The s had been legitimately higher towards the Ottawa Senators, even in defeat. Two days later, nevertheless, they had been again to the inexplicably disconnected and lifeless play that characterised their first 4 defeats.
Going through the opportunity of their sixth loss in a row to begin the 2026-27 season, the Flyers had been completely uncompetitive all day lengthy, falling by a 5-1 rating to the Boston Bruins and dropping to 0-4-2 on the season. Fraser Minten completed with three factors on the day (one purpose, two assists), whereas Pavel Zacha, Mason Lohrei, Marat Khusnutdinov and Casey Mittelstadt additionally scored for the Bruins.
Porter Martone scored his first purpose of the season within the third interval, however that was nicely into what definitely felt like rubbish time within the second, and was confirmed to be after the Bruins rapidly potted two extra objectives to cement the ultimate four-goal deficit for the Flyers. Dan Vladar stopped 27 photographs in defeat, whereas Jeremy Swayman cruised to a victory whereas dealing with simply 15 Philadelphia photographs.
Turning level of the sport
I supposed one might make the case that issues didn’t actually begin going off the rails for the Flyers on this one till their first energy play alternative halfway by means of the primary interval was a predictable catastrophe. Immediately, a sport that had been pretty shut by means of 9 minutes was Boston domination, with the Bruins taking the lead lower than a minute after killing the penalty — a lead they by no means relinquished.
But it surely’s too charitable responsible this merely on the Flyers’ usually horrific energy play, and the momentum-sapping impact it will probably have. A sport this uncompetitive was misplaced earlier than the puck was even dropped.
Which brings us to the “effort” query, that Porter Martone particularly addressed after Saturday’s sport to the touring media.
It’s true that loads of individuals — myself included — have questioned the “effort” this season, particularly after the losses to the Penguins and Lightning. In these video games particularly, the Flyers appeared listless and disengaged, missing any sense of urgency of their play. But it surely’s necessary to make clear the particular nature of the critique. I don’t imagine the Flyers aren’t making an attempt. I don’t assume that they don’t care. Based mostly on my information of the gamers and their locker room, I believe they absolutely imagine that they’re giving it their all.
I simply imagine that they’re mistaken.
It’s not that the Flyers aren’t making an attempt in any respect. They’re not coasting round prefer it’s a beer league hockey sport. However they’re fairly clearly getting outworked by their opponents on a nightly foundation (solely the Ottawa sport was an exception). They could be making an attempt, however their opponents are attempting more durable proper now, and the consequence has been a deluge of puck battles and puck races misplaced.
This isn’t a fan or media creation. Daniel Briere, the group’s GM, straight up stated on the document on Saturday earlier than puck drop that the foundation explanation for the group’s points is “compete stage,” which isn’t precisely the identical as “effort” however shut sufficient {that a} hockey model of Thesaurus.com’s synonyms software would possible counsel it to a frazzled author on deadline. Tocchet used the identical phrase — “compete” — in his pissed off y after Monday’s 4-1 defeat.
These are the individuals within the room, watching them up shut even when the doorways are locked. Their prognosis: the gamers could also be making an attempt, however they’re not making an attempt exhausting sufficient.
The Flyers had been in a troublesome spot on Saturday, lacking all of Travis Konecny, Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York (who regardless of his poor begin to the season is a true-talent top-four NHL defenseman) and being compelled to decorate two gamers who had been full-time AHLers final season (Garrett Wilson and Helge Grans) and slot a number of gamers (particularly the pairing of David Jiricek and Nick Seeler) additional up the lineup than they need to be enjoying. However the way in which to beat robust circumstances? Compete. The Flyers have gained loads of video games whereas undermanned over the previous few seasons; each group has to face it typically. Some deal with it higher than others.
Proper now, this Flyers group can not deal with it. They’ll’t deal with something. And in the event that they don’t determine how one can begin dealing with it, this season goes to be over for them earlier than it barely begins.
Who gained the 5-on-5 possession battle?
OK, that’s sufficient on the gamers. Let’s transfer to Rick Tocchet and the culpability of the teaching employees.
Over the primary 4 video games, I discovered it troublesome to place an excessive amount of blame on the coaches, not less than when it comes to their impression of their on-ice techniques on this disastrous begin. One might pretty criticize them for establishing apparently one of many least efficient coaching camps in current NHL historical past, and an incapability to acknowledge simply how unprepared the gamers had been for the beginning of the season, nevertheless it was exhausting to pin issues on Tocchet’s system — or his means to show it — when the gamers had been struggling to make even the only of passes.
No “system” will look good with execution that poor. Most of their possession points appeared to movement downstream from the shortcoming to make a fundamental go. If a group can’t get away or transfer up ice as a result of they’re lacking on even unpressured feeds, after all they’re by no means going to get photographs. In fact the opposite group goes to be attacking with velocity continuously. It’s a logical by-product of the absence of base-level competence.
This sport was totally different. The Flyers did even have the puck quite a bit. And it nonetheless was a multitude.
This isn’t to say that the Flyers had been doing a very good job of passing the puck on Saturday. They weren’t. However they not less than had been capable of efficiently transition play from protection to offense. That they had the puck sufficient to create offense and rating objectives. And that allowed for the present points with the Flyers system — or not less than the gamers’ execution of it — to actually present.
First, there’s the forecheck, which Christian Dvorak particularly identified after the sport. It was primarily toothless on this one. Through the first interval, when the Flyers had been (presumably) making an attempt to set a tone, they recovered simply two of 16 dump-ins. Over all the sport, they retrieved 12 of 44 for a 27.27 p.c charge — which for comparability’s sake, is nicely under their charge from 2025-26 (39.72%).
It’s simply nowhere close to ok. The primary ahead (F1) isn’t getting in fast sufficient. Help has been sporadic. Too typically F3 is getting sucked too deep, resulting in odd-man rushes when the puck can’t be gained by the primary two forwards, which then results in a extra wide-open tempo than the Flyers wish to play.
Then, the offensive zone. Per my monitoring, the Flyers had 44 possessions within the offensive zone at 5-on-5 throughout free play (not counting possession off offensive zone faceoff wins). To handle simply 12 photographs on purpose from all of that possession is wild. The Flyers are lacking the online far too typically, presumably trying to decide corners. They’re coughing up pucks by way of passes to nowhere. On two events, the newfound give attention to movement from the defensemen left only one blueliner up prime with the puck. The primary time, he tossed it to the vacated level (so, nobody). The second time, he shot it right into a Bruin participant’s legs, resulting in an instantaneous odd-man rush the opposite means.
And eventually, there’s the defensive zone. The Flyers’ keep-them-to-the-outside zone protection model isn’t the one motive for the group’s lack of puck possession, nevertheless it’s not serving to — particularly in tandem with the compete points which can be resulting in poor efficiency in puck battles. They merely take eternally to win again pucks, and by the point they do, they’re gassed and simply must chip it out and alter, beginning the method over once more.
As Dvorak famous after the sport, the Flyers didn’t change their system a lot from the way it labored final season, so it’s not exhausting to know what they need to do. The mixture of an efficient offensive zone forecheck and their 1-1-3 impartial zone entice are meant in tandem to gradual opponents’ advance and pressure a number of dump-ins. Within the defensive zone, they wish to shield the home whereas successful pucks again with strategically timed challenges and environment friendly puck battle victories. And on the assault, they eschew perimeter photographs for high-quality possibilities, which require exhausting work alongside the boards and in entrance mixed with artistic passing to create.
When seen by means of this lens, it’s fairly clear why this has been such a catastrophe to date. Due to the ineffective forecheck and fixed turnovers, they’re not organising their 1-1-3 sufficient for it to have a serious impression on offense suppression, and the result’s means too many managed entries allowed. They’re not competing exhausting sufficient within the offensive zone to maintain pucks alive, they usually’re not making ok selections with the puck to create the photographs that Tocchet desires, resulting in the low SOG totals. And within the defensive zone, absent the well-timed chew that the system requires, they’re simply letting opponents play keep-away and decrease the Flyers’ offensive upside even additional.
Which brings us again to Tocchet and his emphasis upon “compete” as the principle concern. It’s straightforward to see why. If his groups don’t compete to a sure stage, it short-circuits his whole system. However that’s not a adequate protection of Tocchet. If a coach builds a system with a excessive stage of compete at its basis, he has to seek out methods to make sure that compete by no means flags. He has to excel at motivation and communication to stop that final result.
If the required compete is missing, it’s on the gamers, sure. But it surely’s additionally on the coach, as a result of it’s his job to guarantee that his gamers get the message. That they know when to shoot and when to go. When to problem defensively and when to play passive. When to remain up on the level and when to activate. Proper now, they don’t appear like they’ve a clue. And that’s on Tocchet. Even when he’s making an attempt to show them, the message shouldn’t be getting by means of.
And there are different tactical philosophies on the market, together with the one which simply gained a Stanley Cup. It’s an oversimplification of what they do, however Carolina’s offensive zone technique is less complicated than Tocchet’s as a result of it mainly simply turns the entire group into bloodhounds — shoot, work like loopy to retrieve, shoot, repeat. Their man-to-man defensive zone technique is way from foolproof, however there’s one factor it’s definitely not: passive. It doesn’t require the gamers strike the proper stability between stopping and attacking. It’s merely about getting the puck as rapidly as doable.
In equity, this Flyers group has executed Tocchet’s most well-liked techniques nicely up to now — particularly, over the ultimate six weeks of the 2025-26 common season. So it’s not like they can’t do it. However proper now, Tocchet can not appear to get them again to that time, they usually’re not only a couple ticks off. They’re miles away from the extent of execution obligatory.
Which leads us to 3 doable outcomes right here. Tocchet lastly will get his message again by means of to his gamers. Tocchet makes tweaks to his system which work higher for this incarnation of the Flyers (robust given the busy slate to begin the 12 months). Or, nothing modifications and the group continues to be embarrassed nightly. A minimum of till the entrance workplace has sufficient and brings a brand new coach in for a full-fledged system overhaul.
Flyers Three Stars of the Sport
First star: The fanbase’s endurance
Sure, it’s solely six video games. And if the Flyers had been dropping in much less embarrassing style, I’d be the primary to warning towards overreaction. However this time, issues are literally as unhealthy as they appear. The Flyers are getting crushed. Props to any followers which can be nonetheless watching each minute of this nightly obliteration, versus discovering a much less irritating strategy to spend their time till the Flyers return to competency.
Second star: Dan Vladar
Sure, he gave up 5 objectives and completed with an 0.844 save share. This sport might simply have completed 10-1 if Vladar didn’t come up large as typically as he did.
Third star: Porter Martone
He scored a purpose.
Flyers prime line of the sport
None of them.
Grading the sport for the Flyers
The primary Bluto Blutarsky of the season (although the Pittsburgh sport would have gotten that rating as nicely, had n). Zero level zero. Sure, they’re undermanned because of damage proper now. However that’s no excuse for his or her uncompetitive show, particularly after exhibiting indicators of life two nights earlier in Ottawa.