The Philadelphia Flyers have just about everything going their way as they head to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in six years, thanks in large part to their young talent.
To drag the Flyers back into Monday night's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Matvei Michkov found the back of the net with a moment of brilliance. Then he single-handedly set up the first three Flyers goals against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Standout rookie Porter Martone deflected a Michkov shot on a delayed penalty to put the Flyers up 1-0, then a deft pass from the Russian phenom put Oliver Bonk, called up Tuesday morning to make his NHL debut, in position to score his first NHL goal.
Then, to put the Flyers ahead 3-0, Michkov rattled home a rebound from his favorite spot: the right side of the opposing net. Who knew?
Finally, Alex Bump, who has been in and out of the lineup since making his NHL debut for the Flyers last month, sealed the deal with a strong finish on a transition rush with Martone, who recorded his second point of the night in the process.
Michkov, whose sophomore season was long thought to be a lost cause, finished the year with 20 goals, 31 assists, and 51 points.
After being air-dropped into the lineup following one lone NCAA campaign, Martone tallied 10 points in his first 9 games as a Flyer.
Bonk, 21, became the 10th defenseman in NHL history to record multiple points in his debut, according to NHL PR.
Defenseman David Jiricek played 19:37 in his Flyers debut and looked right at home, while Hunter McDonald recorded his first NHL point with a +3 rating in just 15:11 of ice time.
The Canadiens, whose lineup was much stronger than the Flyers', had the game taken to them by a handful of inexperienced players.
As head coach Rick Tocchet said after the Hurricanes game Monday night, "they're growing under these circumstances."
The greatest news of all for the Flyers is that their two most talented players--Michkov and Martone--have largely looked like their best players over the last two weeks. They are 21 and 19 years old, respectively.
Whatever happens from here on out will only benefit them and the organization in the long run.