Michkov scores 2nd goal in OT, Flyers rally past Rangers

NEW YORK -- Matvei Michkov scored at 2:10 of overtime, and the Philadelphia Flyers came back to defeat the New York Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

Michkov broke in alone from the left wing to beat Igor Shesterkin five-hole for his second goal of the game after the Flyers killed off a penalty he took for goalie interference with nine seconds remaining in the third period, which carried over into overtime.

"I mean, it was great," Flyers forward Travis Konecny said. "He had two big goals, obviously, but I thought the one he scored for us, the first one was a timely one when it kind of helped us calm down and get us back into it. He's playing great. He looked fast. He looked confident with the puck."

Trevor Zegras also scored for the Flyers (26-21-11), who rallied from a 2-0 second-period deficit following a 3-1 loss at the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. Samuel Ersson made 23 saves.

"A bunch of must-wins," Flyers forward Noah Cates said. "We’ve got to make up some ground, especially [against] division opponents. Just huge, huge games everywhere."

Ersson made a glove save on defenseman Adam Fox 37 seconds into the game. He also made several stops late in the third period and in overtime with the Rangers on the power play.

"That save that he made on Fox in the first four minutes and the penalty kill in overtime -- he was amazing," Zegras said. "... When that first one goes in it's like, he made so many ridiculous saves after that, like it didn't even matter."

Sam Carrick and Alexis Lafreniere scored for the Rangers (22-29-7), who have lost five straight. Shesterkin, who was playing his first game since Jan. 5 because of a lower-body injury, made 21 saves.

It was the first game for the Rangers since forwards Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller, and coach Mike Sullivan helped Team USA win gold at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

"I thought 5-on-5, we were pretty good. We had a great start to the game," Sullivan said. "The power play didn't execute, we made poor decisions, and our penalty kill needs to be better."

Carrick gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 9:56 of the first period when he threw a shot at the net from the right boards.

"It's a big two points for us," Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. "Obviously a tough first goal for Ersson, but he battled. There were a lot of good things. We could have melted after those first 10 minutes."

Lafreniere made it 2-0 at 1:23 of the second period, scoring in front off a no-look pass from Will Cuylle. Lafreniere began the play by getting the puck behind the net and passing to Vincent Trocheck, who found Cuylle before he fed it to Lafreniere.

Michkov cut the deficit to 2-1 at 10:25 with a power-play goal from in front on a one-timer off a saucer pass from Cates.

Zegras tied it 2-2 at 39 seconds of the third, with a shot from the right circle, opting to keep the puck on a 2-on-1 with Christian Dvorak.

"I mean, I think if he maybe [the defender] took another step toward me, I would think about passing it," Zegras said. "But when you get in that close, it's kind of an instinctual shot, I guess, but I was kind of just reading the play."

The Rangers are 6-15-5 at home and are last in the Eastern Conference.

"We know where we are in the standings but at the same time, there's 20-plus games left and we don't want to just pack it in," Fox said. " We're competitive athletes in here, and we want to win games." 

NOTES: Trocheck, Miller and Sullivan, along with assistant David Quinn and general manager Chris Drury, who were also part of the U.S. team, were honored before the game. Forward Mika Zibanejad, who played for Team Sweden at the Olympics, was also recognized. … Fox returned after missing 13 games with a lower-body injury. He had two shots on goal in 24:57 of ice time. New York forward Conor Sheary also returned after missing 15 games with a lower-body injury. He had two blocked shots in 12:50 of ice time. … Michkov has four career overtime goals.