Flyers gained 'a lot of belief' following March road trip prior to playoffs

VOORHEES, N.J. -- The Philadelphia Flyers didn't return from their mid-March trip to California with a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

But after three wins in four nights against the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, they came home a week later with something almost as important -- belief.

"Guys come off the plane, that's a tough trip," coach Rick Tocchet said. "To go 3-0, I think they really had a lot of belief. I think that trip really helped us.

"I felt like a little swagger was back."

It was hard-earned, with two one-goal wins that went past regulation.

It began at the Ducks on March 18. After letting a 2-0 lead slip away, they rallied to win 3-2 on Noah Cates' overtime goal.

The next day against the Kings, they overcame two one-goal deficits to tie the game midway through the second period, then won it 4-3 on shootout goals from Matvei Michkov and Trevor Zegras.

They capped the trip at the Sharks on March 21, with third-period goals by Christian Dvorak, and Travis Sanheim and Cates each scoring an empty-net goal in a 4-1 victory.

It was one of four times this season that a road team played the three California teams consecutively and went undefeated.

"I think that West Coast trip for us was like a make-or-break for our season," defenseman Cam York said. "We felt like if we were able to get points in every game that we had a really good chance at the playoffs. 

"We brought playoff intensity to those three games, and I think it showed in terms of the locker room, and how it felt. We were just so detailed about our game. Guys were focused, guys were dialed in, and when everyone's on the same page like that and has the same mindset of we want to get this done, I feel like you can get it done. ... Everyone was just so dialed in there."

It was more than just how they played, however. After playing the Columbus Blue Jackets at home on March 14, they left enough time for some team-building activities on the West Coast before the work started.

And one of them was a serious workout of York's credit card.

The defenseman had signed a five-year, $25.75 million contract ($5.15 million average annual value) on July 7. But he waited a bit to celebrate the new deal with his teammates.

"Every guy that signs a big contract in the offseason, you got to have a team dinner at some point in the year," said York, an Anaheim native. "I waited until the California trip, so I had my team dinner in California, and that was a ton of fun."

Sometimes a meal is just a meal. And sometimes it's a lot more than a bunch of friends sitting around a table.

"We try and always make sure different guys are sitting with different guys, kind of mixing everything up a little bit," forward Owen Tippett said. "Anytime you get a chance to do stuff like that, it's always fun.

"Anytime you have dinner, it's a big team event."

Added defenseman Nick Seeler, "Any guy around the League will tell you, those team dinners are always a blast to get the group together. Even though you're with each other all the time, those are times you get to relax a little bit."

Details were sparse about the location, but the meal included every player plus members of the training and equipment staff. No coaches allowed, however.

"It was a nice place, right on the water," Seeler said. "It was a good spot. We got lucky. We ran it up on him, though."

The cost clearly was worth it.

The Flyers went 9-4-0 to close the regular season and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020. And after eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games in the first round, they're ready for another road trip, this time to play the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round on Saturday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS).

But there's a chance they're not making that short trip without a much longer one about two months ago.

"When you can sweep a road trip like that, and not many guys in this room have been able to do that, the belief stays," Tippett said. "And that's the kind of confidence that keeps you going when you beat teams like that, to get you kind of motivated and build the confidence in here.

"To sweep that trip, it put a lot of belief back in this room. I think that was a kind of turning point for us."