One of the more aggravating things about watching the Philadelphia Flyers is the realization of how inconsistent they are. Let's be honest, this is an extremely streaky team. This squad could easily rip off eight wins in a row and then turn around and lose the next eight. They are hot and then cold. In some games, the offense is hot and they can score four goals, but the defense will let the team down. Then, they will come out and play a fantastic defensive game, but lose 1-0. Ugh! So frustrating.
At the same time, we know this about the team. The Flyers are among the youngest teams in the NHL. They will make mistakes and there is room for growth. That's why it can get frustrating watching them. You can see the potential in them. You just want them to be a little more consistently consistent...but in a good way. This is also why John Tortorella gets frustrated with them because he is probably tired of trying to fix the same stuff over and over again.
Despite the inconsistencies, the Flyers are still in the mix of things. They are just a few points away from a playoff spot. More importantly, a winning streak of two or three games, granted with some help from other teams, would put this team quite comfortably in a secure spot.
The Metro is Stinko This Year
In the last few years, the Metropolitan Division has been one of the more competitive divisions in the NHL. You can tell that each of the teams in the division doesn't like each other and play each other roughly. That competitiveness has made for some great hockey and most of the top rivalries in the NHL are here.
Not this season. The division is a mess. The Rangers, the NHL's Presidential Trophy winner last season, started off winning nine of their first twelve games. They've won just six since then, traded away captain Jacob Trouba, and have put a for sale sign up in which just about anyone on the team is available. I wouldn't be shocked if former Flyer head coach Peter Laviolette is fired before the All-Star break.
The Penguins have gotten old and, outside of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, can't do it anymore. I, for one, am not shedding any tears. The Islanders are, well, the Islanders. We all know that they are "good to decent" every other year. I guess this is the other year. The Jackets are in last, again, but a lot of that is due to the tragic circumstances surrounding their offseason.
The Devils and Capitals are on top of the Metro currently. New Jersey, unlike last season, is healthy. The Capitals are surviving with Alex Ovechkin being hurt. Is it sustainable, as they only made the playoffs after the Flyers faltered last season? As for Carolina, they are doing well as long as Rod Brind'Amour can push them.
In fact, the Flyers' real competition this year seems to be from the Atlantic Division. The Senators are ahead of Philly as well as two struggling veteran teams: the Bruins and the Lightning. Both teams are just a few short points ahead of the Flyers and could be passed if the Flyers can get on a winning streak.
Opportunity is Knocking
This is where the team has an opportunity to strike. Yes, they are young and still rebuilding. Yes, this team is figuring out what they are. Yes, they still have some issues on defense, offense, and goaltending. However, they have talent. They just need to put it all together.
True, making the playoffs will lower whatever first-round pick they get. However, the Flyers have three first-rounders this season (although it could be more or less depending on what happens at the trade deadline). I'm not worried about that.
However, a playoff run could be what this team needs to get confidence. There is no experience like playoff hockey and this team hasn't had it in a while; especially playing in front of a rabid fan base at home. If they can put it all together, especially during this upcoming road trip against Columbus, Pittsburgh, and the West Coast teams, they could make some noise. It'd be nice to see what this team can do; especially at the expense of their divisional rivals.
The Flyers should take every opportunity to take advantage of the division's failures. The adage of "kick 'em when they are down" usually has negative consequences, but when it comes to teams like the Rangers, Penguins, or Islanders, I'm ok with it. Kick them while they are down and keep them down. It's time for the Flyers to move up in the standings. Opportunities like this don't always happen.