It’s still early on in Rick Tocchet’s first season as Philadelphia Flyers head coach, and while there are still some particulars of his system that still need to be ironed out and perfected. But the one thing that seems entirely clear, even this early, is that his team will be playing in a lot of close games.
Through their first 15 games of the season, the Flyers have already played in nine one-goal games, with a 4-3-2 record in those contests. It’s been unbelievably tight, whether the Flyers are winning or losing. They haven’t scored more than five goals in a game thus far, but they haven’t allowed more than five either. There haven’t been any true blowouts thus far, and that seems like it’s a part of Tocchet’s plan to get this team as far as it can go.
Beyond just the one-goal games, the Flyers have played a lot of games that needed an extra frame. It’s part of a broader trend that has been happening around the NHL early on this season. Through the first month of the season, 6o games have gone to overtime, as opposed to 44 at that same time last year, it just seems as if the league in general is getting tighter and tighter, and every night has momentum swings that brings even the worst teams back into play.
The Flyers are no exception, they will play a generally low scoring, tight checking style of game most nights, and it’ll often lead to games where neither team can find that winning goal within 60 minutes. Six of the Flyers first fifteen contests have gone to overtime or a shootout, and to their credit, they’ve gone 4-2 in those games. Teams don’t often go into a game hoping they’ll be tied after 60 minutes, but there are obviously worse outcomes, and in an NHL landscape that is shifting more towards parity than ever, being able to secure that extra point is key for as long as the overtime/shootout rules are what they are, and the Flyers seem well-positioned to take advantage. Adding in a player like Trevor Zegras, who thrives when making plays with space, and especially in the shootout, may have a drastic effect on the Flyers playoff chances, outside of just making the team better in general.
As unsatisfying as the conclusion may be for some fans, against some teams like the Hurricanes and as of most recent, the Senators, the best chance the Flyers may have of picking up the extra point may be running out the clock, and testing their luck in the shootout. While the Flyers best three-man unit in OT may not stack up to the NHL’s elite, sending Zegras, Matvei Michkov, and Travis Konecny out in the shootout is a tough trio to match up against. Add in that Sam Ersson has a .787 save percentage in shootouts, a mark that ranks him seventh all-time in NHL history amongst goalies who have faced over 40 shots, as well as Dan Vladar’s hot start in general, and it makes for a pretty formidable opponent for any opposition.
If the Flyers can find a rhythm at 3-on-3 in particular, and some units that work better in that specific setting, they will be able to pick up extra points in these close games and become even more of a nuisance to play on a night-to-night basis. It may be difficult to adjust, since the firewagon nature of the five minute period doesn’t really suit the team’s overall playstyle, but it is necessary.
Again, Rick Tocchet probably doesn’t want to hear anything about how important being tied after 60 minutes is, but when you look at a team like the New York Islanders of 2023-24 and their ability to get 26 games to overtime basically getting them into the playoffs singlehandedly, it underscores the importance of a team’s play in the extra frame. If a bubble team like the Flyers are going to play a style that invites close games, they’re going to have to continue to improve their OT play in order to squeeze out every potential point they can.
