It wasn’t a season-altering penalty, but Tuesday night’s absolutely baffling move by Trevor Zegras should have put him on the bench for the rest of the game. Instead, after a 10-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, he was back out there. Early in the second period against Minnesota, with the Flyers already down 2-0, defenseman Jamie Drysdale tried to clear the puck. It hit an official, bounced right to a Wild player, and boom, Minnesota scored to go up 3-0. Talk about a bad break.
But Zegras? He decided to take out his frustration by banging his stick as a “congratulatory gesture” to the official. You know, dripping with sarcasm. The ref was not having it, and Zegras got hit with a 10-minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. A whole half-period in the box for that.
Zegras’s ‘Stupid Decision’ And The Coach’s Response
Zegras served his time, sat briefly on the bench, then was back taking regular shifts the rest of the game, finishing with 20:01 of ice time in a 4-2 loss. After the game, he even admitted it was a “stupid decision.” Coach Tocchet didn’t exactly disagree.
But here is where you have to scratch your head: under former coach John Tortorella, Zegras would’ve been rightly chewed out and probably glued to the bench for the rest of the night, no matter how desperate the team was. Zegras playing over nine minutes in the third period after that stunt? It screams that Tocchet is way too forgiving. If the coach wants to draw a line in the sand and send a message to his skaters, that was his chance, and he totally missed it.
This Club’s Real Problem
Zegras’s dumb move didn’t just take one of their better players out of the rotation for a huge chunk of the second period, it tossed whatever little synergy they had right out the window with all the line juggling. He showed up the officials and got nothing for it except a lengthy trip to the sin bin.
This team is spinning its tires into a hole they might not emerge from. They’ve got absolutely no room for error the rest of the way, and they are shooting themselves in the foot with these foolish penalties. The numbers do not lie: heading into Sunday’s game against Calgary, the Flyers sit at a grim 4-10-4. They have given opponents a staggering 60 power play opportunities this season, averaging over three per game. Only once have they managed to keep it to just one power play against, and that was against Columbus on October 27. They have surrendered four or more power play chances in nine games! And it’s not just physical penalties. They have already racked up five unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, with Zegras earning both a minor and that monster 10-minute one, Travis Konecny getting a minor, and Porter Martone also picking one up.
This isn’t an isolated incident; it’s a pattern.
What’s Next On The Ice?
The Flyers face Calgary on Sunday. With their 4-10-4 record and discipline issues that are clearly out of control, every game is critical. Can they finally clean up their act and stop making “stupid decisions” that cost them valuable time and energy? Or will they continue to take foolish penalties that make digging out of this hole even tougher? We’ll see how they respond.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Broad Street Hockey.
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