Flyers Beat Sharks in Battle of Calder Contenders – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

While a meeting between two conference opponents in eighth place in their respective divisions normally wouldn’t carry much excitement, anyone with money in the Calder Trophy race was heading to the Wells Fargo Center on Monday evening. The top two Rookie of the Year players of the summer faced off for the first time, with Matvei Michkov returning to the Flyers’ lineup from a two-game stretch as a healthy starter to face the 2024 No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini. and the San Jose Sharks.

It turned out to be a game worth watching, featuring two fights and a desperate comeback attempt. But the Flyers held on for a 4-3 win, with Michkov playing a big role in the outcome.

Recap of the game

The Flyers didn’t let any of Monday’s fatigue set in with a goal, a fight, and an empty scoring chance in the first two minutes. The first two belonged to Erik Johnson, who scored his first goal of the season off a quick feed from Anthony Richard. Then when Johnson saw Givani Smith play Michkov before they faced each other, he dropped the gloves to quickly move on to the Gordie Howe hat trick watch.

Chances were plentiful at five-on-five, with the Flyers playing early in the period. But just when it looked like the Sharks were starting to put together some good shifts, Philadelphia got a strong second game and didn’t let it get to the sidelines. A great passing game between Emil Andrae, Michkov, and Travis Konecny ​​ended in a flourish at one point from Konecny’s big post.

Michkov continued his response game with a second halftime goal. Ryan Poehling spotted the 19-year-old at the front of the pack and Michkov bounced around Vitek Vanecek’s legs to put the Flyers in the driver’s seat. It was also Michkov’s first 5-on-5 score of the season, addressing his struggles with even strength.

Although the Flyers continued to play in the second half, the Sharks came in when William Eklund’s pass from the middle hit the skirt of Jack Thompson with 4:31 left in the second half. And although the Flyers responded well to that goal by continuing to create opportunities, the Sharks got another goal after the break, which was completely scored by Mikael Granlund, who now has 18 points in 17 games.

San Jose didn’t have many chances in the third period, arguably their most dangerous look coming when Konecny ​​passed to Ersson on a backcheck. But since the Flyers couldn’t finish with the chances that were increasing, the Sharks were not put aside in a way. And sure enough, the Flyer’s dynamic jumper sailed right past Barclay Goodrow for his second goal (and point) of the season to tie the score with 2:24 left.

The Calder players rallied for a drive in the final seconds of regulation, with Michkov getting the only penalty that gave the Sharks a full two-minute 4-on-3 to start overtime. Philadelphia successfully killed the penalty, and when the dust settled, the Flyers found themselves in their third straight shot. After splitting those two against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers, the rubber game went the Flyers’ way. Appropriately, Michkov and Konecny ​​lit the lamp in the competition of skills, while Celebrini and Will Smith failed to score.

Monday marked the start of a long home stretch for the Flyers, who are at home for seven of the next nine games until Black Friday. The only exception is their next game, a trip to Ottawa to face their old captain Claude Giroux and the Senators. Meanwhile, the Sharks get a much-needed two-day break before continuing their East Coast road trip Thursday at Madison Square Garden before wrapping it up Saturday night in Pittsburgh.