PHILADELPHIA – There’s no truth to the rumor that in recent years statisticians were penciling in the Flyers for last on the power play even before the season began.
But few would have faulted them if they did.
After all, Philadelphia had finished 32nd three straight years and then 30th last year.
This year, though, it’s a whole new hockey game.
First, as far back as preseason, coach Rick Tocchet designated defenseman Jamie Drysdale as his point man on the top man-advantage unit.
That move and a couple other tweaks have the team’s power play already up to 18th in the NHL at an even 20 percent after 10 games.
There’s no telling if things might turn south again but it certainly looks like the Flyers are not going to be struggling at the bottom of the power-play stats as the season progresses.
“That unit is on fire,” Drysdale said after the morning skate at Xfinity Mobile Arena. “It’s not taking them long to go along with the game plan. They’re finding the back of the net and giving the team some momentum.”
Tocchet likes what he sees so far. Especially the play of Noah Cates and his cohorts. What makes them so effective?
“He (Cates) is good at knocking pucks down,” Tocchet said. “If you watch him, he comes up with loose pucks. When you are in that area (attack zone), I call it retrieval. There’s a shot, then it pinballs, the puck is loose. . .that loose puck, it’s a 25-second puck.
“Then he grabs that puck, so now we have possession, the (other) team is tired. We get the puck to Trevor (Zegras) on the half-wall; those are the good things on the power play. Coming up with loose pucks and that’s what ‘Catesy’ does in that situation.”
>Couturier’s status
Sean Couturier, who had to leave Thursday night’s game against Nashville with an undisclosed injury, was a game-time decision. That possibility was ended when Couturier did not take part in pre-game warmups.
Recently called up Jacob Gaucher took Couturier’s spot in the lineup.
Tocchet said it came down to a matter of pain tolerance with Couturier.
“Knowing him, he’s a courageous guy,” the coach said. “Sometimes as coaches you have to make decisions for players. Some players, you know, will play every game – even though when they shouldn’t.”
>Andrae ‘demotion’ just a paper move
Defenseman Emil Andrae was sent down to Lehigh Valley but it was not because of his play. The Flyers needed to call up a player, which turned out to be Gaucher, just in case Couturier was unable to play, which was the case.
“We need a center up here,” Tocchet confirmed. “Because ‘Coots’ was touch and go. We wanted a righthanded shot centerman. He’s played pretty good down there.”
Tocchet said Andrae could be called back up in a day or so.
“He’s been playing well,” Tocchet said.
In eight games with the Phantoms, Gaucher has posted one goal/two points with an even plus/minus.
In addition, rookie forward Nikita Grebenkin returned to the lineup and Nick Deslauriers was a scratch. On defense, Egor Zamula moved back into play to take the spot left vacant by Andrae’s move.
>Kolosov a possibility vs. Calgary
With goaltender Sam Ersson on injured reserve and the Flyers playing back-to-back games this weekend, Tocchet was asked if he had any reservations about playing Aleksei Kolosov on Sunday night vs. the Calgary Flames.
“No,” Tocchet said. “It’s hard to play back-to-backs. It depends on workloads.”
Tocchet has made it known he does not want to play any of his goalies in consecutive games with no break in between. That applies to Dan Vladar as well.
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