A plane with a "FIRE RICK TOCCHET" banner flew over Xfinity Mobile Arena today, before the Flyers host the Oilers tonight.
Philadelphia sits 27th in the NHL at 6-10-6, so the mood around the building isn't hard to explain. Edmonton comes to town Sunday with the Flyers coming off a road win.
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The timing is a little awkward for the people who paid for the flyover. Saturday night in Columbus, the Flyers won 4-3, with Denver Barkey scoring twice, one on the power play and one the game-winner, and Joseph Woll stopping 28 of 31 shots.
Tocchet's week has been loud even without aircraft. After Friday's practice in Columbus, Tocchet's comments on Matvei Michkov's ice time made clear management sent him no message on the subject. Michkov scored in the win and played 16:07.
Does a plane banner change anything for Tocchet?
Not by itself, and we wouldn't want it to. The Flyers' problem is on the scoreboard: 51 goals for, 72 against, a -21 goal differential that ranks near the bottom of the league.
That's a roster and structure issue as much as a bench issue, and general manager Daniel Briere helped build the roster Tocchet is coaching. Firing a coach is the easy fix. We think the harder question is whether this group can defend well enough to climb out of the Metropolitan Division's sixth spot.
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | DIFF | |
| 1. Carolina Hurricanes | 21 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 34 | +40 |
| 2. New Jersey Devils | 21 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 30 | +19 |
| 3. New York Rangers | 21 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 25 | +7 |
| 4. New York Islanders | 19 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 22 | +4 |
| 5. Washington Capitals | 18 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 20 | -3 |
| 6. Philadelphia Flyers | 22 | 6 | 10 | 6 | 18 | -21 |
| 7. Pittsburgh Penguins | 20 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 16 | -9 |
| 8. Columbus Blue Jackets | 18 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 14 | -13 |
The Flyers are 3-4-3 over their last 10, and they're 3-4-3 at home, so the building has not exactly been a refuge. Charlie O'Connor's third-period stat that worries the Flyers and Tocchet only adds to the pressure.
Edmonton arrives tonight, and the crowd inside Xfinity Mobile Arena will have plenty to say about what happens next.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
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