The Flyers Postgame Live crew broke down the team’s 4-2 win over the Devils.
NEWARK, N.J. — In the Flyers' first meeting with the Devils a week and a half ago, John Tortorella felt Matvei Michkov was becoming a little too careless with the puck. It was a tight, defensive, 1-1 game in the second period.
"We gave him some direction in between the second and third," the head coach said, "and I thought he was really good with the puck as far as not losing his patience and trying to force plays."
The Flyers went on to win, 3-1, and Michkov saw five shifts in the third period for a total of 2:58 minutes.
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Two days ago, as the Flyers and Devils met again, the rookie winger had only three shifts for a total of 1:27 minutes. He didn't see the ice for the final 13 minutes of the game. The Flyers were protecting a lead and shortened their bench to secure a 4-2 win.
"Third period, I cut to three lines," Tortorella said Wednesday from the Prudential Center before the Flyers' third matchup with the Devils (7 p.m. ET/TNT). "You saw the three players I sat; he was one of them. It's part of the process for him to understand, accept. He's working at that part of the game, away from the puck. And just turnovers. We've got to be careful in those situations with him."
A day after playing only 9:45 minutes, Michkov was the first player on the ice for practice, about 30 minutes before it started.
"He is ultra competitive," Flyers associate coach Brad Shaw said Tuesday. "I do think that with some maturity, he'll learn to, not just temper it, but control it a little bit more. He's a young, skilled player that probably hasn't contributed as much lately as he normally does. This is a tough league to try to create offense in."
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After going on a season-best five-game point streak (three goals, seven assists), the prized rookie has seen his production dip with seven points in 22 games (three goals, four assists).
"It's a lot for him right now," Tortorella said. "He has been inconsistent. We expect it."
The Russian winger is a daring playmaker, a 20-year-old who loves to make the challenging pass or read. Lately, when he hasn't made a play, his frustration has been evident.
"Part of his learning process is learning what's not going to work. Unfortunately that's some of what's going on right now," Shaw said. "And on the other end of that, you end up realizing what does work and you usually come up with a little bit more simplified game, but also one that still shows all of the skilled package that he has. He's just a young player trying to do a very difficult thing, so the frustration is fairly predictable at this point."
Tortorella said the Flyers still hope to use Michkov later in games when they have a lead. But, of course, it'll depend on his play and the situation.
"I've got to make calls as the games go on here in where I put him to give him the best chance to succeed," Tortorella said.
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