Overview
- During a stoppage in Game 3, TV cameras caught Rick Tocchet delivering a hard message to Trevor Zegras, who then returned and scored Philadelphia’s only goal in a 4-1 loss.
- There was no punishment after the exchange, as Zegras kept his spot and took a power-play shift while the defeat left the Flyers down three games to none heading into a home elimination game.
- Sportsnet analysts Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Strome praised Tocchet’s player-by-player approach and said the message urged Zegras to focus on playing while coaches handled complaints to officials.
- Zegras said he values being challenged face to face with an immediate chance to respond on the next shift, and he described his relationship with Tocchet as strong.
- Tocchet called Zegras very coachable, and the 22-year-old’s year supports it with career highs of 26 goals and 67 points plus five points in nine playoff games.