While he didn’t name anyone in particular, it appears that Philadelphia Flyers head coach isn’t a huge fan of scrums after the whistles. And even less so when it comes to slashing.
“I don’t like slashing and stupid flicking sticks,” Tocchet said after the Flyers uninspiring 3-0 loss to Carolina in Game 1 Saturday night. “That’s not me. If you’re going to go in a scrum, drop your gloves and fight a guy. Both guys, if not, just play. You want to hold the net and be tough in front of the net, I’m all for that and that sort of stuff. But all the crap that goes with it.
“I’m not saying just us, they were doing it too. I hate scrums. To me everybody promotes it but if you’re going to go into a scrum then fight. If not, protect your goalie and blow the whistle. These refs will start picking guys off, you just don’t want to be on the wrong side of that.”
There were more than a few slashes in the game. Tyson Foerster took a whack at the back of Andrei Svechnikov’s leg and was called for the infraction. However, with just under 10 minutes to go in the third period, and the game essentially in the books, Trevor Zegras was on the receiving end of a swinging stick by Canes forward Jackson Blake. Zegras (who initially hooked Blake) returned with an elbow to the head and a cross check. Both were tossed with 10-minute misconducts.
Trevor Zegras got the hook on Jackson Blake, Blake retaliated swinging his stick at Zegras, and Zegras came back with an elbow and a cross-check 😳
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 3, 2026
Both players got 10-minute misconduct penalties. pic.twitter.com/UExuKiSohI
Of course, had the Flyers got off to a much better start, it’s probably a certainty the frustration level wouldn’t have been as high as it was in the third. Carolina simply dominated in all aspects for roughly the first 30 minutes. Philadelphia looked marginally better in the eye test in the third, but by then it was over.
What Tocchet is looking for in Game 2
Having just sent Pittsburgh packing a few days before, and proving many people wrong in their first-round predictions, the Flyers might have had their heads in the clouds slightly prior to facing the Hurricanes. Well, whatever they were thinking, Carolina provided a very harsh but honest reality check for the Flyers. It was something Tocchet touched on.
“We had a couple of days off,” the coach said. “I don’t know if we were mentally prepared to play tonight in a sense. I think winning a playoff series after not making the playoffs, I think there was a lot of excitement. I don’t think we got down to earth quick enough for this game. And that’s what happens, right? Your legs aren’t there, the reaction, right? You know the second guy is going to come to you and you got to be able to make that play, and we just didn’t make any plays in the first half. There were plays to be made and we didn’t make them. That’s really what it comes down to.”
The Flyers were outshot 12-4 in the first and were fortunate to be just down 2-0. The best Philadelphia could do was ice the puck a handful of times when not occasionally getting over the red line to make a much-needed line change. Tocchet said the team definitely got a wake-up call to what the Canes do to their opponents: pressuring them at all times with their speed and not conceding an inch in the process.
“We weren’t quick enough for their speed, our reaction was a little bit slow,” Tocchet said. “It was a little better in the second but the game gets a little mucky there. But I thought it was a little bit better. It’s a good baptism as far as how some of our players are going to have to play, to play with some quickness and reactionary time. That’s how you have to play against this team.”
When asked if Pittsburgh’s older (and generally much slower) lineup couldn’t prepare Philadelphia for Carolina’s pace, Tocchet was non-commital.
“They played well, we didn’t play well. So we got to see where that bar is and raise our level of competitiveness. Skating with the puck, I thought a lot of our guys were on their heels tonight. So I guess after the series I’ll make that comment. Right now I don’t think we gave them anything to worry about the first half of the game.”
Pleased with Barkey, not with “three steamboat” power play
Philadelphia’s power play once again lived up to expectations, coming up empty in four opportunities. The deliberateness in both units seemed to irritate Tocchet, realizing quickness is the only way to defeat a pressuring penalty killing team. The power play now stands at 9.5 per cent in the playoffs, just one percentage point lower than Carolina’s.
“Gotta make a play,” he said. “That’s one thing as coaches there’s plays to be made you got to make them. They’re going to go long by you, they’re going to slide, you got to go around that guy and make a play. Those are plays you have to make. That’s the one thing we talked about, you have to know what’s going to happen before it comes. Like chess, it’s two moves ahead. And their PK is fast, they’re going right at you. And you’re right, we had some plays where the guy is in the slot and had it and it was one steamboat, two steamboat, it took him three steamboats to get a shot off. You got to play quick against this team. Listen we’ve got a young team and it’s a learning lesson. I thought Barkey was our best player again because he’s skating, he’s moving his feet. Hopefully we get a lot more guys doing that.”
Aside from Barkey, who Tocchet said he didn’t mind “in the middle” and was “effective” after he jumbled the lines to create some offensive production, said one of the bigger obstacles is stopping the line of Blake, Logan Stankoven, and Taylor Hall (who crushed Christian Dvorak with a hard hit). The line combined for five points, with Stankoven scoring twice, Blake scoring once and adding an assist, and Hall with a primary assist on Blake’s tally.
“They’re on a heater right now,” he said. “Get in front of them, win battles. We had four three-on-three battles and we might have lost all four. And somehow Stankoven came out of the pile with the puck and he got a chance at the net. That just can’t happen. But when you’re playing a confident line like that, you got to make sure you’re in front of them, you got to make it a tough night for them.”
If the Flyers have anything to hang their hat on, it’s that the Canes will not have a week’s worth of rest between Game 1 and Game 2 like they did for Game 1. Should Philadelphia be able to withstand the onslaught in the opening 10 minutes of Game 2, the result could turn out somewhat differently. At least that’s the hope.
