In an expected battle between two young Russian “superstars in the making” on Tuesday, Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov earned the lead over Montreal Canadiens rookie Ivan Demidov with a critical assist. However, much of the credit also goes to Habs goaltender Jacob Fowler, who gave up the puck to the former in the final seconds of the second period, leading to a deflating 3-1 goal, in an eventual 4-1 Flyers victory on the road.
Two young superstars in the making will compete against each other tonight. Which one would you prefer to have in your selection? 🤔
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— NHL (@NHL) December 16, 2025
Summary of the game
During the play, Michkov grabbed the puck, which Fowler had dropped for a teammate. The Flyers forward quickly passed the ball to Bobby Brink, who made no mistake by scoring into the empty net. Travis Konecny added another empty-net goal late in the third period, this time from the official version with Fowler drawn, to end the scoring.
Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier opened the scoring in the final minute of the first game, which seemed to bode well for the home side as the general consensus is that such goals set the tone for the next period. The only problem is that Carl Grundstrom reacted 40 seconds later and scored on a cross pass from Owen Tippett, on which Fowler, who made 17 saves in the game, admittedly had no chance. Flyers goalie Dan Vladar countered with 21 in a game in which he was rarely challenged.
Trevor Zegras scored the winning goal in the second, on a two-on-one, converting a feed from Konecny. Demidov, meanwhile, finished the match without a point, a disappointing single shot on goal and two penalties in a few minutes, after taking revenge by crossing Rasmus Ristolainen in the first after a particularly hard, but in all respects legal, hit from the Flyers defender.
Related: Projected Lineups for Flyers vs. Canadiens – 12/16/25
It was Ristolainen’s first game of the season returning from an injury. The Canadians meanwhile missed defenseman Mike Mathesonwho is now dealing with an upper-body injury on a day-to-day basis, joining several other key Habs in the sick bay. The Habs are now 17-12-4 and host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. The Flyers are now 17-9-6 and next play the Buffalo Sabers, also on Thursday, as they continue their four-game road trip.
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