Flyers make a crazy lineup change for Game 5

Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet has elected to make forward Matvei Michkov a healthy scratch for Game 5 against the Pittsburgh Penguins this evening.

The 21 year old former 7th overall pick (2023 NHL Draft) has gone pointless in four playoff games thus far and there have been calls for Tocchet to remove him from the lineup.

It's expected that 22 year old rookie Alex Bump will take Michkov's spot in the lineup.

There's no denying Michkov's skill, but his tendency to shrink away when things get difficult has to be of concern to the Flyers and their fanbase. Given that the team wants to end this series against Pittsburgh as quickly as possible and to not let things fester, this seems like a shrewd, if not completely savage decision by Tocchet.