Skip to content
Y
o
u
r
 
d
a
i
l
y
 
d
o
s
e
 
o
f
 
h
o
c
k
e
y
News

5 points in 2 games: Michkov is a transformed player since Tortorella’s departure
Michaël Petit
5 points in 2 games: Michkov is a transformed player since Tortorella’s departure
Credit: Getty Images

Montreal Canadiens fans can rejoice as Lane Hutson is now at the top of the rookie points list in the NHL, with his three points in Sunday’s game.

He now has 59 points and is three points ahead of his nearest competitor. Macklin Celebrini will play later tonight at 10:00 PM against the Los Angeles Kings.

(Credit: StatMuse)
We know Hutson is very mature for his young age, and on that topic, Eric Engels has written an article.

The Habs rookie seems to appreciate the pressure with the playoff chase.

“I think just having that pressure and knowing that every play you make is crucial and can have a big impact on the game, it’s quite pleasant.” – Lane Hutson

For a while now, we haven’t been counting on Matvei Michkov to put up a good fight for the rookie of the year award.

Macklin Celebrini seemed to be the only one who could dethrone Hutson and steal the trophy.

However, as we know, the Philadelphia Flyers have parted ways with their head coach John Tortorella, which seems to have opened the door for Michkov.

He has only played two games since Tortorella’s departure, but we can already feel a breath of fresh air from the Flyers’ rookie.

The Russian has scored four goals and added an assist for a total of five points in his last two games.

In the game against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, he finally seemed to be able to play to his full potential, collecting three points in the win.

(Credit: ESPN)

It’s pretty rare to see a head coach get fired this late in the season.

At this point, you’re just as well off waiting until the end of the season and hoping for a better draft pick.

With this change, the Flyers might win a few more games, which will prevent them from getting a quality pick.

But the quality in the locker room is more important than a prospect that no one is sure will be able to dominate with the team. Maybe the team will even choose a player later in the draft who will become a better player than the one they would have picked earlier.

Daniel Brière has finally decided to pull the plug on Tortorella, and it’s paying off for the team so far, even if the sample size is small.

And it’s not just Michkov who’s benefiting from Tortorella’s departure. There were some frictions between a few players and the fiery coach, and Sean Couturier is another one.

We also saw him being freed in the game against the Canadiens on Friday, scoring two goals and adding an assist, just like Michkov.

If the Flyers’ and Michkov’s successes continue, he could very well challenge Celebrini and Hutson, or even surpass them for the points total.

The Calder Trophy race is more interesting than ever.


Overtime

– Tom Wilson finds it very different to face the Sabres, unlike teams that are more structured and intense, like the Winnipeg Jets and the Minnesota Wild.

– A whole season from Mikhail Sergachev.

– A small comedy, Aliaksei Protas, who scored his 30th goal of the season.

– He is also tied for first in the NHL this season for shorthanded goals.

– To read.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
More Content