Anthony Mingioni’s Flyers blogs on Hockey Hot Stove are powered by Phans of Philly, by Lights On Electric, by New Balance of Mount Laurel, by Cover All Exteriors, and our newest sponsors, The Mens and Boys Store and Carl’s Cards and Collectibles.
With a little over a month remaining in the regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers (31-23-11) have done just enough to keep their flickering playoff hopes alive.
But now the heavy lifting truly begins, starting this weekend.
Over the past week, following a crippling 6-2 home loss to the New York Rangers on Monday, the Flyers managed an impressive 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday.
It was the first game in an important back-to-back home and away stretch. And at first glance, it seemed the more winnable of the pair, as they travelled to Minneapolis-St. Paul to take on the Wild on Thursday.
But they were able to eke out a 3-2 shootout win over one the NHL’s best teams.
So with 17 games remaining, the Flyers find themselves five points back of the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot with 73 points. Just as noteworthy, they are six points behind the third place New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division.
The good news for the Flyers is that their ability to rebound from difficult defeats pegs them as a team that won’t be an easy opponent by any means. In some ways, the way they’ve played of late reads as a team that has put the NHL Trade Deadline behind them.
The Bumpy Road Ahead
However the Flyers look at it, their path to a playoff berth was always going to a difficult one, even in the best of circumstances.
In January, it would have appeared that the Flyers playoff ambitions went up in flame and ash prior to the Olympics. According to Moneypuck.com, they currently hold a 7.9 percent chance of making the postseason as of March 14.
For the moment, the idea of tanking for a better draft position seems to be drawing by the wayside. For better or worse, the team seems nearly locked into the middle portion of the first round, unless they receive a lottery miracle like the New York Islanders did last season.
Beyond their own struggles has been the fact that the Atlantic Division stand a strong chance of occupying both Eastern Wild Card spots. As a result, a third place finish in the Metropolitan Division seems to be the only sure fire way to make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
With the schedule they face ahead, the Flyers are now in “playoffs-or-die” mode.
Columbus (And Others) On Their Minds
As the Flyers begin the latter portion of their March schedule, they have a golden opportunity on Saturday facing off against the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, they’ve proven to be a tall order recently for opponents, especially with arrival of veteran coach Rick Bowness taking the helm from Dean Evason.
At the time of the coaching change, the Blue Jackets were last in the Eastern Conference with a 19-19-7 record. Under Bowness, Columbus has surged with a 14-2-4 record and a 4-0-4 record in their last eight games. They are four points ahead of Philadelphia (77 points in 64 games).
In addition to Saturday’s game, the Flyers will play them twice more: at home on Tuesday March 24 and in Columbus on April 11.
In addition to Columbus, the Flyers will have other opportunities against Eastern Conference foes ahead of them in the standings.
The Flyers will also play the Detroit Red Wings three times (April 2 at home, March 28 and April 9 at Little Caesar’s Arena). The Red Wings recently lost captain Dylan Larkin and forward Andrew Copp to two week injuries, but could see them by their first tilt.
Even if the Flyers finish March on a strong note, their playoffs hopes might on the April 2 to 9 portion of their schedule.’
The last two Detroit games sandwich a critical set of games with the Flyers playing the New York Islanders on a back-to-back on Friday April 3.
They follow that with a Sunday game against Boston before travelling to New Jersey that Tuesday night.
So, in all, the Flyers have a lot of work to do to make the postseason. The odds aren’t in their favor, but if it’s going to happen, this weekend has to be the starting point.
