Small world, big sparks: Flyers shrink the ice to grow their edge

VOORHEES, N.J. -- During a pause in what was already a spirited practice on Monday, a couple of Flyers coaches grabbed the nets and brought them close together. 

One was positioned at the top of the right circle. The other, just in front of the end line on the same side. 

It was time for small area games. 

Small area games can be constituted in several ways. The one the Flyers played on Monday had a goalie in each net and then randomly assigned two-on-two battles to try and score. 

With the limited amount of ice available to play, it forces the players to make quicker decisions, to play more physical and to force the agenda and not be passive.

"You get to use your body position, your creativity and you got to hold on to pucks," coach Rick Tocchet said about small area games. "All those little aspects of the game are in that (small area game). I'm a big believer in that sort of stuff."

Really nice save by Dan Vladar on Sean Couturier. pic.twitter.com/NAhOMPp8pQ

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) November 17, 2025

Tocchet felt it was the right time to bring this practice concept out as the Flyers look to have a bit of a reset with four days off between games - one of the last times they'll have such a luxury that includes practice time. 

In the last few games, there has been a bad trend brewing with the Flyers - where they found themselves backing into their zone too much and playing containment - meaning they are sitting there protecting their ice, but allowing the other team to possess the puck. 

Tocchet said he's fine with that if a line is caught on a long shift - as he'd rather not have them chase the play and leave openings for high percentage scoring chances for the opposition. But that shouldn't happen more than once or twice a game. 

And Tocchet doesn't want to hear about a condensed schedule or playing three games in four nights as an excuse either. 

"It's November," he said. "If it was March, maybe. But for me it's the backing in. ... We just needed a good practice of getting in on people and working on our forecheck. ... We needed a good pushing and shoving practice."

That, they got. 

Even before the small area games, the Flyers were doing three-on-three drills and things were getting chippy. At one point, Matvei Michkov didn't like getting bumped hard by Adam Ginning and turned around and slashed him. Stepping up for his partner, Noah Juulsen cross-checked Michkov and Michkov didn't back down, battling for positioning in front of the net, trading shots with Juulsen until the play was over. 

Competitive Matvei Michkov going through a physical rep against Adam Ginning and Noah Juulsen. pic.twitter.com/Swy7hgA4SE

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) November 17, 2025

"We all kind of need that every now and then," Juulsen said. "We haven't been starting on time, so I think, you know, if we get a little more engaged here and there at practice, it might help us."

That wasn't the only bit of rambunctiousness on the ice. Guys were going hard. There were a lot of bodies being banged around. When one unit gave up a goal, Emil Andrae slammed his stick into the boards. The competitive juices were definitely flowing. 

"I love them," said Travis Konecny. "It was getting a little competitive. A little chippy. I think we needed it. It was good. You get in that competitive mindset, everyone's brining the intensity. Guys are leading the right way. It doesn't matter who you are out there, you are just setting an example for the next guy."

And Tocchet feels it helps the team get past their bad habits of being a little too passive, which was especially noticeable in their 5-1 loss in Dallas on Saturday.

"If I play soft on a guy (in practice) in a one-on-one, what is that doing for him? I'm not helping him," Tocchet said. "You don't have to kill a guy, but playing a guy hard is not only going to make you better, it's going ot make the other guy better and the team better. That's what I've always believed."

Other notes from practice

• Oliver Bonk skated with half the team for the first part of practice. He was wearing a non-contact jersey. He is rehabbing a back injury that has prevented him from playing this season, but the expectation is he can start ramping up to get back soon. He's ticketed for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL when he's ready. 
• Rasmus Ristolainen skated by himself before practice. He, too, is nearing a return. Don't be surprised if he joins the team at practice this week. 
• Cam York did not practice. Tocchet said it was a maintenance day. He said York could have participated but he wanted to give him two days off to recover from whatever minor ailment he was dealing with.
• The Flyers made a small trade with the Ottawa Senators, swapping depth defensemen. The Flyers sent Dennis Gilbert to Ottawa in exchange for Maxence Guenette. Neither player was happy with their role with their now former teams. When the Flyers signed Gilbert, there was a thought that he could be their No. 7 defenseman, but he had a rough camp and was sent to the Phantoms. Guenette, 24, hasn't played this season, but requested a trade in the summer when he felt he wasn't getting a fair opportunity. Guenette has been a high-end point producer in the AHL as a right shot defenseman. He gets a fresh start with the Flyers after playing just seven games with the Sens across two seasons. Philadelphia signed him to a one-year, two-way contract.