The Flyers lost 3-2 to the New York Rangers on Thursday night (November 5, 2026) at Madison Square Garden after blowing a 2-1 lead late in the third period, and Flyers’ Head Coach Rick Tocchet called the goals they allowed “inexcusable.”
Rangers scored first in the opening period (Gabe Perreault at 4:39). The Flyers took the lead in the second with goals from Simon Benoit (his first of the season, at 10:10) and Noel Acciari (at 12:09). In the third, after Denver Barkey took a slashing penalty, Pavel Dorofeyev tied it on the Power Play at 13:52. Tye Kartye then scored the winner at 15:21 (with 4:39 left) on a breakaway set up by Adam Fox.
Tocchet was blunt afterward about the collapse while protecting a lead:
“I thought we were in control of the game and then all of a sudden they make a push and that’s when we really got to dig in. You gotta protect the middle of the ice, that’s just hockey 101. It’s frustrating…it’s inexcusable, 2-1, then you give them those goals we gave, it’s inexcusable.”
Tocchet added that the team has been working on protecting the interior of the ice in practice but the message isn’t fully sticking under pressure, and that failing to convert chances (including breakaways) while up 2-1 made it worse. Players like Travis Sanheim and Noel Acciari also noted the team got on its heels instead of continuing to play the way it had earlier.
The loss dropped the Flyers to 4-10-4 (1-6-1 on the road). It was the first game of a five-game road trip; they next play in Calgary..
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