The Philadelphia Flyers will have their second shot at eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Monday night.
When the Flyers take the ice at PPG Paints Arena, they appear likely to do so without winger Matvei Michkov. According to PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor, Michkov took reps on the team’s extra forward line at practice on Sunday with Garrett Wilson and Carl Grundstrom, hinting that he’ll sit out of Game 5 as a healthy scratch.
Through four games against the Penguins, Michkov has played just 10:05 of ice time per game, down from the 14:50 per game he averaged in 81 regular-season appearances. He has recorded zero points in the postseason and taken three minor penalties.
“I just think he’s part of the young group – you hit, not the wall, but you kind of plateau,” head coach Rick Tocchet told O’Connor. “There’s a lot of pace in the playoffs. I think it’s okay to evaluate them every once in a while, give them a rest, and stuff. Whether it’s Matvei, whether it’s [Alex Bump], it doesn’t really matter. I think that’s the way you develop them as players.”
The 2025-26 season has been a trying one for Michkov, who failed to live up to his 63-point (26g, 37a) rookie campaign. Tocchet has limited Michkov’s usage, as the 21-year-old forward struggled to recover from an offseason ankle injury and arrived at training camp in poor physical condition.
Michkov has seen his spot in Philadelphia’s top-six forward group taken by rookie winger Porter Martone, who has 13 points (6g, 7a) in 13 combined regular-season and playoff games since signing with the Flyers out of Michigan State University last month. Martone is slated to skate on the team’s second line with Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak on Monday in Pittsburgh.
Projected Flyers lineup for Game 5 against Penguins
Michkov is no stranger to a controversial healthy scratch, as the former seventh-overall draft pick was sat for two straight games by then-Flyers bench boss John Tortorella last season. Michkov and Tortorella battled throughout the year, even getting into a heated shouting match on Philadelphia’s bench during a game against the New York Islanders.
