Rick Tocchet wants the scuffling Flyers to simplify: ‘We’re going to have to really dummy it down a little bit’

The Flyers are the fourth-youngest team in the NHL, with an average age of just under 27. Just 11 of the Flyers’ 23 roster players have played in the NHL playoffs. Of those 11, only six have played more than six postseason games.

The Eastern Conference and Metropolitan Division standings are extremely tight. The Flyers currently sit third in the division with 52 points in 44 games. The last-place Columbus Blue Jackets are just seven points back, with 45 points, which is why it’s key for the Flyers not to let their three-game losing streak snowball further on their upcoming road trip.

» READ MORE: Three lessons the Flyers need to learn from back-to-back blowout losses to the Lightning

The back-to-back against Buffalo and Pittsburgh pits them against two teams that are right on their heels in the fight for a playoff spot. Coach Rick Tocchet said Tuesday after an optional practice that he thinks guys are “squeezing their sticks a little bit,” and it’s contributing to their lack of success on the power play and over the last three games.

“Early on, [Tampa Bay’s] first goal [in the Lightning’s 5-1 win on Monday] ... there’s four or five mistakes,” he said. “You can’t have four or five mistakes on a shift, and it’s in the net, then you’re behind the eight ball, then guys squeeze the stick, and then they get frustrated.”

Tocchet pointed to the success of players like Tampa Bay superstar Nikita Kucherov, who cuts to the middle of the ice on the power play instead of sticking along the boards, as someone he wants players like Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras to emulate.

But right now, the Flyers are not making the right reads, and it’s preventing them from loosening up and being aggressive. Tocchet mentioned Brandon Hagel’s power-play goal in Monday’s loss as an example of something he wants to see more from the Flyers, instead of deferring to find the perfect one-timer opportunity with the man advantage.

“He tried to cross ice pass, doesn’t connect, the puck comes right back up, he sees an opening to shoot it, scores a goal,” Tocchet said. “We get it, we see an opening, but for some reason, we have a tough time pulling that trigger.”

Travis Sanheim credited the Flyers’ lack of power play success to poor communication, leading to players being out of sync on their reads away from the puck.

The Flyers’ power play is tied for second worst in the NHL this season, converting on just 15.3% of opportunities.

“The stuff that I get frustrated with is how [do] you not retain it,” Tocchet said. “We have to think of a way for players to retain some of the information we give them, because we’re not giving them a lot. Maybe early in the season we did, which wasn’t bad, but now we’re going to have to really dummy it down a little bit.”

As one of the more experienced players in the locker room, Sanheim is trying to lead by example as the Flyers enter this pivotal stretch, to keep everyone on the same page and moving in the right direction.

“Games are going to continue to get harder as we go along here,” Sanheim said. “It doesn’t get any easier. The race gets tighter, it already is tight, and just understanding that every play matters, and every battle matters, and it’s just a lot harder to win hockey games. You have to do the hard things to be successful in this league, and you have to do it on a consistent basis.”

» READ MORE: Flyers fall again to the Lightning 5-1, extend losing streak to three games

Rasmus Ristolainen, Bobby Brink, Adam Ginning, Nic Deslauriers, and Sam Ersson took the ice for the optional skate on Tuesday. ... Brink and Jamie Drysdale are both a “possibility” to play on the road trip, Tocchet said. After practice, the Flyers loaned Ginning back to Lehigh Valley in a move that might hint that Drysdale is good to go on Wednesday. ... The Colorado Avalanche’s ECHL affiliate will move from Utah to Trenton, and be renamed the Trenton Ironhawks, starting in the 2026-27 season.