During Saturday’s game against the host San Jose Sharks, Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet was trying to find an answer to a simple question. The Flyers, who all season have been behind the eight ball when it came to center depth, were really in a bind. Sean Couturier was out of the lineup, and Noah Cates was in the penalty box. That left centers Christian Dvorak (who logged a ridiculous 25:32 by game’s end) and Trevor Zegras as options. The only problem Zegras had just come off the ice. He had no centers left, and Emil Andrae was splitting time between playing the backend and playing down the middle. Times were tough. But winger Owen Tippett came through in the clutch.
We’ll let Tocchet finish the story from here, as he recalled after Monday’s practice.
“I mean a great story in San Jose there was about nine or ten minutes left, Dvo (Christian Dvorak) was dead, Cates I think was in the box, I think Trevor just came off the ice. I’m like, I looked at the bench and I said, ‘I need a center.’ And Tippett looked at me and he goes, ‘I’ll play center!’ Just like that! And I thought it was a cool moment. I said, ‘Okay get out there!’ We kind of laughed and he went out there and played center a couple of times. So that’s a pretty cool moment to see a guy go, ‘I’ll do it coach!’ So it was good.”
When asked about what transpired Saturday, Tippett — who played down the middle on what was essentially the Flyers fourth line between Garrett Wilson and Garnet Hathaway — laughed at the question before responding.
“Yeah I think obviously given our lineup the last couple of games we knew that some guys were going to have to step in and play positions that they don’t normally play,” the winger said Monday after Tocchet’s comments. “I mean obviously Andrae playing center and he’s a defenseman. It was just kind of in the flow of the game. I don’t know if I’m throwing that out there if I’m in the defensive zone or if the draw is in the defensive zone. It was just a cool story. I figured with our system it’s all about communicating on who’s low anyways. So I was out there with two guys who were also ready to do that and knew the situational play.
“I didn’t think too much into it. Like I said if you’re the first one back into the zone you’re the low man and you’re playing a situational position anyhow. That’s just how I looked at it. Not consistently, maybe a shift here and there given the situation.”
Tippett answered the call whatever the situation
Tippett played over 20 minutes Saturday, and was called on to play not just down the middle but also the other side of special teams: the penalty kill. Tippett played 1:37 while Philadelphia was down a man and managed to be a threat with his speed if given the chance to break out with the puck. It was a part of the game he hadn’t seen action in since his days playing junior hockey in the Ontario Hockey League.
“I think the last time I kind of did it consistently was throughout junior,” Tippett said. “It was something that I always wanted to add in, I thought that I could be good at it. It keeps me in the game a little bit more, and it keeps me going in the flow of the game too. So it’s something I always wanted to add. I think over the years you learn a lot about positioning and kind of more about the system. I’m happy with being able to contribute whenever I can.”
Tippett’s potential was on Tocchet’s “to do” list
It was something that might have scared a few fans, knowing Tippett could possibly block a shot killing a penalty and be out of action as a result. Yet, there he was, doing whatever he could to help the Flyers shut down a desperate San Jose team and escape with a rather unlikely three-game West Coast sweep. The growth in Tippett’s game has been obvious throughout the season. It’s also something that Tocchet knew would be on his proverbial to do list in the summer heading into his first year as Philadelphia’s head coach.
“Of course when I took the job in the summer they talked and said we got to get to this guy’s potential,” Tocchet said. “That’s just a coach and player relationship and how we both see how the game is played and stuff like that. He’s been, he’s been allowed some freedom, I mean the guy is a game-breaker type of guy. But he’s also done some nice stuff where he’s dug in…you know, that great hit against Celebrini, that’s a big thing. It’s nice to see him do that.”
Shark hunting 🦈 pic.twitter.com/KHrX3CSMR4
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 21, 2026
“Honestly I didn’t even know I got him as good as I got him until I saw it after,” Tippett said regarding the hit he delivered on the Sharks’ blossoming star. “I had the puck and he was coming towards me and it was almost like a reverse hit. I think I made the comment during the game, Willy (Garrett Wilson) gets us started with a big fight, Catesy steps in and protects a guy and does it smartly, Seels (Nick Seeler) has a huge hit, Juuls (Noah Juulsen) has a huge hit, it’s just the time of year. You’re going to have to take hits, you’re going to have to give hits. It’s all part of the game.”
The fact Tippett really wasn’t know for throwing his weight around is something that has become an integral part of his game. It’s not like he’s out to crush everyone on every shift, but he’s delivered a lot of heavy hits over this season and especially down the stretch. Perhaps even more impressive has been that Tippett has only 28 minutes in penalties this year. So he’s becoming more of the player the Flyers brass and their fans had always hoped for: a dominant power forward.
“Yeah his consistency this year for me since the start of the year, there’s not many lulls in his game,” Tocchet.. And I’ll be honest with you he’s had to drive some lines himself, and he’s done that. It’s hard to find guys like that. He’s been terrific.”
Tippett, citing Travis Konecny’s quote about the Flyers chasing teams ahead of them in the playoff hunt, said the team has been resilient given the injuries to some key players (Tyson Foerster, goalie Dan Vladar for a few weeks) as well as the condensed schedule.
“I think so, yeah. I think we’ve dealt with injuries all year, different guys are going out at different times,” the forward said. “And like I said with the scheduling you don’t have the luxury that if something goes wrong — it could be minor it could be major — but you only have a day or two to get ready. I think it’s kind of something that you have to adapt to, the next man up. For example you’re going to have to play positions and put yourself in stuff that you’re usually not a part of.”
If Tippett and the Flyers continue to keep winning games and playing quite tight defensively, they might also find themselves in a position they haven’t been a part of in the last five consecutive seasons.