Flyers seeking solutions to their early-season malaise: ‘The only way we’re going to get out of it is with one another’
"We just got to work harder, work for it. The only way we’re going to get out of this is through work. At the end of the day, it’s not Xs and Os," said Jamie Drysdale of the team's winless start.
TAMPA, Fla. ― There is a video clip from Monday night’s 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning circulating online.
As a Flyers power play ends early in the third period, forwards Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras get off as Travis Konecny skates down the left side and drops the puck to Cam York. Konecny then skates to the bench himself along with Jamie Drysdale. York has no way to advance the puck as the Lightning bear down with five skaters in front of him.
The defenseman blindly tried to go back to Porter Martone, who had hopped on when the forwards went to the bench because, for a second or two, they were the only Flyers on the ice. Travis Sanheim didn’t hop on immediately when Drysdale went to the bench. Only one player, Martone, went on for Zegras and Michkov. And Konecny was just getting to the bench when Gage Goncalves stole the puck.
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Martone was the only one back when the Lightning crashed the net and got two good shots on goalie Dan Vladař, who made two even better saves.
That 14-second snafu really encapsulates the Flyers’ issues these days. Is it a mental block now for the guys in orange and black?
“It’s a game of mental toughness and confidence,” coach Rick Tocchet said Tuesday. “So obviously, we’ve got to give the players confidence, but also there’s got to be a mental toughness in the sense [that] if you’re getting beat up the ice consistently, or you’re getting beat to a puck, that’s where you know, are you working hard enough?”
Work was evidently on everyone’s mind as the Flyers practiced for more than 70 minutes at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla. on Tuesday.
During a full skate, with only Rasmus Ristolainen missing — he came on toward the end to get some solo work in — the Flyers went through several drills. The session ranged from running breakouts to five-on-five compete drills, to a small-area game below the hash marks where it started two-on-two and progressed to a three-on-two.
One drill had the forward line stay on, but get off for a line change as soon as the other team took the puck back.
“I think it all starts with work,” Drysdale said Tuesday. “And even when stuff hits the fan, like a cute play or a give-up or not moving your feet isn’t going to be what fixes it. Even if you mess up or make a bad pass or whatnot, it’s go get it back. [It’s] have that mindset and win the battle, or even harder, to do it again.
“And yeah, I think it feels a little bit like we’re doing that, and then we’re just accepting the pressure back again once we miss that pass or miss that whatever, rather than continuing pressure. So we’re going to click. We just got to work harder, work for it. The only way we’re going to get out of this is through work. At the end of the day, it’s not Xs and Os. I don’t think it’s not. It’s gonna be hard.”
The practice was long and arduous, as it should be when a team has shown little effort across its four straight losses to start the season. Assistant coach Jay Varady sounded like he was losing his voice as it wore on. Martone wasn’t happy with a drill; he slammed his stick. So did Michkov, who opted to switch it out for a new one.
Tyson Foerster bowled over Denver Barkey, who returned from a lower-body injury on Monday, minutes after he fired off a one-timer on a pass by Martone. Christian Dvorak put a puck into a teammate’s skate on a breakout drill, and the play was blown dead. And Owen Tippett blew past everyone as he drove to the net and beat Vladař.
“It’s pretty easy to get down and start worrying and thinking about everything. And I think if you get in a bad mindset, it can kind of go worse before it gets better,” Tippett said Tuesday. “I think we know what we have to do and what we have in here, and we just can’t turn on each other. And I think everyone’s spirits are pretty good. We know we’re in it together, and the only way we’re going to get out of it is with one another.”
And how does that get done?
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“Lean on each other and hold each other accountable. Sometimes there’s got to be tough love, and it is what it is,” Tippett added.
“If a guy you’ve known for a long enough time, if you say something corrective or something to get them going, they should take it in the right way. If not, sit down, have a beer, and talk about it. I think it’s about leaning on each other and not turning on each other, holding each other accountable, and making sure we’re all going the right direction.”
Breakaways
Zegras was holding his left arm awkwardly after doing the two-on-two progression drill. It occurred toward the end of practice, and he was seen speaking to the trainer before sitting on the bench for the last few minutes. Zegras was one of the first guys off. Tocchet did not see what happened and did not have an update.
