Takeaways: Matvei Michkov pops in Flyers training camp scrimmage

The Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, New Jersey was brimming with people Saturday morning for the team’s first scrimmage of the season. And while there wasn’t a whole lot to take from an intersquad matchup, Team Orange rallied to defeat Team Black 4-3. We have a few takeaways from the quasi-game, quasi-special teams contest. Here they are.

Bump, Barkey, Michkov a thing?

Although no lines have been etched in stone after three days of a 13-day training camp, one huge plus from the scrimmage was seeing just how well Alex Bump, Denver Barkey, and Matvei Michkov gelled in the time they were together. The trio were pushing the play up ice almost routinely, with Michkov delivering some very strong play and passing to put his two other linemates in great scoring positions. Whether the three of them can read each other better than expected, or each seem to know where the other is going to be, remains to be seen. However, it was an extremely good first showing from the trio. And one that might make Michkov far more of an offensive threat than he was most of last season.

Michkov was also relentless in terms of puck possession, despite being knocked around sometimes or being harassed by the opposition. A perfect example was Michkov skating behind the net and taking a good, clean hit from Travis Konecny. However, he was able to deliver a great pass to Alex Bump who made no mistake for Team Orange, and making it a 2-1 game for Team Black.

As if that wasn’t enough, Michkov — who set up Bump and Barkey a few other times with fine passes — was hounded by Noah Powell later on. Despite being on his knees, Michkov was able to maintain possession, and send a pass to open ice. Defenseman Oliver Bonk was there and beat Aleksei Kolosov to tie the game 3-3.

On the whole, Michkov was stellar, and looked to be the top star among the 20 forwards that participated.

Rough and tumble

Although it was meaningless in terms of any standings or statistics, there was quite a bit of chippy play during the scrimmage. Michkov took the brunt of things, with Hunter McDonald getting into it with him briefly. Aside from the Konecny hit, and Powell hounding him, Rasmus Ristolainen also didn’t mind using his leverage and body to put the smaller Michkov on his backside. Meanwhile, Denver Barkey thankfully avoided getting destroyed by Simon Benoit, just getting out of the way of what was going to be a heavy, hard hit.

The coaching staff most likely enjoyed the play and intensity on display for most of the tilt, but thankfully nobody walked away injured.

Porter Martone good, Jett Luchanko okay

Speaking of tussles, Spencer Gill and Porter Martone got into it late in the second of two 15-minute, five-on-five periods which ended things. Neither threw punches, but both were trying to put the other down. Players from both sides tried to intervene, while Travis Konecny jokingly (and playfully) punched Trevor Zegras in the back of the head. Martone left the scrum holding his wrist. Thankfully he returned for his next regular shift, and just missed roofing the puck under Carson Bjarnason.

As for Jett Luchanko, he didn’t really stand out much overall. He didn’t look out of place either, but there wasn’t that extra gear or oomph that was apparent in the Rookie Camp and during the Rookie Series against the Rangers. Perhaps he looks a little better should he play the opening exhibition game against the Caps on Monday night.

Power play needs work

As has been mentioned endlessly, the Flyers power play needs work. And nothing that was on display here diminished that impression. Although a lot of the scrimmage was based around special teams, there wasn’t a lot to get excited about. Some of the units might end up working, as Matvei Michkov found himself with Trevor Zegras. They seemed to have a bit of chemistry, but nothing really popped for them. Meanwhile, Martone saw himself with Tyson Foerster, Noah Cates, Konecny, Christian Dvorak and — at times — David Jiricek. They had some good looks, but they still need more reps to get the rust off and start looking like a less than horrid power play.

Carson Bjarnason was shaky

The goaltenders for the first half of scrimmage were the top tandem of Dan Vladar and Joseph Woll. Both had good appearances. At one point, Woll had somehow got himself wedged under the crossbar while standing, but didn’t look any worse for wear finally escaping the awkward position. The second pair of goalies used were Aleksei Kolosov for Team Black, and Carson Bjarnason for Team Orange. Right off the bat, Bjarnason had three goals put behind one. One from Tyson Foerster in a three-on-three format opened things up. Then Danila Klimovich potted a power play goal high over Bjarnason minutes later.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Bjarnason saw a shot deflected off one of his teammates on an original shot by Helge Grans to make it 3-0 Team Black. But Team Orange got back in it, and Bjarnason was able to keep things tidy after that. He did take one shot from Martone off his mask but was able to continue.

Trevor Zegras steady down the middle

Trevor Zegras knows he has a lot of work to do to be a capable, quality, and dependable center down the middle for the Flyers. But it’s not a mission he’s unwilling to tack. Zegras looked very strong throughout the scrimmage, and got a beautiful goal that made one feel sorry for Aleksei Kolosov who had no chance.

While paired with Owen Tippett a good part of the game, Zegras also found some time with Michkov, albeit fleetingly. However, if Zegras looks good with Tippett, and Michkov becomes a force with both Barkey and Bump, then the Flyers might look at their lines before the regular season and have quite a smile on their collective faces.

Again, it’s just one scrimmage. The main thing is nobody got hurt. And Matvei Michkov looked quite good again.

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