VOORHEES, N.J. — Before training camp, Danny Briere said he expected the Flyers’ goaltending to be better this season, “no doubt about it.”
Part of the reason behind that belief was Rick Tocchet’s system. The Flyers wanted to emphasize a possession game, which would potentially cut down on odd-man rushes the other way. They also wanted to give their goaltenders a cleaner opportunity at seeing the puck, meaning not as many blocked shots.
With that, Nick Seeler’s body probably rejoiced. But for a team-first defenseman who blocked more shots than any player in the NHL over the last two seasons, the change had to be an adjustment.
“A little bit, but I think in a good way,” Seeler said Friday after practice. “Everyone’s buying in, they want us to be boxing out more. Obviously there are times where you’re going to have to front the puck if you don’t have positioning on the guy you’re trying to box out. There are different scenarios, but I think overall, it has been a good adjustment.”
The 32-year-old blocked a league-high 405 shots in the past two seasons combined. Under Tocchet, the Flyers want their defensemen to cut off an opponent’s route to the net, which can clear space for the goalie to track the puck. It’s also just a matter of knowing when to get out of the way.
“The goalies have done a really good job of communicating that, too, on the ice,” Seeler said. “They’ll let us know, ‘Let me see it, let me see it.’ And find a guy. I think early box outs have been important this year. Not letting them get close in front of the net, getting early positioning has helped a lot. Keeping them to the outside is always good. It’s something that we’ve worked on and built and continue to get better at.”
It’s very early, just seven games into the season, but the Flyers have gotten some positive results. They’ve allowed 18 goals. Last season, they gave up 31 in their first seven games. They have a .903 save percentage, tied for the 11th-best mark in the NHL. Last season, they finished with a league-worst .872 save percentage.
Dan Vladar, the Flyers’ offseason addition in net, has played a big role in the improved numbers. The Flyers’ defensemen have also adjusted well to a different approach.
“It’s something that the coaches have preached since the start of the season,” Seeler said. “You want guys to buy in and we believe in the system.”
Tocchet has seen that from Seeler.
“He has been total buy-in,” the head coach said Friday. “He has been a solid guy every game, very mistake-free. I think one time he was kind of in front of the net, the double screen when they scored one time and he realized, ‘I can’t be in that situation.’ That’s when you know the guy gets it, he corrects his own mistake. He understands what we’re doing here.”