Flyers Files Observations: Revenge Tour Back On?

We’re back for another edition of Flyers Files observations, my weekly look at the Philadelphia Flyers, what is trending, what is noteworthy, and my reactions.

The winless streak is over, and one Flyer in particular has taken the bull by the horns to put a stop to the losing.

Here’s this week’s Flyers Files.

Cue the Revenge Tour

In two wins on Saturday and Monday, the Flyers scored a combined six goals. Half of those goals were by the same player.

In fact, to this point in the season, 35 percent of the goals scored by the Flyers have been by the same player.

It’s Matvei Michkov’s world, we’re all just living in it.

In Saturday’s 3-1 win over Ottawa, Michkov looked like a player that was tired of everything that had to do with the nine-game winless streak to start the season. He assisted on the Flyers’ first goal of the game, then scored the eventual game-winning goal.

On Monday night in a 3-2 win over Colorado, Michkov scored the first two goals of the game. This comes hot on the heels of another goal in Detroit on Thursday. Three games, four goals.

For context, Michkov didn’t score his sixth goal of the season as a rookie until the team’s 17th game of the season. It was his 15th game, as he had been a healthy scratch a couple of times by then. Last season, his sixth goal came in the 22nd game of the season. It took 11 for Michkov to reach that total this time.

And more than just scoring in bunches, as Michkov has done to start the season, it’s the way he’s scoring. Four of the six goals have come right on the doorstep, going to open space near the net and being in the right place to finish. And it’s not like it’s luck that he’s there. Michkov recognizes the space that is given by the opposition and is jumping right up to take it. That may change as the year goes on, but it’s clear Michkov’s confidence is high right now.

His individual revenge tour seems well underway. Could that also fuel a revenge tour for the team that started 0-6-3 to trend in the right direction again?

Should There Have Been More Roster Battles?

On paper, it sure seemed like Monday was a scheduled loss. A boatload of injuries (more on that in a moment) forced the Flyers to bring in some reinforcements just to put a regular lineup on the ice.

Despite the long odds, the Flyers won their second game of the season. And in the process, perhaps one of the biggest questions to come from this is whether there should have been more competition in training camp.

There was a lot made about Cole Knuble being sent down after a strong showing in three preseason games. But it was clearly a numbers game that didn’t favor the 22-year-old forward. But on Monday, the roster spot was open and the Flyers needed more than the reinforcements they had called upon thus far. They tried to plug the hole with Jack Studnicka for a couple of games. They brought in Michael Bunting. Garrett Wilson was in the lineup for a spell.

Finally, it was Knuble’s turn, and he didn’t look out of place.

Alex Bump started the season on the roster, but it was clear he didn’t have a strong preseason or start to the regular season. A trip to the minors certainly restored some confidence, scoring six goals in five games. Again, the spot was open for Bump to return, but should that spot have gone to Knuble to begin with as a reward for a strong camp showing?

You could ask the same question regarding Oliver Bonk. Bonk started the season in the minors as well, and injuries opened the door for him to be called up. It’s been five games now for Bonk, and while his season debut was a little rocky in a tough matchup against Carolina, he’s looked every bit the part since. It’s becoming less of a question whether he should stay in the lineup and more about what role he could have.

Injuries Piling Up

If opportunity has arrived for several young players, it’s due to a laundry list of injuries the Flyers have had to endure so far.

Rasmus Ristolainen has missed the last eight games. Travis Konecny and Cam York have each missed six games. Owen Tippett has been out since Oct. 15 and was placed on IR on Monday. Tyson Foerster was out of the lineup on Monday.

For a team that was mostly healthy throughout the 2025-26 season, the 2026-27 campaign has opened with a lot of players requiring some recovery time. That can really test a team’s depth early and put a lot on the shoulders of others.

What’s especially worth watching is the timeline of these injuries. While most have been initially described as day-to-day, the Flyers have now played more than half of their games without a pair of defensemen meant to be regulars and a forward who has been part of the leadership group for several seasons.

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.