Tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning is a very big game for the Philadelphia Flyers. Coming off a big 6-0 win on Saturday night against Columbus, the Flyers will close out their six-game home stand with a chance at a 5-1-0 record. That would be a huge success.
It’s even more important because after tonight, the Flyers have four full days off before taking on these same Lightning in Florida. And because after tonight, they’ll spend seven of the next nine on the road — and the two games at home are against Pittsburgh and Detroit, their direct competition for a wild card spot.
Here’s how the standings look entering tonight, and how the rest of the week is shaping up for the Flyers:
Both the Penguins and Red Wings are off tonight, so the Flyers can pull within two points of a playoff spot if they’re able to grab two points from the Lightning tonight. If they lose, well … this week could get out of hand fast.
Tuesday
- Detroit plays in Columbus, their 66th game of the season.
- Pittsburgh play in Brooklyn against the Isles, their 66th game.
- Carolina is home against Ottawa, their 67th game./
Wednesday
- No teams in direct playoff competition with the Flyers are playing./
Thursday
- Detroit is home against Winnipeg, their 67th game.
- Carolina plays in Boston, the 68th game of their season.
- Pittsburgh is off.
- The Flyers are off./
Friday
- The Flyers are in Tampa Bay to play their 66th game of the season.
- Pittsburgh is in Columbus to play their 67th game.
- Detroit is off./
Saturday
- The Flyers are in Sunrise, Fla. to take on the Panthers, their 67th game.
- Detroit hosts the Rangers in an afternoon game on NHL Network, their 68th game.
- Carolina is in Buffalo for their 69th game.
- Pittsburgh is off./
Sunday
- Pittsburgh is in New York to take on the Rangers in their 68th game.
- Detroit hosts Toronto on NBCSN, their 69th game.
- The Flyers are off, holding at 67 games. /
So the Flyers hold a game in hand over the two teams ahead of them entering tonight, and by the end of the week will still hold at least one game against each. Who knows where Detroit and Pittsburgh will stand by then, but they don’t have particularly strong opponents this week while the Flyers face two very good teams from Florida.
A win tonight would be a lot more comforting heading into the weekend. If the Flyers lose to Tampa, they could be eight points back by the next time they hit the ice on Friday. Let’s avoid that.
