US EditionFlyers Notebook: Rick Tocchet defends ‘culture’ behind faith in fourth line
Coach Rick Tocchet maintains faith in the Flyers' fourth line despite zero points in 27 games, emphasizing their penalty-killing role and team culture support.
- At Monday's practice, Flyers coach Rick Tocchet defended deploying Rodrigo Abols, Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway late in Sunday’s 3-2 loss at Xfinity Mobile Arena, saying `I'm a culture guy`.
- Across 27 games, the Flyers' bottom unit has produced only one point, with right winger Garnet Hathaway scoreless and minus-9, leaving Tocchet a little restless.
- According to analytics, the fourth line has logged more than 78 minutes together with a 45.61 Corsi For percentage, while Garnet Hathaway has 94 hits, 12 penalties drawn, Nic Deslauriers 48 hits, and bols a 53.3% faceoff rate.
- Building confidence is Tocchet's stated approach, and he said he and management, including Flyers general manager Danny Brière and president Keith Jones, are discussing options to re-tool the fourth line if needed.
- Managing fatigue over a long season, Tocchet emphasized distributing ice time to avoid tiring top lines while Cam York remains day-to-day and Ty Murchison, recalled from Lehigh Valley, may debut Tuesday.
11 Articles
11 Articles
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Flyers Notebook: Rick Tocchet defends ‘culture’ behind faith in fourth line
No NHL team expects its fourth line to be an offensive juggernaut. But the Flyers have gotten only one point from its bottom unit in 27 games, and it’s safe to say coach Rick Tocchet is a little restless. At Monday’s practice, Tocchet had to defend his decision to play the trio of Rodrigo Abols, Nic Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway late in Sunday’s game against Colorado while trailing by a goal. Predictably, the line didn’t do much, and the Flyer…
'I'm a Culture Guy': Rick Tocchet Defends Decision to Play 4th Line Late vs. Avalanche
Philadelphia Flyers’ head coach Rick Tocchet decided to deploy his fourth line in multiple late-game situations during Sunday’s 3-2 loss vs. the Avalanche. The Flyers’ bench boss stands by his decision. Two situations stand out in this regard. One, late in the 2nd period, while trailing by a score. That worked out in the Flyers’ favor, as Garnet Hathaway drew a penalty, though the Flyers would not capitalize on the man-advantage opportunity. The…
Rick Tocchet snaps back at Flyers fans who criticized player usage
Philadelphia Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet wants to let a certain group of fans who were heavily critical of him running out a certain forward line up against the NHL’s best team over the weekend, are actually dead wrong.While the Flyers were hosting the Colorado Avalanche over the weekend, with just five minutes remaining and the visitors just hanging on to an improbable 3-2 lead, Tocchet decided to run out his fourth line of Nic Deslauriers, …
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