Michkov scores 2 as Flyers top Avs without Foerster

It started Saturday night against Ottawa, with the Senators on the power play and Foerster dropping to one knee to get in a shooting lane.

Jackie Spiegel

@jackiespiegel93

#Flyers forward Tyson Foerster put one knee down to block a shot, and his right hand took the brunt of a Drake Batherson sharp wrister during the Senators' PP. He was shaking his hand and looked to be in a great deal of pain, leaving immediately at the whistle.

Jordan Hall

@JHallNBCS

Tyson Foerster blocked a shot and went up the tunnel.

Then he was back for the 2nd period like nothing happened. Whether the hand was fine is another question. Later in the game he iced the puck badly and took a delay-of-game minor, which is not what you want from your guys on a team that hadn't won yet. But the Flyers held on, and Trevor Zegras put it away into the empty net.

Kevin Kurz

@KKurzNHL

Zegras empty netter seals the Flyers' first win of the season, 3-1 over Ottawa.

That ended a 9-game losing streak to open the season. Nobody got to enjoy it for long. Sunday's practice had no Couturier, no Tippett and no Foerster. The team put Cam York on IR retroactive to Oct. 8, sent Jack Studnicka and Helge Grans to Lehigh Valley and recalled Hunter McDonald. By Monday Owen Tippett was on IR too, and Jacob Gaucher, Alex Bump and Cole Knuble were called up. Knuble is the 22-year-old son of Mike Knuble, he grew up a Flyers fan, and his parents made the drive to Philly for his debut.

Foerster did take part in Monday's optional morning skate, which looked like a good sign. By some reports he left the ice, came back for more work, and never looked comfortable. The man in net was Joseph Woll, who'd been playing well enough to have more to show for it.

Kevin Kurz

@KKurzNHL

Jospeh Woll is starting tonight. He has a 2.77 GAA, .916 SP, and is ninth in the NHL in goals saved above expected (per Moneypuck) at +4.3. This is his sixth start. He's still looking for his first win.

When warmups started the question was settled. Foerster wasn't in the lines, so this would be the 1st game he's missed all season, and Knuble was centering a 4th line made up entirely of call-ups.

Jackie Spiegel

@jackiespiegel93

#Flyers lines in warmups vs. COL ⛰️ Zegras-Dvorak-Acciari Martone-Cates-Michkov Bunting-Couturier-Gaucher Bump-Knuble-Barkey Sanheim-Bonk Seeler-Drysdale McDonald-Jiříček Woll

On paper it was a mismatch. Before puck drop, Masisak worked out that the whole Flyers lineup had combined for 11 goals and 29 points this season, while Colorado's top line alone had 16 goals and 34 points. Then the Flyers scored first anyway, on the power play, at 7:41 of the 1st. Michkov banged in a rebound with Porter Martone sitting on top of Mackenzie Blackwood, and Colorado challenged right away.

Corey Masisak

@cmasisak22

Josh Manson and Porter Martone were tangled up at the edge of the crease. Martone kinda fell into Blackwood because of it. Had Michkov shot right away, I think that's not interference. But Martone stayed in the crease/with contact on Blackwood for a few seconds.

The goal stood. The officials ruled Josh Manson had pushed Martone into his own goalie. Philly took a 1-0 lead into the intermission and outshot Colorado 13-8, and Masisak pointed out it was only the 5th period in 31 this season that the Flyers hadn't been outshot. Colorado had a scare of its own in the 1st when a Nathan MacKinnon setup to Artturi Lehkonen hit the crossbar and then Martin Necas in the face. Necas left the bench for a while but was back for the 2nd.

At 12:23 of the 2nd, Michkov did it again. He came off the bench, spun all the way around the offensive zone and threw a shot from up top that went off someone, possibly Cale Makar, and in. That's his 2nd of the night, 4th in 3 games and 6th of the season. A frustrated Makar then flattened Noel Acciari, Travis Sanheim took a penalty for answering it, and Necas scored on the power play to make it 2-1. Acciari got that goal back in the 3rd, tipping a point shot so hard he broke his stick, for a 3-1 lead. Woll finished with 24 saves for his 1st win as a Flyer after 5 seasons in Toronto. Colorado pulled within 1 and had a late look at tying it, but Necas tried to pass instead of shooting.

Evan Rawal

@evanrawal

It is remarkably difficult to pass the puck into the back of the net. Necas has to shoot that. Avs fall 3-2.

So the Flyers, 1-6-3 coming in, now have a winning streak. Bednar was still angry about the 1st goal afterward, and he put the blame on Martone, not Manson.

Corey Masisak

@cmasisak22

Jared Bednar on the 1st goal: "I think it's goalie interference. I think Manson lifts his stick and bumps him a little bit, and (Martone) doesn't make an effort to avoid the goal. He just stays in there. He's in there too long and causing too much disruption on the goalie."

He's not totally wrong. Even Masisak thought Martone had time to get out of there and stayed put. It still counts, though, and Michkov is scoring in bunches right now. Zegras had 3 assists, and he said the Bump-Knuble-Barkey line has "not a lot of brain cells" but tons of energy. The thing to watch now is Foerster's right hand. The Flyers are out of IR room and short on healthy forwards, and if he isn't ready next game they'll need the call-ups to keep doing what they did Monday.