Michkov picking up where he left off two seasons ago

PHILADELPHIA – It’s only been 50 years since a Flyer last won the NHL goal-scoring crown, but who’s counting?

Yes, it was just half a century ago when Reggie Leach’s 61 goals were enough to top the entire league in the 1975-75 season.

Playing on the LCB line with Bobby Clarke and Bill Barber, Leach edged out star players such as Montreal’s Guy Lafleur (56), Pittsburgh’s Pierre Larouche (53) and his teammate, Jean Pronovost (52).

Fast forward to the 2026-27 slate and there just happens to be a Flyer in contention, at least in the early going, for that goal-scoring honor.

Matvei Michkov registered his seventh and eighth goals in the Flyers’ 5-4 loss to Anaheim at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday afternoon.

That put him in a five-way tie for fifth among NHL goal-scorers, pending Saturday night action, just four off the league lead.

Considering Michkov has eight goals in just 13 games compared to only 20 in a full season last year, it’s quite an improvement.

And, with each passing game, he’s starting to look more like he did two seasons ago in his rookie year when he led the Flyers with 26 goals.

If he keeps going at this rate, he would finish somewhere around 50 goals for the season.

For the moment, Michkov is more concerned about how the Flyers are doing rather than how many times he’s turned on the red light.

“I feel good,” he said after the game. “But today my team lose. We need to work and (try to) win every game. Just work. We had five-on-five chances (today) and we only had one score. This is no good. We need hard work for chances.”

Michkov’s center, Noah Cates, appreciates the way Michkov has turned things around this year.

“He’s shooting the puck with confidence,” said Cates. “It’s really off the charts. He’s making the little plays, really helping us.”

Cates praised the work of both linemates, Michkov and Tyson Foerster. This unit produced three of the Flyers’ four goals and is really finding some chemistry.

“They’re playing great, they’re working hard off the puck,” he said. “Offensively we’re carrying pucks in the zone. ‘Michy’ is good at finding the lanes, opening up things for us. We’re learning, we’re talking every game.”

>Tough game for Woll

Saturday’s game was not one of goalie Joseph Woll’s better ones. Allowing a wide-angle shot by Tristan Luneau just two minutes into the third period pretty much spelled the Flyers’ doom.

Giving up five goals was a bit out of character for him this season.

“When it happens, it’s no fun,” he said. “It’s my job to shake them off and give our team a chance.”

It was definitely no fun, especially after the Flyers jumped off to a 2-0 lead.

“In general, pretty disappointing,” Woll admitted. “I thought we played well enough to win the game. I don’t think I played well enough to win the game. Sometimes it goes like that.”