Improved Flyers responding to coaching change: ‘We were part of the problem'

New York Times

02-04-2025

VOORHEES, N.J. — It's always compelling theater observing how NHL teams respond to a change behind the bench.
The Philadelphia Flyers have won three games in a row since John Tortorella was fired and replaced by interim coach Brad Shaw a week ago. There is a noticeable pep in their collective step even if the competition hasn't exactly been fierce, as those victories have come against the so-so Montreal Canadiens, and lottery teams, the Buffalo Sabres and Nashville Predators.
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Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler pointed out on Wednesday that in the home wins over Montreal last Thursday, 6-4, and Buffalo on Saturday, 7-4, the club 'kind of outscored its mistakes,' while in the 2-1 win over Nashville on Monday, their second period wasn't very strong.
Still, 'anytime you give up only one goal, it's pretty good,' Seeler said. 'I think we're just playing well.'
The wins are particularly uplifting after a miserable 1-10-1 run, combined with everything the team has been through over the past few months, from selling off important, popular players before the trade deadline to the post-deadline drama with Tortorella.
'Nice to get a few wins, especially after that stretch we had,' Jamie Drysdale said.
Of course, it takes players raising their individual games to help spark a team, and seeing who emerges after a coaching change is just as compelling as the final scores. In that regard, two players in particular have stood out: Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett.
Michkov has gotten the most attention, now firmly back in the Calder Trophy discussion as the NHL's rookie of the year. There have been various comments and even a few memes suggesting that Michkov — who has four goals and three assists in the three wins — is now somehow unburdened by the shackles of Tortorella.
Perhaps there's a bit of truth to that, but Michkov was playing well just before the coaching change, too, with four assists in Tortorella's final three games. And, it was Tortorella who put the Michkov-Travis Konecny-Sean Couturier line together before a game on March 22, and Shaw has kept it together, to the benefit of everyone. Konecny's emergence from an awful slump probably has as much to do with Michkov's recent uptick as anything else.
And even Michkov himself said to the NBC sports broadcast crew after Monday's game (through Google translate), 'I don't think it has anything to do with the coach. We just kind of got together and started playing better.'
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Still, Michkov's recent play is turning heads. After the winger posted back-to-back two goal games against the Canadiens and Sabres, even Comcast CEO Brian Roberts noticed, reaching out to chairman Dan Hilferty to let him know he'd be attending Monday's game against Nashville (Roberts spent most of the game in the executive suite, sitting between GM Daniel Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones).
As for Tippett, he still hasn't scored since March 8, a dozen games ago. He has two assists since the change, both against the lowly Sabres. But he's been noticeably more involved in the offense, carrying the puck and beating defenders in one-on-one situations.
His assist on Jakob Pelletier's goal against Buffalo was one of the nicer plays of the Flyers' season, as he cut around defenseman Jacob Bryson at the offensive blue line before threading a pass through Peyton Krebs to a charging Pelletier, who easily redirected it into the open net for his first goal as a Flyer.
OWEN TIPPETT 🤯
He makes an unreal move to set up Jakob Pelletier for his first goal with the @NHLFlyers!
📺: @NHLNetwork pic.twitter.com/K4tO0H9HW8
— NHL (@NHL) March 29, 2025
'When he gets the puck in open ice, there's few players like him in the league,' Shaw said. 'I'd like for that to show up a little bit more. The play he makes on Pelletier's goal is a play you couldn't describe to somebody unless you really knew how hard that is to do at this level. That's ridiculous.'
Asked how he feels about his game lately, Tippett said: 'Pretty good. I think it's just a change in mindset, of hanging onto pucks a little bit longer and trying to get that confidence back.'
Shaw indicated that while Tippett has the ability to bring people out of their seats — like last season's unforgettable single-effort goal against the Dallas Stars, for example — he still needs to balance when to try something spectacular and when to stick to fundamentals.
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Tippett is still sitting on just 19 goals this season, when he should probably be a player who's pushing for at least 30.
'I don't think (the spectacular plays need) to show up all the time because he's good enough in other elements of the game to play a simpler game at times, or maybe a more north-south game,' Shaw said. 'I think how he combines the two eventually (is) when (he'll) start playing his absolute best hockey. I think you'll see a little bit more of that simplicity come through, along with the exceptional skill and talent that he has.'
Much to the dismay of those fans pining for a further drop in the standings to improve draft position, the Flyers have a chance to keep building on their recent post-Tortorella successes in their final six games. While they'll be battling some teams that still have potential playoff berths on the line, the Flyers have the sixth-easiest schedule, according to Tankathon.
A renewed sense of playing for one another — per Briere's desire, which he expressed to the team after the coaching change, and something that Tortorella constantly stressed, too — is reemerging.
'You never want to see a coaching change,' Tippett said. 'I think it takes a lot for it to get to that point. And we realized that in this room, we were part of the problem. I think a change and a shift with us is just an effort to play for one another, and make a point that we still believe in each other, and we're going to go to battle with each other.'
Said Shaw: 'One of the best things Torts did here was that room. There's been people that left in the last month or so that create voids a little bit, but it's still a great room.'
It's been much better outside of that room lately, too, in full view of those still paying attention.
'You obviously want to finish strong,' Drysdale said, 'and on a good note.'
(Photo of Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov: Jeff Curry / Imagn Images)