The Flyers are approaching their dire power play with the wrong mindset.
The Philadelphia Flyers have had the worst power play in the NHL for three of the last four seasons, and now it has single-handedly cost them a crucial playoff game at home. Things can't continue this way.
In 2023-24, the Flyers had the 32nd-ranked power play. Then Matvei Michkov came over and led the team, tied with Travis Konecny in both categories, in power play goals and assists. They still finished 2024-25 with the 30th-ranked power play.
After that disappointment, Flyers general manager Danny Briere went out and added the uber-talented Trevor Zegras via trade, and he racked up 23 power play points with Konecny and Michkov chipping in 14 and 12, respectively.
Michkov, despite remaining similarly productive in drastically reduced ice time, has been separated from Konecny on Zegras for much of the season.
Together, that trio has played just 55:15 together on the power play this season, while Zegras and Konecny without Michkov have played 113:97, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Now, while the numbers do not indicate that they generate more chances as a trio (relatively the same, but with more chances against), it does tell us that head coach Rick Tocchet and the coaching staff saw something they didn't like and completely abandoned it.
The same was true when Michkov started the season on a line with Sean Couturier and Konecny, which lasted a total of 60 minutes, and when Couturier was a top-six center only to be reduced to a fourth-line center.
The Flyers are predisposed to outright turning their backs on things that aren't working, rather than fixing them.
They changed coaching staffs and they added players, and yet the result remains the same year after year. How can this be?
It's worth noting, too, that the power play quarterback has been a constant revolving door.
There has been little to no continuity with Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Emil Andrae, and even Egor Zamula getting opportunities at various points in time over the last few seasons.
It's the only position the Flyers have not addressed on the power play, and it's a position all the best teams in the NHL have elite options for.
Tocchet admitted Thursday night after Game 3 that the Flyers are using players on the power play that would not ordinarily be playing power play minutes.
Michkov, sitting on the two-defenseman second unit, took a back seat to Tyson Foerster, who has no points in nine playoff games, Christian Dvorak, and Denver Barkey.
Nine players saw more power play ice time than the former No. 7 overall pick.
Waiting in the wings is defenseman David Jiricek, who was acquired for Bobby Brink at the NHL trade deadline.
Jiricek, 22, is a former top draft pick himself with a booming shot and strong passing chops.
But, does he have to earn his power play time with good defending, something that's completely unrelated? Would it be unfair to the Flyers players who have been with the team all year and got them to this point? Can they trust him to not turn the puck over, even though the idea is to let your talent go out there and score?
To successfully answer these questions, the Flyers must change their philosophies behind the power play, whether it's wingers playing their weak sides instead of strong sides, their personnel (Michkov), or risk assessment.
Scared money doesn't make money in today's NHL.