When Nikita Kucherov tucked in a full-speed wraparound in the final minute of Thursday night’s first period, it felt like the start of a spiral. Maybe continuation would be a better word given how tenuous the Flyers’ state was when they came into Amalie Arena. The team played one of the last decade’s perennial powerhouses without leading scorer Matvei Michkov (healthy scratch) and their top two starting goaltenders Sam Ersson and Alexsei Kolosov injured.
So, with no one else to turn to, Ivan Fedotov returned to the team’s crease for the first time in two weeks. Even the version of John Tortorella that said he was scared about the team’s goaltending back in the preseason could not have predicted such a poor start for Fedotov, who entered Thursday 68th out of 71 goaltenders with minus-5.1 goals saved above expected (per Moneypuck). And while there’s no shame in giving up a goal to Kucherov, Fedotov was caught flat-footed on the quickly developing chance and in no position to contest it.
Fedotov should have been deep here with only a sharp angle shot. Kucherov as a left hand shot with his stick on the outside opens up the wrap attempt, and also the ability to swing behind and hit the high late forward which would have resulted in a goal because of the overly… https://t.co/jAcFSuPjbV
— Jason Myrtetus (@jasonmyrt) November 8, 2024
It could have been the beginning of another disastrous start. Instead, it would be the only goal he allowed all night.
Fedotov Gets First NHL Win
Though the goal was tough, Fedotov had already shown that he had more in store than the ugly performance in the first six games of his NHL career. It took the Lightning eight minutes to test him but their first shot was an A-plus look for Connor Geekie near the end of a Tampa Bay power play. Yet Fedotov flashed across to stop it.
The Lightning gave him every chance to break by peppering him with nine shots in the first seven minutes of the second period. But instead of letting the negative momentum from Kucherov’s goal spiral, Fedotov picked himself and his team up. The Flyers tightened things up after, allowing just five shots in the final half of regulation. But while they did enough to claw even, the game remained tied after 65 minutes, pitting Fedotov against countryman Andrei Vasilevskiy, a winner of 299 NHL games and a dominant 22-7 in shootouts.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper made some interesting personnel choices, giving the first shot to Gage Goncalves in his fourth NHL game and the second to a defenseman (albeit a very talented one) in Victor Hedman. No Kucherov, no Brayden Point, and no Jake Guentzel to worry about. Still, a shootout is a shootout, but Fedotov looked poised on both shots. His 6-foot-7 frame gave little room to shoot at, passing the torch to Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett, who scored on their attempts to win the game.
“I thought he competed harder and I don’t think there was a lot of extra movement in his game at all,” said John Tortorella.
Remember, Fedotov did this on a day he woke up expecting not to start. A morning skate injury to Kolosov gave him the chance to play. A chance that could have taken who knows how long to come for Fedotov was suddenly there. Rather than let it overwhelm him, he seized the moment. Winning an NHL game is a long journey for everyone who’s done so, but perhaps no one has gone through more on the road to it than Fedotov.
“Everybody knows my story. Everybody knows what happened,” he said. “But this is in the past. So now it’s a new chapter, new page, great, great feelings to be here and get the first win.
Shoot Your Shots
A major reason the Flyers succeeded last season was their play in the offensive zone. Yes, they struggled to finish thanks to a 7.65% shooting percentage at 5-on-5 (29th) and 8.53% in all situations (31st), per Natural Stat Trick. But their process was strong. Philadelphia finished the 2023-24 season fourth in shots per game (33) and spent 42.3% of their games in the offensive zone, putting them in the 81st percentile league-wide, according to NHL Edge.
Those numbers have regressed heavily in 2024-25. The Flyers have dipped to 25.4 shots per game (30th) and are in the league’s bottom half in time spent in the offensive zone (39.6%), with most of that 2.7% drop going to the defensive end (as opposed to the neutral zone). Puck support has been a major issue for most of the season, and the Flyers got off to a slow start Thursday, losing the 5-on-5 expected goals battle decisively in the opening 20 minutes (33.21%).
After being held to nine shots in the first 29 minutes of regulation, the Flyers tested Vasilevskiy 19 times the rest of the way, which Tortorella identified as a turning point.
“In the second period, they were beginning to flip the game. We were beginning to lose ourselves and… stuck in our end a little bit. But we didn’t totally crack. Just kept playing,” said Tortorella.
They won the expected goals battle in the second period by nearly the same margin they lost in the first and essentially broke even in the third.
“I thought we [were] better supporting the play,” said Tortorella. “Not only entering the zone but… I don’t think we’ve solved everything. But I thought we forechecking more. I thought we had the offensive zone pressure more tonight through being closer together.
For a while, it looked like their breakthrough wouldn’t come. A locked-in Vasilevskiy has confounded far better teams and a trio of shots off the iron didn’t help either. But the Flyers didn’t get frustrated, and when allowed to attack off the rush in prime 2023-24 fashion off an errant pass by Brandon Hagel, they took full advantage. Tippett, who has struggled all season to hit the net, did so after taking a tip-pass from Travis Konecny in stride. That allowed him to gain the blue line at full speed and create space for Tippett to release the shot.
“What sets that up is TK going hard backdoor. I think it makes him think that that pass option’s there and maybe he comes off the post a little bit more,” said Tippett, who now has goals in consecutive games after scoring once in his first 12 contests.
Looking Forward
Michkov could return to the lineup as the Flyers finish their southern road trip on Saturday against the Florida Panthers. Anthony Richard‘s play-driving numbers weren’t great (33.87% expected goals) but he had some good scoring chances, including a breakaway in the last minute of regulation. The Panthers are a physical team so taking out Nic Deslauriers (who played in his sixth game of the season on Thursday) may not be where Tortorella leans.
Related: Understanding the Flyers’ Decision to Scratch Matvei Michkov
Egor Zamula has played well since returning to the lineup on Nov. 5 and Emil Andrae still looks good. However, the Flyers must call up a goalie if Kolosov or Ersson (who was on the ice Thursday morning) isn’t ready to dress. Eetu Makiniemi (.911 save percentage) has outplayed Cal Peterson (.899 SV%). Given Petersen’s struggles at the NHL level the last three seasons (.887 SV% in 52 games), the untested 25-year-old Makiniemi could get the call. He played two NHL games for the San Jose Sharks two seasons ago, recording a respectable .906 SV%.
