Tocchet Says Flyers Ignored Overtime Plan in 4-3 Loss to Columbus

Philadelphia fell 4-3 in overtime to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, dropping a game the Flyers had spent meetings and video sessions preparing for. Two turnovers in the extra period led to Columbus 2-on-0 breakaways. Goaltender Dan Vladar stopped the first. Columbus converted the second to end it.

Coach Rick Tocchet said the Flyers had gone over their overtime approach in a meeting and sent video on puck possession. Then the players turned the puck over twice anyway. "The decision making in overtime this year has been mind-boggling on some players," Tocchet said. "Like some of the guys, I don't know what they're doing; that's unacceptable."

The first period set the tone for Tocchet's frustration. Philadelphia opened flat and Columbus built an early lead. Tocchet addressed the group during the first intermission. "It wasn't good," Trevor Zegras said of that message. "Kind of got whipped a little bit and kind of looked in here at our leaders and the veterans to get us going a little bit."

Noah Cates said the crowd's reaction reinforced the point. "Coach got on us, but I think you knew after that first, not good enough," Cates said. "You know getting boo'd and all that stuff. Happy how we responded but that first 20 can't happen."

Cam York described the opening 20 minutes plainly. "We're flat. No energy," York said. "I think it took a kick in the butt to get us going." Zegras offered his own read: "We were bad, we weren't good, we weren't ready to go."

Travis Sanheim pointed to the pace. "Just felt like a weird, weird start to the game, energy-wise," Sanheim said. "Didn't seem like really any guys had jump, which is unusual. Usually, you have a few guys going."

Philadelphia improved after the intermission. Tocchet said the team's puck recovery rate reached 82 percent in the second period. "We've been chasing all year trying to play 60 minutes," Tocchet said. "We didn't do the game plan (in the) first (period), but decided to do it, and look at the difference." He added, "When we decide to play north… that's our identity."

Tocchet has now repeated the same instruction across multiple games. "They're all learning," Tocchet said. "Every game you're a learning lesson. But I can't keep coming here to the mic saying, 'learning lesson, learning lesson.' I mean, it's a broken record."

York said no schematic change was behind the second-period improvement. "Honestly, I think just common sense," York said. "We knew that we weren't good in the first, and that was you know pretty unacceptable." Tocchet said he wants the group to arrive at that understanding on its own: "We have to have a chunk of players that know that we come in, this is how the Flyers play. It can't be so roller coaster."