Flyers Continue to Thrive Without John Tortorella, Win Third Straight in 2-1 Victory Over Predators

The Flyers put a pause on this year’s tank race after a strong performance from goaltender Ivan Fedotov and, who else but Matvei Michkov. Defense showed their presence with clutch moments and constant big hits, something that didn’t seem as apparent under John Tortorella’s Flyers, in their 2-1 win over the Predators at the Wells Fargo Center.

Monday night’s matchup had a showing of defensive moments on both sides on the ice, but more prominent in the orange jerseys.

Michkov and the Calder Case

With three points against Montreal Thursday night, and two points Saturday afternoon, Michkov kept the theme going tonight with another two-point performance. This means that in three games after Tortorella’s firing, Michkov has collected seven points, via four goals and three assists, under a more flexible game style. Harkening off of Thursday’s write-up on the Canadiens game, Michkov continues to show dedication and hustle on the ice under interim head coach Brad Shaw. Fans hope for Michkov to finish these last six games with a smile on his face and hope for the near future.

Last week, Michkov passed Sharks’ Maklin Celebrini in goals for rookies, now being at twenty-four on the year with back-to-back two-goal performances. Tonight, Michkov finds himself one point behind the Canadiens’ Lane Hutson after a two-point game. If Michkov can continue this hot spurt, he will definitely attract more votes for this year’s Calder race, which just so happens to be as close as it gets.

As of now, Michkov is projected to finish this season with sixty-three points, twenty-six of them being goals. Many fans question what could have been without Tortorella, a superstar winger as of right now, but could this alone be enough to win him the Calder Trophy

A Strong Outing from Ivan Fedotov

As the third star in tonight’s game, Fedotov racked up twenty-eight saves on twenty-nine shots for a .966 save percentage. Sure, he held off the Predators, second to last in the Central Division, but the tape showed many promising stops from the goaltender.

Before tonight’s showdown, Fedotov had stopped only twenty-two out of twenty-nine shots in Chicago and had not stopped a puck from hitting the back of the net at all in his period against the Dallas Stars last week. Fedotov might not be an essential piece to the rebuild, but he presented himself as confident tonight against the Predators.

Falling in the Tank Race or Coach Showing Promise?

With these three straight wins, the Flyers are up to seventy-one points on the season. The Flyers during this time have passed the Seattle Kraken, the Buffalo Sabres, and have even now passed the Boston Bruins in this race. They are, as of now, tied in points with the Pittsburgh Penguins and are one point under the Anaheim Ducks. If they continue to win games like this right now, it is possible that the Flyers find themselves with a pick as low as ninth or even tenth, depending on how clubs like the New York Islanders and Detroit Red Wings finish their respective seasons.

You figure the Flyers are in no hurry to grind for a playoff spot, so why do they decide to win games now? If you take a look at this sudden streak, it has many upsides to it. As mentioned many times, Michkov has found many bright spots on the ice in this time. Not only is this good for the players, but this is also good for the interim Shaw. While on the hunt to look for a new head coach, the interim might be doing just fine. If worst comes to worst, when searching for a man to fill the position, they may take a serious look at Shaw for this role and what he has done in his first three games with the Flyers.

Although the Flyers are not in the hunt for a wildcard spot at this point in time, these last six games might mean more than you would think.

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