After a drubbing of the Winnipeg Jets, the Flyers remain in the driver’s seat regarding their playoff hopes. They have two games remaining, both against top teams in the league. But they don’t have to beat both of them to clinch a spot and break their five year drought.
The Flyers remain two points up on the Blue Jackets after they beat the Canadiens on Saturday. Columbus holds the tiebreaker with more regulation wins, so the two teams still cannot tie once all is said and done. The Capitals and Islanders, who also hold the same tiebreaker, are three points back.
All four teams are still in the playoff race. The Flyers do still hold all of the cards as they can max out at 98 points with wins in their last two games. Columbus can reach 96, while the Islanders and Capitals can only make it to 95. But the Flyers don’t have to get to 98 to clinch.
With some help, they only need to grab one point in their final two games to make it. A win would make things much easier, but it wouldn’t be an absolute if a certain scenario unfolds by the time the Flyers take the ice on Monday night.
Flyers playoffs aspirations can come to fruition before the final game
Clinching a spot before the final set of games on Tuesday would be the most ideal scenario. All three teams play at the same time, though the Islanders and Capitals play each other, adding another wrinkle. If the above two lose Sunday, they’d be eliminated before Philadelphia even plays next. If Columbus were to win on Sunday, the Flyers would need a point on Tuesday as well to clinch. The pressure would really be on, though.
So let’s take it back to Sunday’s set of games. The Flyers are idle, but will have their eyes on the three teams above. The Blue Jackets face the Bruins, who just clinched on Saturday. There’s a chance they could rest some players since they have no danger of losing their spot. A point by Columbus would keep them narrowly alive.
The Flyers will be hoping for a regulation loss to put the Blue Jackets hopes on life support. As for the Islanders and Capitals, who play the Canadiens and Penguins respectively, a loss of any kind would suffice. Montreal could still win the Atlantic while the Penguins are locked in to the second spot in the Metro. The latter rested a ton of players on Saturday so they could go back to full strength for this.
If the above scenario takes place and all three teams lose in the fashion needed, the Flyers would enter their matchup with the Hurricanes on Monday only needing one point. All three games in the season series thus far have gone past regulation. It’s not out of the question that it could happen a fourth time.
Carolina is looking to secure home ice in the Eastern Conference, which they can do if they beat the Flyers. So don’t expect an easy effort. And as mentioned, Montreal has a chance to be first in their division, though Buffalo cannot win another game and the Habs must win out. They’d know after Monday, when the Sabres face the Blackhawks. So we won’t know if Tuesday’s game will matter to them until then.
For the Flyers, it would be nice if they could get to Tuesday’s game without worrying about the outcome. A lot has to happen, though. It’s still up to them to control their fate, but let’s hope for the easiest scenario to take place to get back into the playoffs.