VOORHEES, N.J. — Trevor Zegras wasn’t left feeling satisfied with the Flyers’ 5-2 win Monday night over the Kraken.
The power play delivered two goals despite coming into the game 1 for 15. On the second goal, Zegras made a skillful pass to execute a play the Flyers had drawn up in their pre-scout.
All in all, it was a successful night for the Flyers.
But after the game, Zegras still reached out to his head coach about the power play.
“He texted me last night, ‘I want to watch some video with you,'” Rick Tocchet said Tuesday. “He wants it, you can tell, because he feels there are plays out there that he can make even more. And I agree with him. You just chip away.”
Once Tocchet addressed the team at center ice to wrap up Tuesday’s practice, he came together with Zegras, Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster to work on some power play tactics.
Tocchet has been highly involved with his players at practice.
“It has been good,” Zegras said. “There’s some stuff that he’ll tell you on the side, it’s cool, you bring it in the game and it actually works. It’s cool to have a resource like that.”
The 2023-24 Jack Adams Award winner clearly knows a thing or two. His name is up in the rafters at Xfinity Mobile Arena as a Flyers Hall of Famer. He has three Stanley Cup rings, all with the Penguins — one as a player and two as an assistant coach.
In 1992-93, his career-best season as a player, Tocchet put up 20 power play goals for Pittsburgh. Last season, the Flyers had just 32 as a team.
So far this season, the Flyers are 3 for 19 on the power play. The unit of Zegras, Cates, Foerster, Cam York and Bobby Brink produced both of the Flyers’ power play goals Monday night.
“We just want to be ready for some different plays, we’ve got a lot of options,” Cates said. “Tyson in the middle there is in a good spot. Just some different looks if their penalty kill is high or low, what to do.”
A big reason why the Flyers acquired Zegras in a June trade with the Ducks was adding his high-end vision and skill to their power play. The Flyers have been desperate for some answers on the man advantage. Over the previous four seasons combined, they sported an NHL-worst 13.7 power play percentage.
Zegras was vocal and instructional as the Flyers went over a play after practice.
“He’s kind of running it, so it’s good,” Cates said. “He wants the puck, he takes over. Such a valuable time on the power play, just to have a guy where if the puck’s in his hands, he’s feeling comfortable. You know he can make a play anywhere — over to Bobby, up to Yorky, down low to us. You’ve just got to be ready when you’re with such a skilled player. It’s good that he wants it, wants to produce on it.”
Tocchet has appreciated Zegras’ focus on the power play.
“I pick his brain, he’s a smart kid,” the head coach said. “What I like about him, he knows there’s more.”