What started as a 3-0 waxing by the Philadelphia Flyers has suddenly turned into a series as the Pittsburgh Penguins have won two straight to force a Game 6 back in Philadelphia.
Now, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet is letting his boys know that he needs quite a bit more from them if they're going to close out the series and move on to face the Carolina Hurricanes.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said his team needs to get more creative if they want to put an end to their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)
Tocchet spoke to the media after the Flyers' 3-2 Game 5 loss, and while he was sure to give the Penguins — a team he played for and was previously an assistant coach for — their flowers for a solid performance, he made it clear that some of these guys need to step up.
OTTAWA SENATORS PLAYOFF HYPE VIDEO IS A CRIME AGAINST HOCKEY HUMANITY
"I thought Bumper (rookie Alex Bump) was great, (Denver) Barkey," he said. "The young guys are good."
The young guys certainly were good. In fact, Bump — who was drawn into the lineup after Tocchet scratched forward Matvei Michkov — scored a massive goal to get the Flyers on the board after falling behind 2-0.
Of course, the flukey game-winner bounced off of him before taking a strange carom off the endboards, but that's hardly his fault.
But while the young guns are firing, it's the old dogs that Tocchet needs more from.
Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers reacts after a Pittsburgh Penguins goal during the second period of Game Five in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., on April 27, 2026. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
"We've got to get some guys, though — they've got to step it up," the Flyers bench boss said. "They've got to play (with) a little more pace, shorter shifts."
Tocchet said he liked how the team played upon evening the game up at 2-2, but said that the Letang goal — like some other flukey goals this series — took the wind out of their sails.
So, the answer?
Creativity.
The Flyers have stunned the Penguins this series and have managed to keep their stellar offense off the score sheet as much as possible. (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
"We've got to come up with some stuff here," Tocchet said. "You know, we've got to fake some shots; deception. I think we're buying our head and shooting stuff into shin pads, we've got to have a little more creativity, and we've got to talk about that."
The Flyers and Penguins are back in action on Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena for Game 6.
Matthew Reigle is a writer for OutKick.
