The Philadelphia Flyers took care of business at home on Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks, skating their way to a 5-2 victory over their cross-country rivals. They did all of that without Matvei Michkov, who missed the game due to a foot issue.
Michkov took a friendly fire pass off his skate late in the third period of Saturday afternoon’s win in Edmonton. It was still bothering him on Tuesday with some swelling, but his X-rays came back negative.
Tocchet says Michkov had an x-ray on his foot yesterday and it was negative. There’s still some swelling though, so he’ll be a game-time decision.
— Charlie O’Connor (@charlieo_conn) January 6, 2026
Michkov’s conditioning has been questioned this season, and he admitted that he didn’t come into training camp in the best shape. That’s hampered him and resulted in a sophomore slump, so it made sense for him to play it safe with a foot injury.
But it looks like it’s just going to be a one-game absence for Michkov.
“He’s skating today. I’m pretty sure he’ll be back in (Thursday),” Tocchet told the media on Tuesday, “unless he says something after practice.”
Michkov picked up an assist in that 5-2 win in Edmonton on Saturday, but also took a careless high-sticking penalty. That’s something that he needs to clean up in his game if he wants to earn more ice time, along with his play away from the puck.
The sophomore forward put together a strong stretch of games in the middle of December, recording four points in five games from the 14th to the 22nd. He has just three points in five games since then, though.
Maybe sitting out one game will help Michkov reset a bit and ramp things up for the second half of the season. Last year, he had 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists) in his first 40 games and 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in his final 40.
If Michkov is to return on Thursday night, he’ll be on that same line with Noah Cates, although the other winger is up in the air due to the injury that Bobby Brink suffered on Tuesday night. Tocchet did not have an update on Brink or Jamie Drysdale as of Tuesday morning.
If Brink is to miss some time, the Flyers have a few options already on the roster that could take his place. Carl Grundstrom and Nikita Grebenkin have been solid wingers who can move up and down the lineup, and Garnet Hathaway brought the energy on the fourth line against Anaheim.
The good news is that all signs point to Michkov returning for Thursday night’s game against the Maple Leafs. He was practicing — and teaching — Michigans during Tuesday’s optional practice.
Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. on Thursday night in the second game of an important four-game homestand for the Flyers.