October 17, 2026
Eric Hartline/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone took charge Thursday night.
Matvei Michkov was living along the half wall, somehow always with all the time and space in the world it felt like, and was skating to win.
Finally, the Philadelphia Flyers did.
They were down, and definitely had their moments when they could've been out – none more than when Claude Giroux and Drake Batherson connected on a 2-on-1 to set them behind.
But this time, they never wavered, and Michkov, with the puck, never stopped hunting for his opening.
The Flyers beat the Senators, 3-1, Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, earning what had become that elusive first win, at long (and an agonizing) last, and with the team legitimately (and finally) looking the part.
And Michkov, who entered this season with maybe the most to prove out of anyone on the Philadelphia roster, led the charge.
From the outset, and with the stage set by an immediate delay of game penalty by Ottawa's Tyler Kleven, Michkov took up his space along the wall and over top of the offensive zone faceoff circle, where he would frequently collect the puck, chop his feet, and wait for a lane to open up.
If Senators checkers played him passively, he took his time. If they pressed, he'd shuffle a pass away and make a break into the next open space.
The key, though, was that a cycle kept going for the Flyers, probably to their most effective degree all season so far, which, eventually, had to create something.
It took until nearly halfway through the second period and with the Flyers already down 1-0, because at this point, of course it did, but then a broken attempt by the Sens to clear out their zone instead left the puck rolling to Michkov with no one else nearby. He secured it, took a step in, then put a perfect thread of a pass right off the blade of Porter Martone's stick as he broke to the front of the Ottawa net.
The hop went right over goaltender Linus Ullmark's shoulder and in, an Xfinity Mobile Arena crowd that's been waiting for something good to happen for more than two weeks finally woke up to a blaring horn, and the celebration between Michkov, Martone, and their surrounding teammates was an adrenaline rush – and probably a cathartic one.
The two young Flyers, who are each probably the two most important names in the organization right now, had been waiting, and trying, to make that work.
But they got it
"Step by step, I want him to win," Michkov said of his linemate in Martone postgame. "I want him to win."
Michkov and Martone combine to tie it! pic.twitter.com/P8lqKTJ1iP
— Nasty Knuckles (@NastyKnuckles) October 18, 2026
Then they didn't have to wait long to pull it off again.
On another power play from a blatant Carter Yakemchuk interference call, to Tyson Foerster who was way away from the puck, Michkov and Martone went back out there late into the second period.
Martone freed up a shot to tee up on from the left circle, Michkov drifted down to the opposite side of the net, and the rebound bounced off Ullmark's pad and straight to his stick with a wide-open net, another blaring horn a second later, and another celebration – this time as Michkov's goal, with the Flyers ahead, and with the 21-year-old calling to the crowd then pointing to his teammate.
"I think we're kind of starting to read off each other, see our tendencies, see what we like," Martone said afterward. "It went to show tonight."
Matvei Michkov gives the Flyers the lead! pic.twitter.com/dHVwsqKSlW
— Nasty Knuckles (@NastyKnuckles) October 18, 2026
"We're two very skilled players," Martone added. "And I think as time goes on, we kind of develop more chemistry, I think we can bring a lot to this team."
The third period was a nail-biting 20 minutes, because at this point, of course it was. And once again, the Flyers had their moments where they could've crumbled, needing to hang on for dear life with every last Dan Vladar save as Ottawa pressed, and especially when they needed to survive a late Foerster delay-of-game penalty.
But they didn't.
They stuck to their process, and this time, finally, it was enough as Trevor Zegras iced Thursday night with an empty-netter in the game's waning seconds.
And Michkov, at the center of all of it, was who made the biggest difference.
He lived at the half wall, and wouldn't let the Senators chase him away from it.
And he was skating to win. You could see it.
This time, finally, the Philadelphia Flyers did.
"Our team goes with the young guys and the steps they take, and the steps they're going to continue to take," veteran defenseman Travis Sanheim said within a relieved locker room – even if just for a night. "So it's obviously positive to see that tonight."
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