The Lehigh Valley Phantoms were eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs on Sunday. Day Four is underway at the 2025 IIHF World Championships in Sweden and Denmark. Pundits say the chances have decreased that the Flyers will hire Rick Tocchet as their next head coach. These stories and more await in the May 12, 2025 edition of Quick Hits.
Atlantic Division Semifinal: Phantoms eliminated in Game 5
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms lost to the Hershey Bears, 4-2, at Giant Center on Sunday evening. The two-time defending Calder Cup champion Bears won the best-of-five series, three games to two. The Phantoms trailed by a 3-0 margin in the third period before shaving two goals off the deficit.
Unfortunately for Ian Laperriere’s squad, the Phantoms could not find an equalizer after Anthony Richard (power play) and Hunter McDonald narrowed the gap. However, Flyers 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko made a nice setup pass to find McDonald in the slot 14:03. Oddly, Luchanko did not skate any additional shifts over the final five-plus minutes of the game.
Riley Sutter, the son of former Flyers captain Ron Sutter, tallied two goals on Sunday. The first, scored on a 2-on-1 rush in the opening period, was assisted by former Phantoms’ forward Matt Strome. Later, former Phantoms forward Garrett Roe outworked Adam Ginning in deep as passed to Sutter. From a severe side angle, Sutter put a weak shot through Phantoms goaltender Cal Petersen. The tally proved to be the series-winner.
Spencer Smallman and Bogdan Trinebev (empty net) book-ended the four Hershey goals. Additionally, goaltender Hunter Shepard (19 saves on 21 shots) stepped up when necessary. Three major factors in the game (and series) outcome.
- Petersen didn’t get the job done. With Parker Gahagen sidelined by injury and Carson Bjarnason both rusty and banged-up, Laperriere turned the reins over to Petersen and held his breath. The veteran netminder was not nearly good either in Game Four or Game Five for the Phantoms to win. In the first period on Sunday, the Smallman goal came on a preventable rebound. Smallman beat Petersen upstairs. No goaltender would have stopped Sutter’s first goal (a 2-on-1 feed to the back post). The second Sutter goal was a killer. Petersen deserves some credit for his play in the third period, but it was too little and too late.
- Power Play went AWOL. Richard’s early third period 5-on-4 tally gave the Phantoms some life. Earlier, two Lehigh Valley power plays produced nothing but frustration. The Phantoms went 2-for-21 on the man advantage in the series as a whole.
- Needless penalties. The officiating all series was subpar, but the Phantoms fully deserved many of the penalties they took throughout the series. In the third period on Sunday, the Phantoms found themselves down on a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes. Immediately after those expired, the Phantoms took yet another penalty. Hershey did not score, but Lehigh Valley lost four precious minutes off the clock.
Additionally, Laperriere has taken some heat from some Phantoms’ fans for his line rotation choices in crunch time. In the waning minutes of games during the series, the Phantoms mostly went with veterans. Luchanko and Alex Bump played sparingly (or did not see shifts) in those situations, to the displeasure of a vocal segment of the fanbase.
IIHF Worlds: Tre Kronor vs. Lions
Team Sweden hosts Finland in the prime-time game (Swedish time) in Monday’s slate of matches at the 2025 World Championship. Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson is slated to back up Jacob Markstrom for Tre Kronor. Meanwhile, Team Canada (Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, Tyson Foerster) is idle on Monday.
Earlier today, Switzerland shut out Team USA, 3-0.
Tocchet update
No name in the Flyers head coach search rumor mill has elicited more speculation — and more sharply divisive public opinion — than Flyers Hall of Famer Rick Tocchet. As of late last week, per Piere LeBrun, the Flyers had not interviewed Tocchet. However, the team planned to speak to him this week.
Meanwhile, Elliotte Friedman said on his latest 32 Thoughts that the former Vancouver Canucks head coach seems to be whittling down a list of places in which he’d be interested in coaching: The line I heard on Tocchet is he’s not interviewing with teams, he’s interviewing teams,” Friedman stated. “I don’t know about Philly. I think he’s very high on their list, but I’m not sure what’s gonna happen there.”
Sources close to Tocchet have said that the former player is not even positive he wants to coach at all next season. He may instead opt to return to the TV studio for analyst work in 2025-26.
Flyers Daily: Mondays with Meltzer (May 12, 2025)
Jason Myretetus and start off discussing the Phantoms’ second-round exit in the AHL playoffs. Next, we discuss the Flyers next head coach options and some of the key experience and traits of the next bench boss. Additionally, we look at the three Flyers players representing Canada in the IIHF World Championship and much more.
Need more hockey