Dave Isaac

@davegisaac

VOORHEES — Hit the stopwatch like timing a sprinter.

Twenty-six games, that’s basically how long it took for Ivan Provorov to be identified as the Flyers’ No. 1 defenseman.

“He’s the oldest 19 year old out there,” Claude Giroux said. “He works on his game every day so he’s only going to get better.”

Flyers win streak builds more than victories

Yes, Provorov is a rookie, which says something both about his own capabilities and what the Flyers had before he made the NHL two months ago. His average ice time per game is second only to Shayne Gostisbehere, but he’s closed the gap to nine seconds per game. Gostisbehere has played more than double the amount of time Provorov has on the power play because he’s part of the first unit and Provorov is on the second.

In the last three games Provorov has gone up against last year’s by-a-mile points leader in Chicago’s Patrick Kane, the Nashville Predators’ leading scorer in Ryan Johansen and NHL legend Jaromir Jagr, who had won two Stanley Cups and a scoring title before Provorov was even born.

He will undoubtedly be tasked with stopping this year’s NHL leading scorer, Connor McDavid, Thursday night when the Edmonton Oilers visit.

After each game, Provorov does the same thing. He evaluates his game, identifies the mistakes and calls his father Vladimir if he’s not already nearby to compare notes and see if they agree.

The elder Provorov has already made several trips to the States this year to watch his son play. If he’s back in Russia, the game likely ended around just in time for Vladimir to leave home and take his younger son, Vladimir Jr., to a 6 a.m. hockey practice.

In his rookie season, Provorov’s father has been the most important part of his support staff.

“He never played hockey, but he’s the smartest man I know,” Provorov said. “He picked up hockey and knows all the ins and outs as if he played 30 years pro.”

So far the evaluations have gotten less and less harsh. The worst was the Flyers’ third game of the season. In Chicago against the Blackhawks Provorov was a minus-5 and the smooth-skating defenseman tripped over himself in the defensive zone with the puck leading to one of seven Blackhawks goals.

“That didn’t shake or rattle Provy in any way,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “He came back with pretty good determination the next day and went right back to work. That tells you a lot about the character of a person and the confidence of the young man. So I think it’s just been a matter of letting him progress naturally. (Tuesday) night, for the first time, he got a little bit of additional ice time in the 3-on-3 in the OT and it was because he earned it.”

Another thing he earned himself was the challenge of going up against the phenom that everyone has been comparing to Wayne Gretzky since he was a young teenager. McDavid has a league-leading 25 assists and 36 points.

“He’s a great player,” said the humble and usually terse Provorov. “It will be fun playing against him.

“He’s a fast player. He does everything at a fast player. He’s just as fast with the puck as he is without it.”

Provorov is pretty good too, as his defense partner has come to see first-hand.

Andrew MacDonald has been looking better in the last few games and it’s not all because of who’s beside him on the blueline. He is playing more aggressively and holding the line instead of retreating as opponents come at him with the puck. He knows that his young D partner will be in the right place basically all the time.

“He just moves so well and makes good reads,” MacDonald said. “He’s a very intelligent player. He has great poise with the puck, not just for a 19 year old, for any age player. Defensively he always seems to be in the right positions and communicates well. We’re fortunate we had some time together in camp for a few games so I feel like we picked up where we left off those games.”

So how did this happen so fast?

Part of it may have something to do with a rather incredible summer workout. According to a report from Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Provorov and Montreal Canadiens prospect Mikhail Sergachev worked with a Russian trainer in the summer.

The program included, among four-hour stints in the gym, running up hills carrying huge tires.

“The craziest thing was you had to run 200 meters, stop for 30 seconds, then 200 meters again, rest for 20 seconds,” Sergachev told Engels. “I had to do it 10 times like that and I was gasping for air.”

Provorov wouldn’t confirm the workout, but had a sheepish grin that suggested yes, he is indeed that crazy.

“I’d rather keep it to myself,” Provorov said. “That way of training for me and getting better, I know it works. It’s a lot of time, lots of hard work, but it’s worth it.”

Loose Pucks

Radko Gudas will be back in the lineup Thursday after sitting out three games with an illness. Michael Del Zotto will likely come out as a healthy scratch. … The Flyers activated Boyd Gordon, who hasn’t played since Oct. 29 with a chronic back injury. Matt Read has gone on injured reserve, giving the Flyers just over $108,000 in salary-cap relief. … Injured goalie Michal Neuvirth and center Sean Couturier both skated on their own before the Flyers practiced Wednesday.

Dave Isaac; (856) 486-2479;disaac@gannettnj.com.

Up next: vs. Edmonton Oilers

When: 7 p.m., Thursday

TV/Radio: CSN/93.3 FM