Flyers’ Matvei Michkov fined for high-sticking Kings forward Quinton Byfield
The NHL levied a $2,473.96 fine, the maximum allowable under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, on the Russian winger for high-sticking Byfield in Sunday's game.
Matvei Michkov’s offensive skills were well documented leading up to his arrival in Philadelphia. But the fiery edge with which Michkov plays has caught many by surprise, including several of his Flyers teammates, ever since he hit the ice for Day 1 of rookie camp in Voorhees.
Sunday night provided the latest example in a growing list of moments when Michkov has shown his quick temper and mixed it up with an opponent before, during, or after the whistle. Late in the Flyers’ 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, Michkov was penalized for a high-sticking penalty after swinging his stick around and hitting Kings forward Quinton Byfield in the head. He was assessed a two-minute minor for the infraction while Byfield was also penalized for elbowing in the same sequence.
» READ MORE: Flyers takeaways: Matvei Michkov bounces back but Orange and Black fall, 5-4, to Kings
But it turns out the punishment wasn’t complete for Michkov. On Monday, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety levied a $2,473.96 fine, the maximum allowable under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, on the Russian winger for the high stick.
The fine is Michkov’s first such penalty since arriving in North America, but he has flirted with further punishment when it comes to illegal stick work on more than one occasion this season. Michkov leads the Flyers with 36 penalty minutes and ranks second among rookies in that category. Earlier this season, Michkov traded whacks with Washington’s Brandon Duhaime, Boston’s Charlie McAvoy, and others. He was also given a game misconduct late in a Dec. 8 loss to the Utah Hockey Club for his involvement in a scrum.
While John Tortorella doesn’t want his players taking penalties, considering that it came just over 24 hours after he benched Michkov for the third period Saturday, and that the penalties on the ice canceled out, he’ll probably appreciate the winger’s response and the fact that he was engaged in the battle. Michkov also used his stick in the more traditional sense Sunday, as he tallied a goal and an assist, his goal ending a nine-game personal drought.