Tyson Foerster was set to play his ninth playoff game Thursday night against Carolina after going scoreless through his first eight, the only Flyers forward still stuck on zero points in the series.
Rick Tocchet pushed back on the criticism Wednesday after practice, saying Foerster was not costing the Flyers anything when he was on the ice and was not a liability defensively. Tocchet said, “The one thing is he’s not costing us stuff when he’s on the ice.”
The coach added that he was not worried about Foerster’s offense and believed the goals would come. “I know he’s not getting the goals. I’m a big believer that if you’re not scoring goals you can’t be a liability. And he’s not a liability in that end. So he’s doing that right. The goals will come. He’s just too good of a player,” Tocchet said.
Foerster’s quiet start has come despite a steady role after he returned to the lineup down the stretch from an injury suffered against Pittsburgh in early December. He was assumed to be out for the season after that setback, then worked his way back into the mix. Tocchet said Foerster had been out “for a long time” and that playoff speed creates a different demand on players. “And there are situations where you’ve got to play those reps in your mind and you also got to live it. I thought he was better last game. I’m not really worried about him offensively, but he has done a really good job of not being a liability defensively for us,” he said.
Foerster had five shots in the first three games against Pittsburgh and six in the last five contests, a modest total on a team that has needed offense from others to keep the series moving. Sean Couturier led the Flyers with 21 shots on goal, followed by Rasmus Ristolainen with 17, while Porter Martone and Cam York each had 16. Trevor Zegras had gone five games without scoring, and Travis Konecny had one goal in eight games.
The Flyers’ concern is not just Foerster’s drought. It is whether enough of the lineup can stop the scoring dry spells that have put pressure on the group through the first round. Tocchet said it was his job and the coaches’ job to give the players confidence, and he said that directly about Foerster. “It’s my job and the coaches’ job to give them (that confidence), 100 per cent,” Tocchet said.
