Flyers Captains Calls Team 'Soft' After 5-2 Loss, Coach Agrees

Philadelphia Flyers captain Sean Couturier said his team played soft in Wednesday night's 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. The loss left the Flyers without a win at that venue since Jan. 14, 2023.

Alex Tuch opened the scoring for Washington 1:50 into the first period, beating Joseph Woll from about 15 feet. Tuch later added his ninth goal into an empty net in the closing minutes. Washington's Jordan Kyrou scored twice, once at 7:03 of the second period and again at 12:11 of the third. Aliaksei Protas scored for the Capitals at 16:47 of the second period.

Couturier tied the score 1-1 in the second period by tipping a shot past goaltender Logan Thompson for his first goal of the season. Matvei Michkov scored his ninth goal of the season on the power play at 9:44 of the third period to pull Philadelphia within one goal. The Flyers are 1-6-3 this season when an opponent scores first.

Couturier addressed his teammates' physical play directly after the game. "At times this year we're soft I would say," Couturier said. "Not hard on battles. We lose battles easy. It's one thing to make mistakes. But if you're in there trying hard, it's different."

He added, "We definitely need to pick up our physicality. It goes into competing. It's a men's game. It's the basics of the game. It's winning one-on-one battles and creating chances off of that. Definitely an area of the game we need to be better."

Defenseman Nick Seeler said he could not explain why the team's physical play has dropped off. "I couldn't tell you," Seeler said. He confirmed the players have discussed the issue among themselves. "Just focus on compete levels and playing for the crest," Seeler said. "That's what it is all about. It's not about getting points. It's not about 'me, me, me', it's about the team."

Coach Rick Tocchet said he understood the captain's comments. "I've been on teams where leadership will do that," Tocchet said. "There's nothing wrong with that." He said, "He's not wrong. There are certain parts of the game where we need a little bit more dig. I know we're a little smaller team but that doesn't make an excuse for not getting a loose puck."

Tocchet added, "We obviously need more battle. Throughout the year it's inconsistent. That's a big team over there. We expected that but I thought we got shy at certain parts of the game." He also said, "We had pockets of it but when a team makes a push, we need some pushback."

Philadelphia reshuffled its defensive pairings for the game. Jamie Drysdale moved up to pair with Travis Sanheim. Cam York and Seeler formed the second unit, while rookies Oliver Bonk and Hunter McDonald were paired together. Jacob Gaucher returned to the lineup, making Michael Bunting a healthy scratch.

The Flyers' next game is scheduled for Sunday at 4 p.m. at home against Utah.