Let The New Season Milestones Begin: Matvei Michkov Scores The First 2 Of About 900 Career Goals In The NHL
Derek Cain. Getty Images.All the talk heading into tonight was that the Flyers were about to walk into a buzzsaw. The Edmonton Oilers started off the season 0-3. Connor McDavid hasn't scored a goal yet this season and is a -5 on the year already. Everyone assumed this was going to be a chance for McDavid and the Oilers to flex their muscle against a young Flyers team and spanked them around the ice for 3 periods to jumpstart their season.
I guess everyone forgot that Matvei Michkov is the one who knocks. This is a kid who is addicted to scoring goals. The fact that he went his first 2 career games without one was probably the most excruciating 2 games of his life. So in his 3rd game in the NHL, Michkov decided he was done wasting time. He didn't need it to be pretty, he just needed it to cross the goal line.
Sure, it took 2 reviews to finally confirm after the goal was originally called "no goal", and then the Oilers challenged for goaltender interference. But Michkov knew this was a goal the whole time, because pure goal scorers always know when they light the lamp.
This is a part of Michkov's game that is so underrated. Obviously he has a ton of high end skill. The lacrosse goals and through the leg dangles will always get the most attention out of him. But he still has the ability to crash the net hard and jam away greasy goals, too. Especially for a kid his size. They don't always have to be highlight reel goals considering they all look the same on the scoresheet. But goal #2? Well that one you can throw in the highlights for sure.
The little knee drop one T. The celly. Everything about this goal rules so hard. 2 powerplay goals in 1 period. That probably hasn't happened in the past decade of Flyers hockey.
And sure, it's just one period. There are still 40 more minutes left to play as I'm writing this blog right now. Maybe McDavid freaks the fuck out in the locker room during intermission and we have an entirely different game on our hands here. But the fact that the Flyers went into Edmonton against the best player in the world and Michkov threw the first 2 punches? This kid is a superstar. Certified special player.