Matvei Michkov Scores Twice, Including Overtime Winner as Flyers Grab Huge Win vs. Rangers
Feb 26, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) shoots the puck past New York Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin (31) for a goal in the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
After the Flyers’ offensive misery last night, they searched for a rebound in New York City in the second half of a back-to-back over a lowly Rangers team.
In a game in which the Flyers needed it the most, Matvei Michkov stepped up in a huge way. He scored twice, including the overtime winner, in the 3-2 overtime win. When he and the Flyers desperately needed a spark, Michkov delivered. The Flyers showed tons of aggression tonight. They are still hungry for a playoff spot, and they know it’s still achievable.
Samuel Ersson did the job tonight. Other than a sloppy play which led to a Rangers goal in the first period, he held down the fort, saving 23 out of 25 shots. Igor Shesterkin for New York also played well. In his first start since January 5th, he saved 21 out of 24 Flyers shots. The Flyers worked him; they played angrily and wanted to score all night. Shesterkin held his own for a while.
The Rangers started the first period hot. They controlled most of the possession, whilst the Flyers couldn’t hang on. Ersson made two good saves early, but most fans knew his track record this season wouldn’t last. Sam Carrick scored near the wall from the right faceoff circle to give the Rangers the first goal of the game at the halfway point of the period.
The Flyers looked really, really bad at that point. It took them 14 minutes to create some pressure. Noah Cates had a good chance of a pass from Bobby Brink, and then Jamie Drysdale got his shot saved by Shesterkin. Garnet Hathaway also got into a fight with Carrick, who was not on the bench to start the second period.
It was a more eventful second period with the Rangers wasting no time. Will Cuylle flipped one across to Alexis Lafreniere, who buried it just 1:23 in to double the Rangers’ lead. The Flyers received a power play a few minutes later, but the goalkeeping from Shesterkin was tremendous, once again keeping them scoreless.
Nine minutes in, the Flyers got on their second power play of the period. It looked like they were going to be 0-2 on the advantage until Matvei Michkov broke through and scored with just two seconds left off a feed from Noah Cates. It was his 14th goal of the season and his first since January 29. The score gave the Flyers new life, and it was really good to see Michkov back on the scoresheet after not scoring for nearly four weeks.
The Flyers received one more power play in the period in which they could not score, although they created eight chances and showed much more life.
They carried their energy from the second period right into the third, and it paid off immediately. Just 39 seconds in, Trevor Zegras cut through the Rangers’ defense and beat Shesterkin to make the game level. It was the second night in a row that the Flyers scored right out of the gate to start the third period, and both goals were equalizers.
Philadelphia continued to generate chances, earning two power plays which they could not convert. In regulation, they finished 1-for-5 on the advantage, adding to the dismay as one of the worst power play teams in the NHL. Shesterkin and Ersson both stood tall down the stretch, with both of them making key saves, although neither team could score after Zegras, which sent the game to overtime.
The Rangers started overtime with 1:52 left on their existing power play off a Mickov penalty, as they generated a chance on the 4-to-3 advantage, but Ersson made a fantastic stop with the puck scrambling in front. Then, Michkov raced right out of the penalty box, ran through the defense, and scored his second of the night — the overtime winner.
What seemed like a first period in which the Flyers looked destitute, the Flyers turned around, erased a 2-0 deficit, and grabbed a hard-fought win against a tough division rival. Wins like these could change the momentum that they have at the moment.
The Flyers will return home on Saturday, and they’ll face the Boston Bruins at 3:00 P.M. Four games remain until the trade deadline next Friday. A lot will be decided within the next seven days for the direction they want to take for the remainder of the season.
Andrew Glover
Andrew is in his first year covering sports for Philly Sports Reports. He is a podcaster and a digital content creator. Right now, he is in his second semester at Temple University pursuing a degree in Media Studies and Production. He has a certificate in Broadcast Journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
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