Tonight's goaltenders:

After the jump, lineups, questions to answer, and our in-game discussion.

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#8 Philadelphia Flyers (40-34-6, 86 pts) at #9 New York Rangers (37-33-10, 84 pts)
Madison Square Garden - 7:00 PM ET - New York, NY
TV: Comcast Network HD (again), Versus HD (in some areas), MSG Plus HD, RDS HD
Radio: 94.1 FM WYSP, XM 204, Sirius 208
This is the open game thread.
Get the New York perspective at Blueshirt Banter
  

The Flyers couldn't get any help this week from the Toronto Maple Leafs, who lost to the New York Rangers on Wednesday night. A Rangers loss that night would've put the Flyers in the postseason, but the hockey Gods decided that they wanted this weekend's home and home to hold some epic meaning.

And that's where we are tonight. The Flyers are in the playoffs with a win, and if they can do it in regulation, they'll end the Rangers season. It's do or die for one team, and predator versus prey for the other.

Let's be honest here. The Flyers are a better team than the Rangers. We know this and I think Rangers fans do, too. The Flyers clearly are better on offense, even when they aren't scoring like they can. They have a much more solid defense and they're better on special teams, too. The only edge the Rangers has is the obvious one in goal, but if Brian Boucher is playing with the confidence he's played with the last few games, and the defense is it's strong self in front of him, the Lundqvist advantage isn't going to matter.

In a game like this, though, the numbers don't matter. It's a playoff game, and when it gets to this point -- when everything is on the line -- it only matters who plays the hardest. The team that leaves everything on the ice, the team that -- yes, it sounds cliche -- wants it more, and the team that plays like a cohesive unit is going to win the game.

For the Flyers to win in New York tonight, they'll need all the emotion they can get. They have the boost from the return of Jeff Carter, who by all evidence (except Peter Laviolette being coy) is playing tonight. The orange and black need to control the play from the opening puck drop to the final whistle. If they do that, then by the time that whistle blows, the Rangers will have nothing left to play for, and the Flyers will be headed to the postseason.

After the jump, lineups, questions to answer and our in-game discussion.

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#8 Philadelphia Flyers (39-34-6, 84 pts) at #15 Toronto Maple Leafs (29-36-14, 72 pts)
Air Canada Centre - 7:00 PM ET - Toronto, Ontario, Canada
TV: The Comcast Network HD (seriously, Sixers?), Sportsnet Ontario HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 205
This is the open game thread.
Get the Toronto perspective at Pension Plan Puppets
  

The Flyers are closer to clinching than you think. In fact, if the cards fall right, they can clinch tomorrow. As in Wednesday. I was getting ready to do the heavy lifting on the numbers side of things, just to show how important tonight's game will be. But then, Frank Seravalli's blog came across the Twitters, with all of the pertinent facts already included.

Sounds good to me (it's a little warm in this room anyway).

-A Flyers win and Rangers loss tonight would push Philadelphia’s magic number down to two points with two games remaining. A Montreal loss would also move the Flyers up to sixth place.

-A Flyers loss and a Rangers win would keep the Flyers’ magic number at six points with just two games remaining, meaning the Flyers would need to sweep both games against New York this weekend – with at least one of the wins coming in regulation – to qualify for the postseason.

Good stuff, Frank. I'm sure it's not as hot in that Toronto hotel, either.

So, yeah: tonight's game is really, really important. We can't worry about what the Rangers or Canadiens are doing tonight, because ultimately, none of it matters if the Flyers don't win. Our team holds their destiny in their hands, so that's all we can worry about. But, either way, go Sabres and Islanders.

Toronto is a terrible team and I think that's something we can all agree on. But either way, they are an NHL team and they are playing with nothing to lose right now. The Flyers will need to play with the same urgency they displayed against Detroit on Sunday and, to an extent, against Montreal last Friday, if they want to win.

After all, this is playoff hockey right now. Kinda cute that Toronto gets to play in quasi-playoff hockey, too.

Colton Orr sucks. After the jump, questions with answers, lineups and our in-game discussion.

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#6 Detroit Red Wings (41-23-14, 96 pts) at #8 Philadelphia Flyers (38-34-6, 82 pts)
Wachovia Center - 12:30 PM ET - Philadelphia, PA
TV: NBC HD, TSN, RIS
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 205
This is the open game thread.
Get the Detroit perspective at Winging It In Motown
 

Well, here we are. Four games left, and the Flyers likely have to win all of them to get into the postseason. But somehow, despite this ridiculous collapse that we're in the midst of, the orange and black still hold their own fate. They still control what happens the rest of the season. Four wins and they're in. Anything less, and we might have to start looking elsewhere.

We called Friday night's game against Montreal the biggest of the season. From here on out, they're all the biggest games of the season, beginning today at home against the red hot Detroit Red Wings. We're aware of the situation today and the team better be as well. Quite honestly, it's sad that I sit here on the second to last Sunday of the season, the playoffs in question, feeling the urge to write "they need to come out on fire and take control from the start."

It's pathetic that we can't trust them to do that at this point, but that's just a microcosm of the season -- the last several seasons, really. But hey, you know what? As I wrote the other night, this late in the year, what's the point of getting down on them? It is what it is, right? We might as well cheer them on and hope for the best.

We tend to look at the opponent and see DETROIT and get nervous right away, but yes, while the Flyers have struggled mightily in recent (more than that, really) years in the Motor City, they haven't lost to the Wings in Philly since 1996. Postseason notwithstanding, of course. The last win came during The Season That Shall Not Be Named, a 6-1 win, and probably the best point of that year.

The Flyers can beat the Wings today. Let's just hope they want it enough.

After the jump, lineups, questions to answer and our in-game discussion.

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#7 Montreal Canadiens (37-32-8, 82 pts) at #6 Philadelphia Flyers (38-33-6, 82 pts)
Wachovia Center - 7:00 PM ET - Philadelphia, PA
TV: CSN Philly HD, TSN HD, RDS HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 205
This is the open game thread.
Get the Montreal perspective at Habs Eyes On The Prize
 

This is the biggest game of the year to date. Tied with Montreal at 82 points and teetering on the brink of missing the playoffs, the Flyers absolutely need a win tonight against Montreal.

The orange and black are struggling mightily, as evidenced by last night's outcome and the necessity of signing Sebastien Caron, but if there's one thing to take solace in right now, it's that the other teams in the playoff race are struggling just as much. Montreal is one of those teams.

The bleu, blanc et rouge haven't played much over the last week or so, but they've lost each of their last two games, including one to the lowly Hurricanes. They have injuries, they lack confidence, and they have a minor goaltending controversy. Sound familiar?

Peter Laviolette will start Brian Boucher tonight, and he's going to sit Riley Cote. Things are tough for Riles these days -- not playing, can't win a fight when he does play. Now, he's lost his forward position to a stay at home defenseman. Oskars Bartulis will play on the fourth-line wing tonight. Ryan Parent is back on defense.

Atlanta and Boston are idle tonight, but the Flyers can put a much needed four-point gap between themselves and the 9th-place Thrashers with a win tonight. A loss, and well, things get really dicey.

After the jump, lineups, questions to answer and our in-game thread.

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#6 Philadelphia Flyers (38-32-6, 82 pts) at #13 New York Islanders (31-35-10, 72 pts)
Nassau Coliseum - 7:00 PM ET - Uniondale, NY
TV: CSN Philly HD, MSG Plus
Radio: 610 WIP
This is the open game thread.
Get the New York perspective at Lighthouse Hockey
  

I'm going to keep this really, really succinct by simply posting a few visuals.

There is absolutely zero reason not to beat the Islanders into the ground tonight.

After the jump, lineups, questions and our in-game discussion thread.

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#2 New Jersey Devils (44-25-5, 93 pts) at #8 Philadelphia Flyers (37-32-5, 79 pts)
Wachovia Center - 7:00 PM ET - Philadelphia, PA
TV: CSN Philly HD, MSG Plus
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 207
This is the open game thread.
Get the New Jersey perspective at In Lou We Trust
 

If there's one thing that's consistent with the Flyers this season, it's that turning points have come in games against the New Jersey Devils. There was the solid win back on Dave Schultz Night, where the Flyers beat the Devils before leaving on that horrible West Coast road trip. There were two of the last games before the Olympic break, where the Flyers won a home-and-home on the front of a four-game win streak. After the break, things fell apart.

Could tonight be another turning point?

The Flyers have had a lot of success against the Devils this season, compiling a 4-1 record on the season thus far. In the final meeting between the two teams this regular season, though, a win today could prove much more important than any of those others. Losing four straight in four different ways, the Flyers are just two points away from the outside of the playoff picture.

Wins are necessary. Now.

Brian Boucher will get the start in goal again tonight after Johan Backlund pulled his groin yesterday in Pittsburgh. It doesn't really matter who's in goal, however, when the team can't score a goal. Everybody from Mike Richards to Danny Briere to Darroll Powe is in the midst of a goal-scoring drought right now, and it really couldn't have come at a worse time.

In order for the Flyers to win, players are going to have to become visible again. Players are going to have to put the puck in the net. That's the only way to get out of this slump and it has to happen now, or the Flyers are going to miss the playoffs and heads are gonna (maybe) roll.

It's Fan Appreciation Night at the Wachovia Center. Let's hope we're not making jokes about that all night. After the jump, questions to answer, lineups, goalies and our in-game discussion.

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#7 Philadelphia Flyers (37-31, 80 pts) at #4 Pittsburgh Penguins (42-25-7, 91 pts)
Mellon Arena (for the last time?) - 1:00 PM ET - Pittsburgh, PA
TV: CSN Philly HD, FSN Pittsburgh (oh god) HD
Radio: 610 WIP, XM 206
This is the open game thread.
Get the Pittsburgh perspective at PensBurgh
  

Back in January, I stumbled upon a few photos of Johan Backlund's goalie mask. Adorned in Flyers colors and Flyers logos, the angle I took for the story I wrote about his mask was that he had 'high hopes' for making the Flyers roster. Those hopes were evident in the probably-expensive piece of artwork he put on his head each night with the Phantoms.

I also mentioned how Backlund playing with the Flyers this season was pretty unlikely, given the fact that the goalie wasn't even trusted to be a backup behind Brian Boucher once Ray Emery went down. Paul Holmgren made that clear when he picked Michael Leighton off of waivers.

So it's a nice way to sum up this season, perhaps, in that there are eight games left in the season, Backlund is getting his first NHL start today against our cross-state rivals, and most of us are actually pretty happy with this occurrence. We haven't been winning with Boosh in goal, whether that's his fault or not, and the team really doesn't have much else to lose at this point.

It's Backlund's net today. He's kept a weak Phantoms team alive in the AHL all season long. Let's see if he can keep this Flyers team above the playoff bubble.

Good lineup news out of Pitt today: Evgeni Malkin will miss his third game in a row. Sergei Gonchar is sick and may miss the game as well. Matt Carle is a game-time decision for the Flyers.

Pittsburgh clinches a playoff spot with a point today. Don't let it happen. This could be the Flyers last ever game at Civic Mellon Arena. Let's win it.

After the jump, lines, goalies, and questions to answer.

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