Matvei Michkov’s brilliance, a lack of five-on-five goals headline a disjointed opening road trip for the Flyers

SEATTLE — The road is a long and winding one.

The Flyers’ start to the 2024-25 season took them through multiple cities, countries, and time zones. They started amid the beauty of the Vancouver waterfront before going to the mountains of Calgary and heading further north to Edmonton, before a final pit stop in the Pacific Northwest and Seattle.

The road also was unforgiving, capped by a 6-4 loss to the Kraken on Thursday night.

But all roads lead to home, and the Flyers returned to Philly on Friday before playing in front of the hometown crowd on Saturday. It’s a matchup against the same Canucks they played to lift the lid on the season.

Before they get set to don the orange jerseys, here’s everything we learned from the Flyers’ 1-2-1 start to the season:

» READ MORE: Q&A: Dan Hilferty on the Flyers’ rebuild timeline, Matvei Michkov’s impact, free agency, and more

Part of the learning curve needed for a young team — 14 of the 23 players on the roster are 25 and under — is just playing together.

Each game has been disjointed, with penalties being called for and against left and right.

The Orange and Black have been shorthanded 19 times and on the power play 19 times, tying them for fifth-most in each category. That’s a lot of special-teams time and not a lot of time to build chemistry for new linemates. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers have skated at 5-on-5 for 164 minutes, 4 seconds — the fewest among teams that have played at least four games.

So it is no surprise that entering the game against the Kraken the Flyers had just three goals at five-on-five for the season, tied for the fewest in the league. In the road trip finale, they scored three, including a pair by forward Scott Laughton.

Tortorella doesn’t want to hit the panic button, but the demons of last season, where they averaged less than two goals a game at five-on-five, are always looming. The team has spent a lot of time watching tape and the bench boss believes consistency comes with getting the puck back more.

“I just want to see some consistency within the lines, lines, individual players; there’s a couple guys that are really struggling, just trying to get some sort of confidence within some guys, and so just keep banging away,” Tortorella said.

One of the guys who doesn’t struggle for confidence is winger Matvei Michkov.

Dynamic. Special. Intense. The Russian has officially arrived — four points in four games — and will ride a three-game point streak into the Wells Fargo Center, where he will be formally introduced to the fans.

» READ MORE: Matvei Michkov can change the Flyers’ complex history with Russian players

A top-end NHL talent wrapped up in a 19-year-old body, Michkov has shown a high hockey IQ, exceptional vision and creativity, along with an edge and tenacity to score from anywhere and at all costs. And, while it was hinted that he’d help the Flyers basement-dwelling power play, each of the first four points of his NHL career have been with the man advantage.

“He likes to score,” Tortorella said after Michkov potted a pair against the Oilers on Tuesday. “All he says is, ‘I score, I score,’ so it’s nice to get him one,” said center Morgan Frost.

It’s early but the future is bright.

Fellow rookie Jett Luchanko has had a more up-and-down start.

The 18-year-old center largely hasn’t looked out of place. Has he lost assignments that have cost the Flyers a goal against? Yes. But it is the small details that have been impressive for a kid who was just drafted in June.

Luchanko has skated in three games and is averaging almost 15 minutes. A speedster, he has set up his teammates several times for Grade A chances and has been given key time on the power play and in overtime.

“I’m not giving Jett a long look, I’m giving Jett the ice time because I think he deserves it,” Tortorella said, referencing the nine-game audition afforded to teenage Canadian Hockey League players. “I think he’s made plays. I think he has a dimension of speed in the middle. Don’t misconstrue, the guys that are getting the ice time, that’s my call, right? I’m trying to put them in situations that I think they should be in, and so they’ve earned those situations.”

Now, will he stay past the nine-game deadline?

It’s only been two starts, but the weight of being anointed as the Flyers’ No. 1 goalie has not frazzled Sam Ersson.

Ignore the numbers. Do not pay attention to that 2.97 goals-against average or .887 save percentage, which were negatively impacted by mop-up duty against the Kraken. Ersson has been much better than those stats suggest.

Where his backup, Ivan Fedotov, struggles with traffic and screens, Ersson has looked steady in net and has showcased quick reflexes and good rebound control.

“Yeah, looks calm, confident when he plays like that, gives us a chance to win every night. So I was really impressed by him tonight,” winger Joel Farabee said of Ersson after he stopped 24 of 26 shots in a win over the Canucks.

When asked during training cap if there is a percentage goal for the power play, assistant coach Rocky Thompson, who runs it, said: “No. When you’re last place, you don’t want to be last place again.”

The Flyers’ power play had been dead and buried — it has finished last for three seasons running. But like The Undertaker, it hath risen. It’s early but, you may want to sit down for this: The Flyers’ power play is ranked 12th in the NHL at 26.3%.

Four games in, they have notched a power-play goal in each game and have five on the season, including two by Michkov. Last season, it took 17 games to hit five.

» READ MORE: Owen Tippett has embraced being a power forward. Now, ‘he just needs something to go in for him’

The key to the power play this season has centered on the addition of Michkov and defenseman Jamie Drysdale. The blueliner notched his first of the season with the man advantage on Thursday night, when he walked the line before getting one past Philipp Grubauer.

Gone are the days of Dave Schultz, Bob Kelly, and Ed Van Impe but that doesn’t mean the Bullies aren’t lurking in the shadows. Four games into the season, it seems the Flyers are resurrecting their storied — and infamous — past.

According to HockeyFights.com, there have been 16 fights in the NHL this season. The Flyers lead the way with four. And none belong to noted tough guy Nick Deslauriers.

Four fights, four surprising pugilists in Tyson Foerster, Farabee, Sean Couturier, and Travis Konecny. For Foerster, his tilt with Calgary’s Martin Pospisil, was his first NHL fight.

”We’re not going to get pushed around. I think that’s kind of what being a Flyer is all about,” Farabee said after the Flames game. “You look at just the heritage of all the guys that have been Flyers previous, and that’s kind of how we have to play. We’re a young team, but we’re not going to get pushed around.”