The Philadelphia Flyers have lost seven games in a row. It’s their longest losing streak of the season (they lost five straight heading into the All-Star break) and it couldn’t come at a worse time.
After earning six points in their seven-game gauntlet, it appeared as if the Flyers would have an easier time the rest of the way. That hasn’t been the case. The Flyers have been outscored 23-9 in their last five games.
They were getting some help from the teams behind them in late March, but the Flyers know that no one is going to help them now. That was evident over the weekend.
Through Sunday’s action, the Flyers have the 11th-best (sixth-worst) point percentage in the Eastern Conference. The Islanders, Red Wings, Capitals, and even the Penguins surpassed them in the standings.
While it appears that all hope is lost for the Flyers, there is still a slim chance that the Orange and Black can fight their way back into a playoff spot. At the very least, they may be able to return home for their final two games with some realistic playoff hopes.
All five Eastern Conference playoff teams still alive in the race — if you can call it that — play on either Monday or Tuesday night. The Penguins are in Toronto for one of just two NHL games tonight while the Islanders, Red Wings, Capitals, and Flyers are all in action on Tuesday.
In theory, the Flyers have the easiest matchup early this week. But we’ve seen how that’s played out recently, including a 4-1 loss in Montreal last Saturday night.
The Penguins are underdogs in Toronto and the Islanders will assumably be underdogs against the Rangers. Then there is what could be a season-defining showdown in Detroit with the Red Wings hosting the Capitals while separated by just one point in the standings.
After a breather on Wednesday, all five teams are back in action on Thursday as well. This time, however, the Flyers have the toughest matchup with a game at Madison Square Garden.
So, what are the best, worst, and “on-paper” scenarios for this week?
In the best-case scenario, the Flyers win both of their games with the rest of the teams in the chase losing in regulation. The Capitals beating the Red Wings on Tuesday slightly favors the Flyers, and the Penguins’ remaining schedule is harder than the Red Wings’ for Thursday’s head-to-head matchup as well.
For the worst-case scenario, the Flyers would lose both of their games and essentially lose all hope for the playoffs as well.
Finally, let’s try to predict the “on-paper” results of these games.
The Rangers should take care of business against the teams still fighting for a spot, and the Maple Leafs are favored over the Penguins tonight. On the flip side, the “desperate” teams should be able to take down the Canadiens.
I decided to give each team one point in the head-to-head matchups. That’s unlikely and probably should be closer to 1.5 points, but everyone is so close right now.
Of course, we’ve seen how the “on-paper” scenario fared for the Flyers in recent weeks. These games still very much need to be played and you can’t count your chickens before they hatch.
But, if the Flyers can manage two points in their next two games, they should have a fighting chance when they return home to host the Devils — on Wayne Simmonds night — and the Capitals, who will be on the second half of a back-to-back to close the season.
Meanwhile, here are the schedules for the final week of the season of the other teams in the race:
- Islanders: at Rangers, at Devils, vs. Penguins
- Red Wings: at Maple Leafs, vs. Montreal, at Montreal
- Capitals: vs. Lightning, vs. Bruins, at Flyers
- Penguins: vs. Bruins, vs. Predators, at Islanders
The Flyers have provided fans with plenty of entertaining hockey over the past six months. Let’s get two more games of that.
