The Philadelphia Flyers have the worst power-play in the NHL over the past three seasons. Will that change this season?
It may just be the preseason, but something certainly was new and fresh for the Flyers. Their new look power-play was the highlight of the night.
In the previous three seasons under John Tortorella – led by assistant coach Rocky Thompson – the power-play finished no better than 30th. Yes, 30th overall in the NHL.
The other two seasons they finished dead last, 32nd overall. It’s an astonishing feat for a team that missed a playoff spot by just 3 points in one of those seasons.
Special teams was a point of emphasize for the Flyers in their new regime.
New head coach Rick Tocchet comes from a long list of successful power-plays in his time as a coach in the NHL. Working with some high profile names like Sidney Crosby, Quinn Hughes, and Martin St. Louis.
The official man in charge of the Flyers power-play is assistant coach Jaroslav Svejkovsky.
“We’re not about plays, we’re about concepts,” Rick Tocchet told reporters what to expect of the new power-play.
Specials teams, especially the power-play, are not supposed to be designed plays. It’s more about setting up a system and allowing the defensive setup to create the play.
One thing the Flyers had trouble doing over the past three seasons is creating opportunities on the man advantage. Mainly in-part due to their in ability to create anything and instead force a designed play they hoped would work.
“You don’t want to make these guys robotic. Sometimes, power plays are robotic,” Tocchet added when talking to reporters.
If you watched the Flyers last season, you saw that robotic movement.
Dumping the puck in… fighting for it in the corner… winning the puck and rotating to the point or reseting after a clear. No concept, no design. Just a play and theory that never worked.
In their new unit under Tocchet and Jaroslav Svejkovsky, there are certainly concepts. One, especially, that resulted in a goal and a couple high danger opportunities in the 1st period on Saturday against the Boston Bruins.
Instead of using a net-front presence, the concept is using a high skilled player as a feeder below the end line. Somewhat of a low-high concept.
The puck gets fed to the player below the end line and there are four options for the “feeder”. Near dot shot, high slot shot, back post slasher, or a point reset.
The concept works due to the fact of the defense being pulled away from the net and opening up passing lanes for quick shots. Something that nearly resulted in a goal for Matvei Michkov as the back post slasher on a pass from Trevor Zegras.
A goal did come soon after by the same concept and design with Travis Sanheim as the slasher being feed by Christian Dvorak.
The new concepts and designs didn’t stop there.
As mentioned earlier, the Flyers main entry into the zone was a dump and chase model. Trying to outnumber the defense while retrieving the puck.
With more high skilled players now in the fold, Trevor Zegras being the main one, entries are a lot easier. Allowing the skilled players to possess the puck into the zone and control the puck versus having to fight for the puck.
That new concept, once again, resulted in a goal. A goal that was started and finished by Zegras.
Zegras stick handled and skated the puck into the zone before dropping the puck to Matvei Michkov. Michkov then drove the puck into the middle of the zone creating a wide open Zegras who fired home the pass by Michkov back to him.
It’s just preseason and against a very young, rookie based Bruins team. But, the new concepts under Rick Tocchet are already clicking for the Flyers.
