 1: Flyers 3, Penguins 2 | Sielski: Kids stand tall
Game 2: Flyers 3, Penguins 0 | Sielski: Stealing Pens' will
Game 3: Flyers 5, Penguins 2 | Sielski: Shades of glory days
Game 4: Penguins 4, Flyers 2 | Sielski: New test awaits
Game 5: Penguins 3, Flyers 2 | Hayes: Now what?
Game 6: Penguins at Flyers, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (TNT, truTV, HBO Max)
*Game 7: Flyers at Penguins, May 2 (Time TBD)
*if necessary
