Matvei Michkov was inexplicably scratched twice in a row by John Tortorella. He responded by putting together a huge game in his first appearance back in the Flyers lineup.

To be clear, from Day 1 of training camp Tortorella has left little doubt he thinks the world of Michkov. The winger’s work ethic, competitiveness and internal fire have endeared him to the Flyers’ often tough-to-please coach. Yes, there’s a nearly half-century age gap between the two, but there seems to be a real affection there.

John Tortorella was happy with Matvei Michkov's effort in his return to the lineup for the Flyers against the Sharks.

In his two-plus years as Flyers head coach, John Tortorella has preached that nobody is above the law and backed up those words with his actions. Thursday morning was the latest example. Before the team’s morning skate,

Star Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov has not scored a point in any of his last three games, and his ice time has decreased in direct relation to his decline in performance.

Head coach John Tortorella and the Philadelphia Flyers made major airwaves after making public the decision to bench, as in fully healthy scratch, rookie sensation Matvei Michkov ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Matvei Michkov passed one of the first tests of his young career and will look to author another strong performance Thursday when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Ottawa Senators. One of the league's most dynamic rookies,

Philadelphia Flyers coach scratching rookie of the month Matvei Michkov is not necessarily a bad thing. It's now up to the Calder Trophy contender to respond effectively.

Standing in front of the media in the Flyers locker room, Erik Johnson acknowledged the elephant in the room: “Sort of a little bit of a trap game.” This wasn’t like last season when the Flyers gave the struggling San Jose Sharks their first win — 12 games in.

Matvei Michkov had a goal and an assist, and then scored in the shootout to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Monday night. Michkov returned to the lineup after he was a healthy scratch for two consecutive games.