The Philadelphia Flyers made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2020 thanks in part to the emergence of some top players late in the season. While 2025 first-round pick Porter Martone has received plenty of attention since getting called up, the team also saw the surprising return of Tyson Foerster, who suffered an arm injury back in December.
With the team five games through their first round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Foerster hasn't logged a single point. That is certainly a cause for concern, as top forwards on the team like Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny both have four points each, while Martone is tied with defenseman Travis Sanheim in goals scored with two each.
A day following their 3-2 Game 5 loss to the Penguins, head coach Rick Tocchet was asked about Foerster's struggles. Tocchet said that while Foerster may have hit a wall since his return, he declared "we're not giving up on Tyson" (h/t NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jordan Hall).
"We're not giving up on Tyson, he's too good of a hockey player."
— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) April 28, 2026
- Rick Tocchet on Tyson Foerster, who has gone scoreless through five games this series
Tocchet said it's possible Foerster has hit a bit of a wall after the long layoff, but believes he can work through it. pic.twitter.com/UniGVAPtRN
Rick Tocchet 'won't give up' on Tyson Foerster during scoreless playoff drought
These are interesting comments from Tocchet, as he doesn't sound like a coach that's ready to bench Foerster. Meanwhile, he had Matvei Michkov, who has had his share of struggles throughout this season, as a healthy scratch for Game 5 in favor of Alex Bump. That move did pay off, as Bump scored a goal in Game 5. But based on Tocchet's comments, it doesn't seem as though Foerster would have a similar fate as Michkov.
Foerster made his return on Apr. 2, four months suffering his arm injury, which occurred on a slap shot attempt. In eight games, Foerster put up four points (three goals, one assist). His assist against the Carolina Hurricanes on Apr. 13 helped the Flyers clinch a playoff spot and third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Since that game, Foerster was unable to register a point on the stat sheet. Perhaps that can change with Game 6 on Wednesday night. Maybe a return to home ice could do the trick, especially with their backs against the wall. After all, they don't want to be the latest team to blow a 3-0 lead in a playoff series.
We'll see if Tocchet does have any changes to the lineup, like he hinted with the possible addition of Oliver Bonk, and if Foerster will be shifted around.
Add us as a preferred source on Google