Now comes the interesting part.
Hockey teams generally do better when they get off the road. That’s why they call it the “home-ice advantage.”
But in the case of the Flyers, it’s the other way around.
This past season, the team certainly was successful at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, going 20-13-8.
That, however, was not as good as their record out of town, where they put together a snazzy mark of 23-14-4.
And that didn’t include the two surprising victories they picked up in the opening pair of games at PPG Paints in Pittsburgh to start their best-of-seven first-round series with the Penguins.
Now the scene switches back to Philadelphia on Wednesday night and many are curious to see if the Flyers can keep the momentum going against the talented Penguins.
The Flyers look and sound like a confident group. And they will be a rested one, too, as they took a complete day off on Tuesday.
However, coach Rick Tocchet did participate in a noon media Zoom call to answer questions about this all-important Game 3.
The last thing the Flyers want to do is give the Pittsburgh crew a little life.
Who better to describe what it’s like for a Flyer to take part in a Stanley Cup playoff game than Tocchet? He played in two Finals at the old Spectrum in 1985 and 1987, so he knows first-hand what it’s like to play before roaring crowds.
“A lot of great memories,” Tocchet said. “Went to the Finals twice. I guess the buzz around the city. The way the fans outside the arena, even downtown a lot of people wearing orange and black.
“You know when the fans are into it, this fan base embraces their teams. So I’ve seen it with the Eagles, with the Phillies and Sixers. That’s what I felt as a player.”
Without a doubt, the noise level at the start of a game can intimidate an opponent. Especially in the City of Not So Brotherly Love.
“It’s an extra boost (for the home team),” Tocchet said. “When you walk around the city and have these people behind you.”
>Handling the pressure
One of the top stories of this season has been the play of rookie Porter Martone. He’s scored in each of his first two playoff games and totaled double-digit points for his first nine NHL regular-season games.
So far, the 19-year-old former Michigan State player hardly looks intimidated by all the commotion on the big stage.
“I give the people who developed him a lot of credit,” Tocchet said. “His parents. . .his dad used to play hockey, you can tell. Even on that goal (in Game 2) it might look easy. But if you really watch him, his timing, the way he gets on his backhand, not rush the shot, you can tell he’s had those moments.”
As his career moves along, no doubt he will begin to draw more defensive pressure. But for now, teams are still trying how to stop this guy. He’s big, he’s fast and he knows his way around the net.
“He was just OK the first period and a half but then he started to get it,” Tocchet said. “Where it might take a young guy a week, a bunch of games, it only took him a period and a half to figure out playoff hockey. A lot of maturity for a 19-year-old.”
>Sanheim finally gets chance
Veteran defenseman Travis Sanheim is finally getting a chance to get back to playoff action after a five-year drought. And wouldn’t you know it? He gets to go head-to-head against Sidney Crosby.
Those two might see even more of each other now that the Flyers have the last change advantage for the next two games.
“It’s been a lot of years for ‘Sanny’ not being in the playoffs,” Tocchet acknowledged. “You could tell the last month how bad he wanted to play in the playoffs.
“What’s really impressed me is his ability to close off the rush. And also, having enough juice even when he’s playing 25 minutes, the time and place when to rush the puck. He’s done it a lot this past month.”
Tocchet also likes the fact that Sanheim analyzes certain situations so well. It’s almost like having an assistant coach out there.
“What I really like is he knows when to go,” the coach said. “At the start of the year maybe a little too much. But now he’s picking and choosing when to go. You know his hockey IQ has really improved over the last six weeks, two months. Playing 25 minutes, knowing when to go, when not to go and when to know, ‘hey, Sidney Crosby is on the ice, where do I have to be?’ That’s smart hockey.”
Tocchet said Sanheim’s stock has risen since the Elkhorn, Manitoba native participated in international events such as the 4 Nations Faceoff and the Olympics.
“Those have really helped him,” Tocchet said. “He’s really getting recognized now on the world stage – ‘this guy can defend.’+”
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