Flyers host Blue Jackets with Michkov chasing a career-best streak
Philadelphia (3-7-3) opens a four-game season series with Columbus (4-5-0) Tuesday night, the first half of a back-to-back that continues Wednesday in Washington.
Matvei Michkov has a chance to set a career best Tuesday when Philadelphia hosts Columbus at Xfinity Mobile Arena. He enters with points in five consecutive games, matching his longest NHL streak, and has six goals and eight points over that stretch, according to the Flyers’ game preview.
Philadelphia is 3-7-3 and Columbus is 4-5-0 ahead of their first meeting of the season. The game starts at 7 p.m. EDT.
Michkov scored twice in Saturday’s 5-4 loss to Anaheim. He has recently played alongside Porter Martone and centre Noah Cates; Martone has contributed two goals and four points over his past four games.
The Flyers have scored on the power play in four consecutive games, although their overall conversion rate remains 16.3 per cent. Philadelphia’s preview credits a change in Trevor Zegras’s position on the unit with helping that improvement.
The club also says Dan Vladar and Joseph Woll will divide the starts in a back-to-back that continues Wednesday in Washington.
Columbus comes off a 2-1 overtime win against Vegas on Saturday. Adam Fantilli scored the winner on a 4-on-3 power play, Denton Mateychuk supplied the other goal and Cam Talbot stopped 26 shots. Zach Werenski enters Tuesday with six assists and a team-leading 28 shots through nine games. Matthew Knies is set to play his 250th NHL game, according to the Blue Jackets’ preview; acquired from Toronto shortly before the season, he had two goals and an assist in his Columbus debut.
