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John Tortorella Benched Flyers Rookie Matvei Michkov After Heated Shouting Match

Karl Rasmussen

Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) on the bench during during the third period against the New York Islanders.
Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) on the bench during during the third period against the New York Islanders. / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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It's been some tough sledding for the Philadelphia Flyers over the last few days. After losing 3–0 to the New York Islanders, the team has now been shutout in consecutive games for the first time since November of 2017. It's the fourth time they've failed to score in a game this season, as they've now gone over 120 minutes of game time without a goal.

To make matters worse, coach John Tortorella and rookie winger Matvei Michkov had a major falling out on the bench during Thursday's loss to the Islanders. Midway through the second period, just after New York opened the scoring, Tortorella could be seen chewing out Michkov for leaving the defensive zone early, which enabled the Islanders to score.

The two were seen in a shouting match on the bench, after which Michkov did not take another shift. He ended Thursday's game with just 8:30 of ice time, the second time in the games he's been on the ice for fewer than 10 minutes.

Michkov has been one of the lone bright spots for Philadelphia this season, but he and Tortorella haven't always seen eye to eye.

Tortorella discussed his decision to bench Michkov after the game.

"You may not believe it, but it's for the right reason because we care about him ... And I'm not going to fail him by cowering away from situations that people may second guess. We're going to it the right way with this kid, because we think he's that special," said the Flyers coach.

The 20-year-old has 34 points including 14 goals during his rookie season, but has struggled in January, registering just five points in 15 games. He'll look to get back on track during Philadelphia's next game which is slated for Sunday, Feb. 2 against the Colorado Avalanche.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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