Your Philadelphia Flyers are the top seed in the Eastern Conference

Three Stars

1. Nic-Aube Kubel

Man, what else is there to say about NAK? He’s been a ball of energy and skill and grit ever since joining the team and he’s establishing himself as a fantastic bottom six winger. We saw him throw his body around and create turnovers vs. Washington on Thursday, and he was doing more of the same in this one. Except tonight, the goals came along with the physicality. His deflection was a thing of beauty, and for his second goal a beautiful give-and-go with Sean Couturier.

2. Carter Hart

Without Hart, this game might look a lot different. He made two huge saves on breakaway attempts from one of the most lethal offenses in the NHL, and one of them came from Nikita Kucherov. Hart was spectacular as the Flyers found their footing in the early going. A big question coming into these playoffs was going to be how Hart would look. It’s his first taste of Stanley Cup Playoffs hockey and although these aren’t exactly the playoffs yet, it’s just about as close to it as you can get.

3. Shayne Gostisbehere

I think the only way to sum up Ghost’s performance tonight is with this tweet from our very own Kurt.

Answering the bell

1. Can the power play do... something...?

Well, no, not really. The power play was kinda out of sorts on their two attempts, and failed to light the lamp. This is a bit of a concern as the Flyers eventually need to figure it out and get some momentum cooking with the man advantage, but if their 5-on-5 play continues to be this strong, it may not be a huge concern.

2. What seed will the Flyers end up with?

THE NUMBER ONE SEED IN THE EAST, YOUR PHILADELPHIA FLYERS.

Play of the game

Was extremely tempted to just say the NAK goal because man that was some good stuff, but this clap bomb from Joel Farabee takes the cake.

Final Thoughts

The last time the Philadelphia Flyers were the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, the year was 2000. Eric Lindros was about to play his final game in orange and black just a few months later, and Brian Boucher was their rookie goaltender. This team has put us through a lot of shit over the past 20 years, especially the last 10, but this season has been a breath of fresh air for all of us.

There’s still work to be done though, it’s great to be the first seed and all of us are gonna enjoy the hell out of it tonight. But we want the whole damn thing. Next up, Montreal. WHY. NOT. US?