Flyers can't shake a major problem, and Rick Tocchet is taking the heat

Charlie O'Connor just dug up a third-period stat that should worry Rick Tocchet and the Flyers.

Philadelphia sits 28th in the NHL at 5-10-6, good for 16 points through 21 games. It is seventh in the Metropolitan Division, and the goal differential is -22.

O'Connor noted that the Flyers have lost ten games despite leading or tied in the third period, and they have played only 21.

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Those are games Philadelphia had in hand, or at least had even, with 20 minutes left. Ten of them got away. Even a handful of those turned into wins would put this team in a different conversation.

The Flyers have scored 47 goals and allowed 69. That gap looks like a team that is getting pushed around, but the post points to something more frustrating: the problem shows up late, when the result is still there to be taken.

Wednesday in Edmonton was another version of it. Philadelphia lost 2-3 in overtime, leaving with a point instead of two.

Can Rick Tocchet fix the Flyers' third periods?

He has to, and soon. A coach can live with losing games he was outplayed in. Ten losses from a lead or a tie are on the structure, the decisions and the finish, and that is where Tocchet and his staff will be judged.

The road makes it harder. Philadelphia is 2-6-3 away from home, and it is only 3-4-3 over its last 10. Home ice has not been a cure either, with a 3-4-3 record there.

The schedule gives no breathing room. The Flyers visit Columbus on Saturday, and another third-period lead or tie will test whether this is a trend or a bad run of luck. We think it is a trend, because ten is too many to blame on bounces.

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.

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