Rick Tocchet hopes playoff berth gives long-suffering Flyers fans ‘a little bit of belief’

It’s been a long time since playoff hockey has come to Philadelphia.

The Flyers’ last playoff series was played in the bubble in Toronto in 2020. Before that, the Flyers hadn’t made the postseason since 2018 in a first-round series loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It’s been a lot of years,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said Monday after a 3-2 shootout win over the Hurricanes clinched a spot in the playoffs.

“I feel for [Flyers fans], I really do. Like I said coming into this year, I get it. We can only do our part and try to build this thing. I understand their angst. Hopefully this gives them a little bit of belief.”

» READ MORE: Rick Tocchet proves Danny Brière and Keith Jones right as the Flyers reward fans and end their playoff drought

The energy was palpable inside Xfinity Mobile Arena heading into Monday’s game. But in the first period, all that energy had nowhere to go as the Flyers dominated possession but failed to score, and the Hurricanes took advantage of their few mistakes.

Bradly Nadeau gave the ’Canes the lead on their second shot of the game, and a Nikolaj Ehlers power-play goal gave Carolina a 2-0 advantage heading into the intermission. The Flyers earned a few boos from the crowd heading back into the locker room.

The building finally got the chance to erupt for Matvei Michkov’s first goal, and erupted again minutes later when Trevor Zegras drew a penalty and then tied the score at 2 on the power play in the second period.

“Ever since I got here, I’ve heard nothing but how crazy the fans are and how passionate they are,” Owen Tippett said. “There’s been glimpses of it, but this is ultimately what they wanted.”

Before the game, Tocchet said he expected the fans to explode not just for goals, but for big hits and blocked shots. The crowd delivered, cheering for Dan Vladař’s massive save at the end of overtime, and for Jamie Drysdale’s critical diving stick check on a Carolina breakaway.

Once the Flyers forced overtime, earning a critical point toward playoff contention, the tension continued to build, ratcheting to a fever pitch in the shootout. And when Tyson Foerster finally scored that first shootout goal in the fourth round?

“The fans were unbelievable tonight, like that was the coolest, coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Zegras said. “The reaction when [Foerster] scored in the shootout, I’ll never forget that.”

The other Philly teams have gotten the chance to experience what a true playoff atmosphere looks like over the last few seasons. But it’s been a long wait for the Flyers, while the Eagles went on deep runs and the Phillies electrified the Bank.

» READ MORE: Flyers back in NHL playoffs: Schedule, bracket, how to watch, tickets, and what to know about the Penguins

Now, it’s the Flyers’ turn, and after what they felt on Monday, Zegras said he has “no idea” how much better it’s going to get.

“I had chills going out for the game,” Tippett said. “That was the loudest I’ve heard this building, and towards the end of it, I couldn’t even hear anything. A lot of credit goes to [the fans], too. They’ve stuck by our side and had our backs all the way through, and I know it’s been a been a long time coming for them.”