The Philadelphia Flyers had two opportunities to gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff field. But on Tuesday night, with Porter Martone making his pro debut, the Flyers lost 6-4 to the Washington Capitals. Then, on Thursday night, the Flyers lost 4-2 to the Detroit Red Wings in forward Tyson Foerster's first game back since suffering an arm injury on Dec. 1.
That's four points the Flyers left on the board, but luckily for them, they are still only two points back of the final Wild Card spot. But they have just seven games left, with plenty of teams still vying for the seven remaining playoff spots in the East.
ESPN recently published a power rankings article, highlighting the most important game for each NHL team. For the Flyers, the panel of commentators for ESPN has their Friday game against the New York Islanders as their most pivotal.
Flyers' Friday game vs. Islanders named most important game of season
"The Flyers have two pathways to the playoffs: one of the Eastern Conference wild cards, or a seed in the Metro Division. They play the Canadiens, Bruins and Red Wings in the final stretch -- all of whom are potentially vying for those wild cards -- but this matchup against the Isles would result in a four-point swing if they win in regulation over the current No. 3 seed in the Metro," ESPN says.
It's not a surprise that the Flyers' game against the Islanders is their most important, considering the stakes at hand.
First off, the Eastern Conference Wild Card picture is crowded with Atlantic division teams. That's because the top three teams in that division will be any combination of the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Montreal Canadiens. That leaves the Boston Bruins (94 points), Ottawa Senators (88 points), and Red Wings (88 points) fighting for the two Wild Card spots.
The Flyers currently have 86 points to their credit through 75 games played. Meanwhile the Islanders sit in third place in the Metropolitan division with 89 points through 76 games. So if the Flyers were to defeat the Islanders on Friday night, they would pull within one point of the Islanders for third place in the Metro. That is a huge opportunity for the Flyers.
The Islanders lost five of their last eight games. Their last two games were against playoff contenders, where they lost 8-3 to the Pittsburgh Penguins this past Monday, and fell 4-3 to the Sabres on Tuesday. After a two day rest, the Islanders will look to get back in the win column to try and pull away from not only the Flyers, but also the Columbus Blue Jackets (88 points in 76 games).
Philadelphia's schedule doesn't get any easier, as four of their remaining six games behind the Islanders include the Bruins, Canadiens, Red Wings, and Carolina Hurricanes. The clock is ticking for the Flyers. They need to make the most of their opportunities if they want to secure their first playoff berth since 2020.