2. Michov vs. Bedard
Connor Bedard and Matvei Michkov were the two-highest profile prospects for multiple years ahead of the 2023 NHL Draft. Bedard, as expected, went first overall in the Draft. For reasons mostly beyond his control, Michkov fell to the Flyers with the 7th overall pick despite being offensively gifted in both international junior hockey and the domestic junior and pro leagues in Russia.
Bedard debuted immediately for the Blackhawks in 2023-24, posting 61 points as a rookie (22 goals, 39 assists) and capturing the Calder Trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year despite missing 14 games due to injury. This season, Bedard has generated 54 points (19g, 35a) in 70 games.
Michkov spent the 2023-24 campaign in the KHL before coming over to join the Flyers (two years ahead of the original expiration of his contract with KHL club SKA St. Petersburg). Turning 20 this past December, Michkov has posted 48 points to date (20g, 20a) while dressing in 69 of the 71 games the team has played this season.
On Saturday in Dallas, Michkov snapped a five-game pointless mini-slump with the primary assist on Poehling's game-tying goal. He was originally also credited with an assist for a touch-pass to goal-scorer Konecny. However, after the game, the assist was taken away based on replay evidence that the puck eluded Michkov's stick on the way from Couturier to Konecny.
Saturday's lineup saw Michkov playing left wing on the five-on-five line with Couturier and Konecny. Michkov and Konecny have played together infrequently this season at 5-on-5 (they've more often been together at 4-on-4, 3-on-3, or on power plays).
The reason: Michkov and Konecny both strongly prefer playing right wing (Michkov's off-wing, Konecny's natural wing) to the left side. Having both together on a line means that one has to move to his less preferred side.
Finally, with the Flyers struggling for goals and the two players themselves (especially Konecny) having issues generating points recently, Tortorella experimented on Saturday with Michkov on Couturier and Konecny's left wing.
Look for the Michkov-Couturier-Konecny line to line up together again on Sunday against Chicago. Michkov and Konecny both are given to roving around the ice offensively: neither are strictly north-south players. As such, the positional assignments are mainly for faceoffs.
Michkov is still learning puck-support reads and execution at the NHL level and both he and Konecny are willing to take their share of risks in pursuit of creating offense. Given the Flyers' dire need to generate more scoring, however, the coaching staff wants to see if combining the club's two top offensive players on the same line can provide a spark.
3. Flyers power play drought
Including Sunday's game in Chicago, the Flyers have five games remaining on their schedule of March games. The Flyers will try again on Sunday to get their first power play goal of the month.
Thus far in March, the Flyers are 0-for-28 on the power play through 11 games. In that span, the Flyers actually have a negative goal differential on the power play (0 PPG, 1 SHGA).
At bare minimum, the Flyers want to at least make special teams cancel out on Sunday. In Saturday's tilt in Dallas, the Flyers were 0-for-3 on the power play but also went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill against the Stars' previously hot power play).
4. Between the pipes
Entering the weekend, the goaltending plan was for Ivan Fedotov to get the game on Saturday in Dallas and Ersson to play on Sunday in Chicago. With no morning skate on Sunday, the updated plan is unknown as of this writing.
In Dallas, the Flyers outplayed the Stars in the first period and held their opponent to a mere three shots on goal. Unfortunately, after the Flyers generated each of the game's first five shots on net, Dallas scored on their first and second shots. The latter, an unscreened shot from the deep center slot, was one that Fedotov needed to save to keep the deficit at 1-0.
Ersson entered the game at the start of the second period and made 15 saves over the next 40 minutes of game action. Unfortunately, the goalie's turnover in the opening seconds of overtime brought a sour ending to an encouraging performance.
On the Chicago side, Arvid Söderblom stopped 21 of 25 shots in a losing cause against the Blues on Saturday. On Sunday, look for former Florida Panthers goalie Spencer Knight (2-4-0, 2.84 GAA, .909 SV% in six games since his acquisition by Chicago) to get the start,
X-Factor: Cates line
The trio of Noah Cates centering Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink has been the Flyers' most consistent line since mid-November. Although Brink has periodically been moved to other lines for brief stretches, Foerster and Cates have played together almost exclusively for the better part of five months.
Even when the line has not seen rewards in terms of goals -- their goal production has run hot and cold -- they consistently created substantial offensive pressure and puck possession in Philly's favor. Very recently, however, the underlying process has been a bit more sporadic.
Speaking strictly in terms of point production because his expanded role carries an increased burden of posting points (not just scoring chances), the Flyers need a little more from Cates. He broke through an 11-game point drought with a run of six points (4g, 2a) in four games but is now pointless again over the last nine games.
Meanwhile, Foerster had an assist in the Dallas game but has generated just three points (0g, 2a) in his last 12 games. Foerster's last goal came against Pittsburgh on Feb.25. When Foerster slumps for goals, his most effective means of busting out of the drought is to get to the net for deflections and rebounds. He has not scored much from the flank this season.
