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Philadelphia Flyers Control Their Playoff Destiny

By Regina Ham

Apr 7, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Steve Mason (35) reacts after allowing the game winning goal during the overtime period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Wells Fargo Center. The Leafs defeated the Flyers, 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goalie Steve Mason (35) reacts after allowing the game winning goal during the overtime period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Wells Fargo Center. The Leafs defeated the Flyers, 4-3 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Flyers have two games left and it’s up to them to make the final push.

The postseason is two games away for the Philadelphia Flyers. At the beginning of the week, it was looking like the Flyers would hold onto the second wild-card position. They were playing strong and despite their goaltending issues, the Flyers had proven that despite an up and down season they could complete a postseason push. The game against the Toronto Maple Leafs should’ve have been an easy win at home for the team. Yet the look on head coach Dave Hakstol’s face after the team’s 4-3 overtime loss said otherwise. The loss comes on the heals of the 3-0 shutout delivered to them by the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night.

It’s not ideal to have two back-to-back losses with the end of the season so close. The Flyers did have a tough end of the season as their schedule wasn’t easy. The played tough teams like the Washington Capitals and to a degree it might have worn them out physically and mentally. Yet this exhaustion can’t be the reason for their struggles. They outshot their opponents 44-26 during the course of the game and, had any of those shots went in, it would’ve been a different story. However, they didn’t and now comes the task of the Flyers salvaging their postseason hopes.

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Identifying why the Flyers are struggling can be a key to fixing their team. It’s not too far out of the question to place some of the blame on the Flyers’ goaltending. Michal Neuvirth tore his meniscus in his left knee and was expected to be out for the rest of the season. He was the backup to Steve Mason in Thursday night’s game and most likely won’t see any ice time. That could be one of the biggest holes in the Flyers’ plans. Before his injury, Neuvirth was 17-8-4 during the season with a .925 save percentage and 2.28 goals-against average. He even outperformed the starter Mason on occasion. However, Mason has started 17 of the last 18 games. He didn’t have a bad game against Toronto but failed to deliver on key plays throughout the game. Mason performed poorly against breakaway plays and the ability to make those saves was something the Flyers were counting on.

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    • With the season on the line, there are things the Flyers can do to fix the mistakes. The team must win their next two games. That’s what it boils down to doing. True, they gained one point from their game last night but the bad news is Boston won again the Red Wings. They face the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders, both teams they have the ability to beat. Whether Detroit or Boston win/lose, a win against the Pens and Isles would mean the Flyers are in. Their defensive line can’t break down in the third period and Mason does need to make sure that key plays aren’t missed. Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek and Matt Read had some of the worst performances of the night on Thursday and it can’t continue into the final crucial games. Puck possession needs to be up and turnovers need to be limited. Mixing all that together and fixing mistakes will be the focus for the Philadelphia Flyers to finish strong and in playoff position.

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