Confidence Soaring for Tippett and Frost
Tippett enters this weekend with five goals and six points over the team's last five games. He scored the game-winning goals against both St. Louis and Dallas, and has been using his rare combination of size, speed and power very effectively of late. Always a very high-volume shooter, he's been getting his shot attempts on net often of late, and he's scoring with regularity now.
Recently, Tippett has been using a batch of Travis Konecny model sticks. There are some similarities in the design, and Tippett has liked the flex and control he's felt with the puck on his stick. The equipment switch, born of waiting for a new stick shipment, may or may not be temporary.
After the Dallas game, Atkinson joked, "Tipp said he's going to go back to his other sticks. We're not going to let him!"
Of course, the difference isn't really using someone else's stick specifications. The difference is the player himself and the way he's taking charge.
Frost, meanwhile, has made the most lately out of his speed and playmaking ability. He's been playing with a lot of energy and self-confidence -- two absolutely essential pieces to bring his A game, as Frost's feet and creativity are his best assets. When he plays reactively or too conservatively, Frost simply blends into the scenery. When he's assertive and using his feet to create space, he hits the higher level to his game.
Two weeks ago, on the morning of January 5, Frost requested a face-to-face meeting with head coach John Tortorella. Frost had just been scratched (for the 11th time this season) the previous night against Columbus. There were things Frost wanted to get off his chest.
This was not the first time Frost requested a one-one with Tortorella. He did so last season, too, per comments the coach made on Exit Day last season. This time around, though, it was a bit different. The normally laid-back Frost was apparently more assertive in advocating for himself and disagreeing -- respectfully but firmly -- with some of Tortorella's viewpoints.
Tortorella is a coach who relentlessly pushes his players on any and every perceived weakness. However, he also encourages players to come to him (he rarely initiates one-on-ones but generally has an open-door policy) if they have something they need to discuss. By all accounts, the dialogue with Frost this time was an active two-way conversation: one that both sides created an avenue to a productive relationship moving forward.
Tortorella has said that, above all else, he wants Frost to produce offensive results. Frost has been doing his part since the meeting, Over his last seven games, the 24-year-old center has posted seven points (2g, 5a).
Of course, "Torts" will always be Torts. A few weeks earlier, Tortorella said that Frost had played some decent defensive games and had been creating/getting some scoring chances but "we need production from him and we're beyond the point of talking about chances". He said the latter about Atkinson, was a healthy scratch too, in the last game against Columbus.
At Thursday's morning skate ahead of the Dallas game, Tortorella praised the high volume of offense -- with payoffs on the scoreboard -- that Frost has been in the thick of for the last seven games. He acknowledged that it's the No. 1 he wants from the player. However, the head coach went on to challenge Frost to step up his off-puck play, too.
That is quintessential John Tortorella: constantly push, prod, challenge but also recognize improvements.
It's up to Frost and Tippett to keep their performances at their high recent levels. In Frost's case, his spot as an every-game starter in the Flyers' lineup depends on it.
Recent Power Surge
Anyone who has followed the Flyers even casually in recent years is aware of the team's power play struggles, especially from the 2021-22 season onward. However, there are finally some signs of hope (and not just stretches of a couple games here and there where entries, puck movement and attack zone time get better but with no payoff).
The Flyers have scored a power play goal in six of their last seven games: two for Atkinson and one apiece for Couturier, Tippett, Frost and Farabee. In the one game Philly did not tally a power play goal (the match in St. Louis), Tyson Foerster had a potential goal on his stick in prime scoring range but was unable to beat St. Louis goalie Hofer. Side note: Of the Flyers' six power play goals during this stretch Frost has points on four including three primary assists.
For the season, the Flyers still rank last in the NHL on the power play at 12.6 percent (18-for-143). That's because the club was mired at under 10 percent through the season's first 38 games. The team can't dwell on that.
All they do is try to keep improving as they move forward. Since the Christmas break, the Flyers are 7-for-39 (18.0 percent) to rank 21st in the NHL during span. No, it's nothing spectacular. But it's noticeable progress and it's been making a difference in the win-loss record of late.
As for the Flyers "power kill" of a PK, that half of special teams has kept rolling along: ranked second league (85.6 percent) for the season, tied for the most shorthanded goals (10) scored by any team.
In our next Friday Forecheck, we'll look in depth at the Flyers five-on-five play: breakouts, chances off the rush and in transition, forechecking work, gaps, and more. All of these areas have improved significantly. Over the last three games this past weekend, the Flyers' five-on-five systems execution has been outstanding. The Dallas game is the gold standard the team must strive to replicate.
What's Next
The Flyers won't have much time to enjoy Thursday's win over the Stars or the five-game winning streak. There's another bonafide Stanley Cup contender from the Western Conference -- the Colorado Avalanche -- coming to town on Saturday afternoon.
After the Flyers wrap up their two-game season series with the Avalanche (29-14-3), it's back to games against Eastern Conference teams for the remainder of the homestand. Claude Giroux and the Ottawa Senators (currently 16-24-0) pay a visit on Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday, the Flyers will play their first game of the season against the Tampa Bay Lightning (23-17-5).
