Matvei Michkov on scoring the Flyers’ overtime winner: “When you get the moment, you have to be cold-blooded.”
The Flyers came to life offensively in the third period Saturday afternoon to rally for a 3-2 overtime win over the Blackhawks at the Wells Fargo Center.
Sean Couturier and Noah Cates scored goals to erase Chicago's 2-0 lead.
Matvei Michkov netted the game-winner in OT on the power play. John Tortorella's club went to overtime for the fifth time in the last eight games.
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"When you get the moment, you have to be cold-blooded and realize it," Michkov said through translator Slava Kuznetsov, a Flyers consultant. "And finish it."
The Flyers (9-10-2) snapped a two-game skid and are 2-2-0 on their five-game homestand.
"I think we have that kind of resiliency in this group where we always feel like we're going to come back if we're down in the third," Morgan Frost said after returning to the lineup.
The Flyers and Blackhawks (7-12-2) wrap up their two-game regular-season series in March at the United Center.
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• The Flyers' first line and top defensive pair surrendered the first two goals to Chicago's fourth line.
They need to win those matchups. It's no secret the Flyers have struggled to score, they're not a high-end offensive team, so breakdowns like those become magnified.
But Couturier and Travis Konecny made up for it in the third period to draw the Flyers within 2-1. Rasmus Ristolainen had the primary assist and finished as a plus-2.
"When you're outshooting them, getting chances, not really scoring, I think it was a good learning lesson," Couturier said. "We kind of got frustrated at times but we stuck together and stuck to the same style of play. We came back, showed some character in the third and capitalized on our chances. Found a way to get the two points."
Aleksei Kolosov converted 19 saves on 21 shots for his first career NHL win.
He had no chance to stop the Blackhawks' game-opening goal in the first period. The Flyers had a 4-on-2 rush that came up empty, resulting in a Chicago counter rush. Cam York pinched on the Flyers' push into the offensive zone, giving them another scoring option. But the Flyers were one and done and the play went the other way.
The Flyers had only Travis Sanheim back in coverage followed by Couturier. Lukas Reichel buried a wide-open look.
Kolosov made a huge save on a Blackhawks shorthanded breakaway a little under one minute into the second period to keep the Flyers' deficit at one. But midway through the period, Chicago's fourth line struck again as Patrick Maroon put the Flyers in a 2-0 hole.
"There wasn't a lot of panic, that's all we talked about, was just trying to take a deep breath and keep playing," Tortorella said. "Because I thought we were getting chances. We had a bunch of almost chances again, too. We just struggle completing the play. I thought their goalie played really well the first half of the game.
"Sometimes you've got to be aware and not just look at the score and say, 'Oh, s--t.' I thought our team was playing OK and we just needed to keep on playing."
Samuel Ersson, day to day with a lower-body injury, missed his seventh game of the season and fifth in a row. A good sign, though, for his status was that he took the ice Saturday morning at the Wells Fargo Center.
Blackhawks netminder Petr Mrazek stopped 34 of the Flyers' 37 shots.
• This was the first-ever NHL matchup between the 19-year-olds Michkov and Connor Bedard.
Michkov had flashes in which he created some looks for the Flyers and delivered in OT off a feed from Konecny.
"That's a hell of a pass by T.K., he put some air underneath it," Tortorella said. "That's a hell of a pass by him. He made some good plays. I thought everybody contributed."
The Flyers have two overtime wins this season. Michkov has scored the winner in both, with Konecny and Sanheim recording assists each time.
Bedard, who went scoreless, was selected first overall in the 2023 NHL draft. Michkov fell to the Flyers at No. 7. They've been linked together going back to the 2021 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship.
"Today it was really good to see him on the ice," Michkov said. "It was a long time we hadn't played against each other. I hope it's only the beginning."
• After missing the last 13 games because of an upper-body injury, York was back on the Flyers' top defensive pair alongside Sanheim.
To make room for York on the roster, the Flyers loaned winger Anthony Richard to AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.
York came into the lineup for Egor Zamula. The 23-year-old provided a screen on Cates' game-tying 2-2 goal. It was Cates' first marker of the season and came on a blast from deep.
"I went down to him after, I said, 'You deserve that one,'" Tortorella said. "Because he has done a lot. He's probably one of our better players defensively."
Emil Andrae, who had missed the last two games with a mid-body injury, also returned on the back end. The 22-year-old played in place of Erik Johnson and saw over 24 minutes.
Jamie Drysdale (upper body) remained out for a sixth straight game. He practiced Friday and skated Saturday morning at the Wells Fargo Center. It looked like the 22-year-old was cleared for contact Friday as he practiced in a regular jersey.
• Scott Laughton had eight shots and four hits in 13:22 minutes after having his ice time cut in the Flyers' 4-1 loss Wednesday night to the Hurricanes.
"I just want Scotty to grind a little bit more, I think we need to get more out of him that way," Tortorella said. "I wanted that line to occasionally check and also be a momentum line. I think that's the role Laughts has to play with us here."
• The Flyers finish their homestand Monday when they welcome the Golden Knights (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
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