Bump and Martone, Part Deux

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Flyers prospects Alex Bump and Porter Martone, as I mentioned in a previous column from the end of the regular season, are former Division 1 college hockey wingers getting looks as potential long-term NHL roster solutions, although both are on separate but distinct trajectories.

Bump, a 5th-rounder who spent 2 years at Western Michigan before turning pro, and Martone, the No. 6 pick last June who exited after one season in Michigan State, will presumably be given every chance to compete for a roster spot – and two may even be held for them to 

lose – but the burden of expectation and the pressure of success may have a larger influence on their growth than performance alone.

One of the key concepts from both GM Danny Briere and head coach Rick Tocchet that emerged at their respective season-ending conferences last week, was that the young guys who entered the lineup later in the season can go away having a taste of what the playoffs mean. 

Let’s not lose sight of the fact that both Bump and Martone have yet to confront what happens *before* the playoffs, namely the grind of participating in a full 82-game season. 

Judging by that metric, Bump has a serious head start on Martone but hasn’t lapped him yet. The 22-year-old lefty shooter logged 9 total appearances with the Phantoms last spring, then worked through an injury-shortened 36 AHL games this year, before 17 regular-season and 6 postseason starts for the Orange and Black punctuated by intermittent scratches.

“Absolutely. I think it was really good for me, just to get more reps, more puck touches, play more meaningful minutes,” Bump said of his season starting in the minors. “I think that really advanced and progressed my game. I’m super happy with my time down there. Obviously I don’t wanna go back but everyone down there makes (the experience) so fun and enjoyable.”

Bump also has a franchise record in his cap – just the third rookie in team history (Dave Poulin, 1983; Todd Bergen, 1985) to score in both his first NHL regular-season and first NHL playoff game. 

Martone, all of 19, took exactly half of his 10-game regular-season stint after bolting from Sparty  in the wake of a 50-point frosh campaign, to figure out just who he is at the top level of the game. He added a solid 10-game playoff slate. I wrote previously that he needed to figure out how to crack the code by starting with only 1 goal in 5 games, and he proved me wrong with relish. 

“Arriving at MSU back in September, you know it was difficult to be able to crack an NHL roster,” he said. “Looking back and talking to management, it was the best decision I could have made. I just didn’t want to come here and just be a part of (the playoff chase), I wanted to come here and make an impact.”

Here’s where the fork in the road arrives for both: Bump, who had a long runway to get to Philadelphia, is not in demand overseas. He won’t participate in the Worlds for Team USA. Martone, on the other hand, who rocketed through 35 games in college and 20 in the NHL since October, is a wanted man by Team Canada, wants that opportunity and already has a goal to his credit. He goes as far as his country goes.

Which one will be more rested, or at least more ready to tackle training camp in September with a full workload is a fair question. 

The odds right now, as they were in early April, are that Martone, the No. 6 draftee, would receive a greater benefit of the doubt but less leeway to earn a permanent spot, while the 5th-rounder may be scrutinized more after 4 months off but given more time to acclimatize. Both need to end up in the same place: contributing energy and offense every shift.

It’s a great problem to have, as Briere said of both players, whose respective rises were not on the call sheet when decisions were made to acclimatize them to the NHL in the season’s final 20 games. 

“I almost forget these little moments because we get in the playoffs and these guys played such a big role that I forgot they made (the NHL roster) and they hung around,” he admitted on May 14. “Their play kinda dictated that they hung around and played more. It’s not like it was planned that way, but to have them experience that and in such a big role (is great).”

Both Bump and Martone are works in progress, with both players displaying self-awareness in their gameplan to get ready for September’s training camp. They both recognized that speed and strength are skills in need of upgrade, with Bump saying he needs more weight and Martone stating he needs more muscle. They are, perhaps, the two keystones to greater stamina and durability.

"Obviously I’m really close to what I want to accomplish,” Bump said when asked if he still carries a chip on his shoulder as a 5th-round draftee.

With 5 goals on 23 shots (21.7%) in the regular season and 2 goals on 10 SOG (20%) in the playoffs, that's right where Bump needs to be, even if there is no revolutionary change to last year's low-event, high-danger approach. Extrapolated across a full season, that would be roughly 150 shots -- or less than 2 per game, to reach 30 goals.

“I know in my head that I can play in this league but I think there’s a lot more to prove and to show what I can do. I think I can do a lot more than what I’ve showed already.”

That chip can be whittled away by his accomplishments being given equal weight by those in charge of editing hype videos for Flyers prospects. It can also disappear with the right deployment by Rick Tocchet and the remainder of the coaching staff. The hope is, from this vantage point, neither will be subject to the amoeba treatment, shuttled from wing to center.

Bump is a “get-up-and-go” type player, who can take a puck from a scrum, create his own space in stride and shoot wherever there’s an open shot. He’s the ideal player on a power play for what was briefly known as the “Hartnell spot” at the edge of either circle roughly 15 feet from the net. 

Martone is a guy who can throw the body down low, in the corners or along the dashers, collect and distribute; he’s also the Wayne Simmonds-type player to chip the puck off net-mouth scrambles they need at even strength or on the advantage that hasn’t arrived since Wayne Simmonds. After his initial blip, 3 goals on 12 SOG (25%) followed in the regular season, but 2 scores on just 23 SOG (8.7%) in the playoffs begs for better choices and optimal positioning.

Collectively, the Flyers notched 240 regulation-time goals on 2,088 shots, a robust 11.5% overall, with an average of 25.46 SOG per contest. Including Bump and Martone on regular shifts would be key to reversing this trend.

Forget any teasers of tragedy in competition. There is no animus between the players, because they’re all part of the same group that will be relied on to take the club to the next level for the next year or two.

“It’s nice to go through it with someone else, like Barks (Denver Barkey) and Marty (Porter Martone). It’s nice to have younger guys around,” Bump added. “We’re with each other every day. You always have someone around to talk to about anything.”

Martone’s confidence already burst through amidst a baptism of fire, it’s up to all involved to build on the foundation. Bump’s foundation laid, his confidence will surely come with greater reliance and steadier work.

At an impressionable age, the only way to find out is by doing. If Martone wears down during the upcoming full-season grind and if Bump takes a while to get up to speed, it’s a very expensive lesson to learn. If both players arrive at the same point despite different offseasons, the rest of the league would pay the price.

2026 Philadelphia Eagles schedule officially released

The National Football League made its master schedule for all 32 franchises official on Thursday night.

The defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles begin their slate on Sept. 13, Week 1 — vs. Washington Commanders at 4:25 PM.

Week 2 — at Tennessee Titans (September 20) Week 3 — at Chicago Bears (September 28, ESPN) Monday Night Football Week 4 — vs. Los Angeles Rams (October 4) Week 5 — at Jacksonville Jaguars in London(October 11) Week 6 — vs. Carolina Panthers (October 18) Week 7 — vs. Dallas Cowboys (October 26, ESPN) Monday Night Football Week 8 — at Washington Commanders (November 1, 8:20 PM, NBC) Sunday Night Football Week 9 — vs. New York Giants (November 8) Week 10 — Bye Week 11 — vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (November 22) Week 12 — at Dallas Cowboys (November 26, 4:30 PM, FOX) Thanksgiving Week 13 — vs. Indianapolis Colts (December 6) Week 14 — at Arizona Week 15 — vs. Seattle Seahawks Week 16 — vs. Houston Texans (December 24, 8:15 PM, Prime Video) Thursday Night Football Week 17 — at San Francisco 49ers (January 3, 8:20 PM, NBC) Sunday Night Football Week 18 — at New York Giants (TBD) Some #Eagles schedule notes: There are five scheduled primetime games for the fifth straight year. They have appeared in the third-most primetime games (114) in the NFL since 2000. -The Birds are slated for two Monday night games (at Chicago in Week 3 and vs. Dallas in Week 7) for the second consecutive season. Since 2000, the Eagles have played in the most Monday Night Football games (44) in the NFL. -The Midnight Green marauders travel to London for their third international regular-season game in Week 5 against Jacksonville at Tottenham Stadium. The Eagles previously defeated the Jaguars 24-18 on Oct. 28, 2018, at Wembley Stadium in London. -The Eagles will play on Thanksgiving Day for the eighth time in franchise history, last doing so in 2015. Overall, Philadelphia is 6-1 on Thanksgiving all-time. The .857 winning percentage on the uniquely American holiday is the highest of any team that has played at least 7 games.

Spectrum Memories: Playing Not to Lose Always Makes You Lose

Courtesy of ThePinkPuck.com

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Facing a second consecutive death struggle in their second consecutive playoff series against a team from the Sunshine State, the Philadelphia Flyers had a prime chance to wrest control of their best–of-seven set against the Florida Panthers during a Game 5 Sunday matinee at the Spectrum.

From the drop, despite drawing even with a controversial overtime win less than 72 hours earlier, the Panthers did everything they could to give their hosts an advantage.

And unlike Cup challenging and Cup winning teams before them in the building, the Flyers never really took it.

Just 147 seconds after the opening faceoff, Panthers defenseman Paul Laus injected his elbow firmly into the mush of Flyers winger Pat Falloon, drawing a major penalty. The Flyers, who became flustered with Florida’s series-long commitment to perfect positional hockey in all three zones and in all situations, could only muster 2 shots on Panthers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck. 

It took two more calls 27 seconds apart in the first 6 minutes of the second period for the Orange and Black to punch through. The Big Guy.

Stranger still, they were unable to build on that slender advantage by playing hesitantly. 

Stu Barnes managed to slip a squeaker home early in the third period to dampen any thoughts of extending that slim 1-goal edge. Second-year defenseman Chris Therien had to think quickly and clear a Tom Fitzgerald chance off the goal line early in the first OT.

And when journeyman grinder Mike Hough finally ended things before the midway point of the fifth period for a 2-1 result, as it was portrayed on all the TV stations, it looked like the hosts, nestled in the safety of their lockers, were tired and filled with relief they didn’t have to carry the anvil on their backs any longer.

“We were scared to make a mistake instead of going at them in overtime,” Dale Hawerchuk said later to Jay Greenberg of the Daily News.

Hawerchuk, having just completed his 15th NHL season and long since eclipsed the 1,000-game mark, still had yet to advance past the second round in 14 tries with either the Jets, Sabres or Philadelphia.

After beginning the 1995 summer playoff session with a 5-0 home record, they finished up a dismal 3-6 through the next 3 rounds. The Panthers limited the Flyers to just 11 goals across 6 games, their lowest total for a best-of-seven series which lasted at least that long since the Canadiens held them to 8 scores in a 6-game Wales Conference final in 1989.

So May 12, 1996 officially stands as the last meaningful Flyers game contested in the Spectrum, even though captain Eric Lindros put on his Mark Messier mask in the postgame and half-assedly assured a road win and Game 7 on home ice. 

“We’re coming back home,” he said. “We’re going to win.”

(Narrator voice) They did not, in fact, win.

Two nights later in Miami, the Panthers closed out the series thanks to 4 separate episodes of rat droppings. Less than one calendar year after so much emotion fueled a surprise run to the Eastern finals, Philly GM Bob Clarke was mystified at his team’s maddening fluctuations.

“Keeping our emotional level up has been a constant battle right from the beginning (of the playoffs), Clarke was quoted in Full Spectrum. “How can you be so high one game and so low the next?”

Over their 29-year tenure in the brown sardine can, the Orange and Black finished 79-52 in the postseason with two Stanley Cup championships, six trips to the Finals and 11 entries into the semifinal round.

The Flyers moved into the new building across the parking lot and the NHL schedule makers crafted a cruel reunion between the teams, with the first regular-season home date for Terry Murray’s club was a rematch with Doug MacLean’s defending Eastern Conference champions.

Florida went ahead and won that one, too, by a 3-1 count. And then won the second meeting in Philly a little over 3 weeks later, 3-2. The Panthers challenged the Oilers’ record of 15 games from the start of a season without a loss, but the Flyers rose to the challenge and won, 3-2, on Nov. 2, ending Florida’s run at 8-0-4.

“I’ve been around this game too damn long and I’m getting sick of this,” goaltender Ron Hextall said after the Game 6 defeat. “I want to win the last game, not lose.”

Hextall lost the last game in ‘96, then the last game in ‘97 in Detroit. He also lost the last game he ever started, Apr. 5, 1999, a 5-1 home defeat to the New York Rangers where he gave up a center-ice goal to hot-shooting Chris Tamer.

Ed Snider boldly predicted the Flyers would win the Stanley Cup during the first year in the CoreStates Center, and they at least reached the final round, without having to plow through the Panthers or New Jersey Devils. To this day, these franchises have not enjoyed a postseason rematch.

To review the previous editions of Spectrum Memories which recalled the Flyers' final season in the Spectrum 30 years ago, hit the links below.

From October, a rousing start to a hopeful season in Montreal.

In November, the Russian Five couldn't overcome an entire team.

For December, pounding the Penguins and whistling while they work.

January's edition, snatching a tie from the jaws of victory.

From February, as true now as it was then...Claude Lemieux still sucks.

March finds the Flyers given new life with an old No. 1 pick.

April's regular-season Spectrum sendoff.

Eagles, Cowboys to renew hostilities on Thanksgiving

In advance of the release of the National Football League's master schedule for the 2026 season, anticipated to occur on Thursday night, certain matchups have already been leaked.

One of those made known to the public late Monday afternoon, is the Dallas Cowboys' opponent on Thanksgiving.

This year, it will be the defending NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys have hosted the late afternoon start on the 4th Thursday in November almost every year since 1966, excepting 1975 and 1977. 

Philadelphia has been chosen as their foe twice previously, in 1989 and 2014, winning both.

The Cowboys have won each of their last four Thanksgiving matchups. Last season, it was a 31-28 triumph over the three-time Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Las Vegas Raiders were the last club to top America's Team on America's holiday, a 36-33 overtime decision on Nov. 25, 2021.

Distaste between the two NFC East franchises, simmering for decades, reached a boiling point at Texas Stadium in Irving, TX on Nov. 23, 1989. Retroactively nicknamed "Bounty Bowl I" for Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan instructing several Cowboys players to be targeted, including former kicker Luis Zendejas, the Birds won, 27-0. That marked the first time Dallas was shutout on the holiday.

In that blowout victory, Eagles QB Randall Cunningham finished 21-of-33 for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Cris Carter. The visitors' defense forced 5 Cowboys turnovers and held rookie QB Troy Aikman to 54 yards through the air on 7-of-21 completions. 

Flash forward to 25 years later, Nov. 27, 2014 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Embattled signal-caller Mark Sanchez -- who infamously was victimized by the "Butt Fumble" two years prior while playing for the New York Jets against the New England Patriots -- led the Birds to a rousing 33-10 victory. 

Sanchez ended the day 20-of-29 for 217 yards, one score through the air and another on a rush. LeSean McCoy rolled for 159 yards on 25 carries and another ground TD. Conversely, Dallas QB Tony Romo was picked off twice and sacked 4 times and the hosts committed three turnovers.

For the Eagles, this will mark the eighth time the bellwether franchise has been selected to play on Thanksgiving, having gone 6-1 previously. Their only defeat came in their last Thanksgiving matchup, in Detroit, a 45-14 walloping by the Lions in 2015. Between 1968 and 2014, they bested the Pittsburgh Pirates (1939, 1940), the Lions (1968), Cowboys and Cardinals (2008). 

The remainder of the 2026 schedule for all NFL teams is expected to be revealed this Thursday, May 14, at 8 pm on NFL Network.

Flyers' narrowed focus didn't help in season-ending setbacks

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Ahead of Game 4 on Saturday night, the first question Flyers winger Travis Konecny faced from assembled media was based on a quote the previous day from goaltender Dan Vladar, regarding how they can properly focus when facing elimination.

Vladar reportedly said, according to the writer who posed the question, “win the first five minutes, win the first period, win the second period” as a key to asserting control against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Here’s the problem as the Orange and Black stared into the abyss: they already *did* that. And still lost.

They owned the first five minutes of Game 2 in Raleigh on Monday night, scoring twice within 39 seconds. Even after giving up a power-play goal, they won the first period, headed to intermission with a 2-1 lead. They also won the second period, holding the hosts off the scoreboard. They still lost, 3-2 in overtime.

With the home crowd fully behind them on Thursday night back in Philadelphia, they owned the first five minutes. They owned the first 10 minutes. They even owned the first 15 minutes but “lost” the first period on a Jordan Staal power-play goal. They went on to lose the second period two goals to one and eventually fell by a 4-1 count. 

As for Konecny’s public face, these are apparently just blips on the radar, hiccups on the road to optimal execution.

“I think last game, there was a few breakdowns and obviously (the failure of) special teams,” He said offhandedly. “But, the way the game started, the 5-on-5 play, if we can replicate that start I think we’ll be in a good spot.”

I’m stuck on how any member of the Flyers, front-facing or otherwise, couldn’t fully understand they need to win in ALL aspects of the game – not just at even strength – to take not just the opening 20 minutes, but the whole of Game 4 and beyond. The officiating has been needlessly close-to-the-vest for both sides and was expected to continue this way, so intentionally trying to avoid the zebras’ notice really wasn’t on the table. 

The power play ended 1-for-18 against Carolina, 3-for-35 for the postseason as a whole. The penalty kill is less quantifiable, at 19-for-22 in this series and 35-for-41 overall, however, the failure is in the eye test as the kill has been mired by the near inability of Flyers checkers to match the Hurricanes’ speed and intensity. The chief reason the ‘Canes didn’t score more than 3 on the advantage is due to a high volume of errant or deflected passes.

Also in that pregame session, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet had little to offer about the precipice of season’s end except some tried-and-true cliches.

“The worst thing to think is you’re down 3-0, how do you come back,” Tocchet said. “That’s all negativity. We gotta think positively. I had a good talk with the young guys. They’re excited about playing this game. They should be."

He added another well-worn but hollow maxim: “Somebody told me you can’t climb Mount Everest without getting to the first camp base, right?” 

On Saturday, the Flyers started running up that hill from the puck drop, as they did 48 hours earlier. But the effort wasn’t sustained, again. They didn’t win the first five minutes. When Tyson Foerster recorded his first goal and point of the entire postseason less than 8 minutes in, it was the hosts’ third shot on ‘Canes goalie Frederik Andersen. 

They were ahead, 1-0, after the first period but did they really *win* it, despite an 8-5 shot edge and even territorial advantage? They definitely didn’t win the second period. Outscored 1-0. Outshot 15-4. Worse still, another glaring goose egg in the shots on goal column with a five-forward set during a 40-second 5-on-3 advantage before the midway point of regulation. 

“They had the puck a lot. It was a bend don’t break (situation),” an optimistic Tocchet said when asked if he was proud of the way his club responded with discipline from the Game 3 setback. “I was proud of the way we tried to keep them on the outside and get scoring on our chances.”

Courtesy of TSN.ca

The game was tied heading into the third period, but it might as well have been a Carolina lead, so confident was its pushback all series.

Even after a goalie interference call negated a potential Hurricanes go-ahead score early on, Logan Stankoven one-timed a Taylor Hall pass and the one-goal edge felt like two. Alex Bump broke his playoff cherry 99 seconds later to draw the Flyers even but, again, even a 2-2 tie felt like a Carolina lead. 

Going into overtime, the inevitable felt closer than ever.

Jackson Blake put an end to any questions of the Flyers’ ability to rise from the grave once more, 5 ½ minutes in. It’s exceedingly difficult to win any portion of a playoff game when you can’t possess the puck long enough for sustained attack, or win more than a 5-minute portion of any period, when you rarely score more than one goal at a time during an offensive burst, when outshot 40-17, battered in the battle of total shot attempts, 82-38. 

“This team’s played well for eight months,” said Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour about his 53-win squad. “They didn’t just get hot at the end or just start (in the playoffs). It’s been night in, night out. That’s the biggest takeaway for me.”

And about Konecny’s supposed confidence in their 5-on-5 play, how ‘bout this red flag: shot totals 37-15 in favor of the Hurricanes.

However, if you’re gonna lose, may as well make it memorable and historical. 

Saturday’s Game 4 loss was the Flyers’ first playoff series-and-season-ender decided at home and beyond regulation since 2002 when they absorbed a 5-game Eastern quarterfinal loss to Ottawa. They hadn’t suffered a season-ending loss in a sweep as the host since dropping the last of 3 straight defeats to the Washington Capitals in April, 1984.

It had been almost 50 years since an opponent finished off a 4-game sweep in Philadelphia – that honor falling to the Montreal Canadiens who won the first of 4 consecutive Cups here on May 16, 1976.

In the offseason, the focus for Tocchet and his coaching staff, as well as the Flyers’ front office, has to run both narrow and wide. The problems across the board exposed in defeat are obvious; the solutions yet to be determined. Part of the price of optimism of what may be in the coming years, is the cautiousness of believing they will be addressed to satisfaction. 

"It's a great experience, but it's something that you have to do year after year now," Flyers captain Sean Couturier said about the youth movement gaining momentum and experience. "I think we're back on the map and the expectations are we're gonna be in the playoffs every year, with the young group that we have."

'Trust in the process' means different things for Flyers, Hurricanes

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

Take a mental note and frame it, because one moment in an overtime the Philadelphia Flyers simply dominated turned into a second straight loss on the road to begin their best-of-seven series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

This one happened 15 minutes and 15 seconds into the extra session. That blur in the middle of the screen in your mind is Travis Konecny, sprung on a lead pass by Trevor Zegras and behind four defenders. Konecny, the first-line winger, he of the 1 goal on 8 total shots through 8-plus games in the postseason. He’s blowing in on ‘Canes goaltender Freddie Andersen, the game on his stick.

And he not only fails to record a shot on goal, he misses completely because he's shooting prematurely. You can drive yourself nuts with multiple rewinds of the replay. You can even choose to believe what one beat said about inside information from a "source with access to inside data."

Travis Konecny had the game on his stick here. pic.twitter.com/1xRiIiCRMZ

— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) May 5, 2026

 

Then, with 66 seconds remaining until the green light to signal the end of a period would have saved the Flyers for the third time in this postseason, Taylor Hall squeaks a rebound through Travis Sanheim’s legs and past Dan Vladar to give the hosts a 3-2 win in Game 2 of this Eastern Conference semifinal and a 2-0 series advantage. 

“I should have finished that,” an expressionless Konecny said – but in a low tone and with some urgency – when asked what he could do as a leader to keep his teammates from being demoralized. “It should have been over and we’re going home with a win, but we’re going home to our fans and we know what it’s like there. We’re excited.”

Clearly this is a case of the front-facing leadership putting on a stoic face in the midst of serious adversity. What’s unstated is their faith in the *process* of scoring although the results speak for themselves.

It was the last and most important missed opportunity which dogged the Orange and Black since they tallied twice in a 39-second span early in the contest. After Jamie Drysdale’s power-play strike just over 4 minutes in, seven other opportunities with the advantage, including one in the extra session whose aggression was neutered by a lack of precision, fell by the wayside.

As it turns out, those two early goals essentially bought the visitors the rest of regulation, as Vladar continually worked to erase the imaginary line of Hurricanes’ momentum that crept away from Andersen and ever closer to him for the final 55 minutes, 19 seconds. 

The creep began 5 minutes, 40 seconds after Sean Couturier’s even-strength goal, when Nikolaj Ehlers one-timed a shot home on the advantage and cut the hosts’ deficit to 2-1. It caught up to Vladar when Seth Jarvis netted the equalizer with 8:39 to play and it was bona fide clench time from there. 

In the interim, Couturier missed a partial breakaway. Porter Martone couldn’t get the handle on a sliding puck within 5 feet of Andersen. Another Sanheim chance in close missed the net.

By the end of regulation, Carolina led in shots on goal, 35 to 21, while doubling up its foes in total shot attempts, 64 to 32. The hosts also won 34 of 58 faceoffs and spent considerably more actual playing time inside the offensive zone than Philadelphia. 

In Game 2, the Flyers attempted to flip on its head what the Hurricanes did in Game 1, use a quick burst of scoring to subdue a willing opponent. But it ended up slowly exploding in their faces. 

Where the ‘Canes gained strategic and physical strength from their 2-0 advantage in the first period on Saturday, the Flyers’ strength on Monday seemed to be chipped away minute by minute. The only phase of their game visibly unimproved from Saturday’s opener was the penalty kill, which only surrendered the one score, but each chance demonstrated the Hurricanes’ commitment to puck movement and the Flyers’ commitment to moving like monuments. 

It didn’t matter the momentum swung in the other direction with the visitors racking up an initial 9-1 shot edge and 15-8 overall during the fourth period. As we all know, in playoff OT, it never matters who has more or the better of play and scoring chances. The one that goes in counts and it belonged to Hall. 

Let’s not forget Andersen, who ended the night having stopped the final 33 shots he faced.

“To be down two and just kind of stick to our game and wait for our opportunities and capitalize, that was huge,” Jarvis said. “It speaks a lot to our leaders, to Roddy (head coach Brind’Amour) to keep everyone calm and trust in the process. I’m really proud of how we did that tonight.”

The OT loss on Monday marked the 11th time in franchise history the Flyers dropped the first 2 games on the road in a best-of-seven series. Nine of the previous 10 times, they came up short. 

Included in this string of woe was a memorable run to Game 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals that featured a moral victory in defeat, as well as the record-setting triumph 16 years ago in Boston after rallying from an 0-3 series hole.

This series simply doesn’t feel like either of those. Don’t tell that to Konecny.

“We’ve played in the big one that advanced us here,” Konecny said when asked how their overtime approach on Monday was different from regulation. 

And what about the future? “Be confident. We want to make plays with the puck. Back each other up when there’s mistakes and we go from there,” he added.

If you listen to or read team-friendly personages on social media, the set-up is already there. 

The Flyers skated with the Hurricanes better this time, but were victimized by bad luck. After all, didn’t they go beyond regulation in all four regular-season meetings? Surely they’ll put it together with better effort and better execution on home ice. Once Owen Tippett’s back he’ll provide the necessary jump. Forget they lost the first three and in the last one, the Flyers needed it way more. This time, it’ll be different. 

Carolina’s trust in the process on home ice netted them actual results and an almost iron-clad series edge. Philadelphia’s trust in the process seems to be mired in the theoretical, hidden behind false confidence, and is running out of time. 

Tocchet, Brind'Amour share brief Flyers history

by Bob Herpen

Phanatic Hockey Editor

One of the internal factors which doomed the final month of the 1990-91 season for the Philadelphia Flyers, was a lack of depth at forward.

Head coach Paul Holmgren had poked and prodded and cajoled his team within 7 points of first place in the Patrick Division by March 1, solid playoff footing in an era when whoever finished first through fourth made the playoffs, regardless of record.

But with former 50-goal scorer Tim Kerr sidelined again for a majority of the campaign, defensive leader Mark Howe out for all but 19 games that year and notable names such as Dale Kushner, Craig Berube, Mark Pederson and Normand Lacombe drawing regular shifts, collapse was imminent. 

And collapse they did, going 2-10-2 over the final 29 days of the regular season, dropping from second to fifth and missing the postseason by three points.

General manager Russ Farwell, overmatched as he was in the transition from a front office guru in the Western Hockey League of Canadian juniors to the National Hockey League, was able to pull off a minor coup just as the following season’s training camp began.

Taking advantage of the St. Louis Blues’ belt-tightening in the wake of a second-overall finish exploding into a second-round playoff loss, on Sept. 22, 1991, Farwell unloaded captain Ron Sutter and defenseman Murray Baron in exchange for veteran winger Dan Quinn and young forward Rod’Brind’Amour.

Heading into his 8th pro season, Rick Tocchet had a front-row seat to the Flyers’ sudden implosion. 

In the space of two seasons, from surprise Wales Conference Finals entrant to one of five teams which *didn’t* advance to the playoffs in a 21-team league, two years running. One of Keenan’s Kids who developed into a bona-fide threat with his hands, Tocchet led the Flyers in goals (37), assists (59) and points (96) in 1989-90, then in goals (40) and points (71) in 90-91.

Brind’Amour, who was targeted as a into a verifiable two-way, winger/center behind Brett Hull and Adam Oates in the Gateway City, became a Tocchet clone once he set foot in Philadelphia despite some complaints over a perceived over-reliance on conditioning and some bad feelings from Blues management after winning a salary arbitration case.

“It was a relief to be out of there. I really didn’t care where,” he told local beats after arriving. “I put a lot of pressure on myself and didn’t play as well as I could have. I didn’t come out very well, then the Blues stuck me in a third-line role.”

Although Holmgren named Tocchet captain, there were reservations based on the latter’s method of message sending.

“If we didn’t give it to him, we’d lose him,” Holmgren said to Jay Greenberg in the Daily News and reprinted in Full Spectrum. 

In a season which saw their best defensive forward (Steve Kasper) lost early on with a season-ending knee injury, Holmgren bounced in early December in favor of the avuncular Bill Dineen toward the end of an 0-7-1 skid, Tocchet injured, then traded to a division rival, Brind’Amour was the model of constancy.

He set career bests in goals (33), assists (44), and points (77) while participating in all 80 regular-season contests – like Tocchet, all of which led the Orange and Black – but the Flyers missed the postseason for the third season in a row. 

Tocchet wasn’t around to see the end of the 91-92 season on the east side of Pennsylvania. On Feb. 19, 1992, with the Flyers mired in the bottom five offensively, he was dealt along with goaltender Ken Wregget and defenseman Kjell Samuelsson and a third-round pick to the Pittsburgh Penguins for center Mark Recchi and defenseman Brian Benning. 

This upset Tocchet to no end. He’d been named captain only months before in the wake of the Sutter trade. He played in just 42 games, sidelined by a sprained knee that cost him a spate of games after Thanksgiving, then a stress fracture in his left heel which dogged him since before the All-Star break and cost 10 games over 4 weeks. The trade came just 4 games after his return, in which he posted 4 points.

Although he suffered a broken jaw shortly after his Steel City tenure began, Tocchet was quoted in Full Spectrum as saying he “hoped the Pens would win by 10 goals” in their rematch on March 31 in Pittsburgh. He scored once in a 6-5 home side triumph. 

However, over the 42 games that both Tocchet and Brind’Amour were in the lineup that 25th anniversary season, the Flyers weren’t in bad shape, posting a 15-19-8 record. 

On three occasions, they managed to score in the same game: a 5-4 loss at the Islanders on Oct. 12, then twice on the road against the North Stars, a 5-2 win on Oct. 24 and a 3-0 decision on Dec. 21. The former and latter evenings saw Tocchet and Brind’Amour score in the same period. 

Tocchet remained on “seethe mode” against the Flyers for most of his Penguins tenure. He and Brind’Amour even managed to square off during the 1993-94 exhibition schedule:

These rugged ships narrowly passed in the night once more at the end of the decade. According to reports at the time, Bob Clarke – once again implanted as Flyers GM – was rumored to be interested in acquiring Tocchet from the Phoenix Coyotes at the end of the 1998-99 season. He’d settle for retreads Steve Duchesne and Craig Berube. 

After years and years of trade rumors slanted in his direction, Brind’Amour also eventually received the Tocchet treatment. After a broken foot and resultant surgery sidelined him for the first two months of the pivotal 1999-2000 season, Clarke struck only 12 games after his return in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes to deepen the center position by acquiring holdout Keith Primeau. 

The deal, consummated on Jan. 23, 2000 has been dissected ad nauseam for the impact it made on both franchises. Tocchet was eventually re-acquired in exchange for former Legionnaire Mikael Renberg on March 9, 2000.

When it came time to honor each players' respective service to the franchise, Brind’Amour was enshrined first, entering the Flyers Hall of Fame in November 2015, while Tocchet finally gained his laurel 6 years later.