Tyson Foerster Still Scoreless Through 8 Playoff Games
tyson foerster still has zero points through eight playoff games, but Rick Tocchet is not putting the Flyers winger on the hook for the offense. The coach said Foerster is not costing the team anything when he is on the ice and is not a liability defensively.
Tocchet backs Foerster
“The one thing is he’s not costing us stuff when he’s on the ice,” Tocchet said after Wednesday's practice. He added, “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.”
The coach also pointed to the grind of Foerster’s path back. “He’s been out for a long time. And this is a playoff pace. 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,” Tocchet said.
Foerster’s shot volume
Foerster played his ninth playoff game on Thursday night against Carolina, still looking for his first point in these playoffs. His shooting numbers have dipped as the run has gone on: after five shots in the first three games against Pittsburgh, he had six shots in the last five contests.
That offensive drag has landed in a broader Flyers stretch where other finishers have been slow too. Trevor Zegras had gone five games without scoring, and Travis Konecny had one goal in eight games, leaving the club short on the kind of production that usually settles a playoff series faster.
Flyers scoring support
Sean Couturier led all Flyers with 21 shots on goal, while Rasmus Ristolainen had 17 shots. Porter Martone and Cam York each had 16 shots, and that volume has been part of the case for keeping Foerster in the lineup even without a point.
Foerster’s situation also carries extra weight because his injury in early December against Pittsburgh had initially been the kind that could have ended his season. He made it back down the stretch, and Tocchet’s message is simple: keep him on the ice, keep the belief intact, and let the goals come from there.
