Matvei Michkov had a goal and an assist and then scored in the shootout to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.
Michkov returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for two straight games.
Travis Konecny ​​and Erik Johnson also scored for the Flyers, who had lost three of four.
Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist for the Sharks. William Eklund and Barclay Goodrow also scored for San Jose in the regular season.
After both teams missed their first shots in the tiebreak, Michkov went from his backhand to his forehand to beat Vitek Vanecek. Konecny ​​then scored with a shot high over Vanecek.
Only Nashville (11 points) and Montreal (10) came in with fewer points than San Jose and Philadelphia, with each opening game by 12 points.
Michkov was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Russia. The 19-year-old forward was scratched on Philadelphia’s recent road trip to Florida by coach John Tortorella, who apparently was unhappy with the rookie’s play away from the puck in recent games.
Samuel Ersson made 28 saves for the Flyers. Vanecek had 40 stops.
Sharks: San Jose has been outscored 59-40 this season.
Flyers: Philadelphia is clearly a better offensive team with Michkov in the lineup.
After Johnson opened the scoring, Givani Smith got physical with Michkov after a faceoff. Johnson quickly stepped in and defended the rookie, dropping the gloves on Smith. The Flyers rallied behind the fight, scoring the next two goals to take a 3–0 lead.
Michkov has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 14 games.
The Sharks continue their four-game eastern road trip at the Rangers on Thursday. Philadelphia plays at Ottawa on Thursday.
