There are a few weeks left in the regular season. But for a team like the Flyers, every game moving forward is akin to a playoff matchup. Points are crucial at this stage of the season, and no game can be taken lightly.
The Flyers have a rather rare quirk in their schedule: they face a team they are chasing three times in the next two weeks. That team is the Detroit Red Wings. While they aren't in a playoff spot at the moment, they are four points ahead of Philadelphia and one point out of a wild-card spot. That is the Flyers' best and likely path to the playoffs.
Getting in via the division is not impossible. They are five points out in the Metro as well. But they would need to earn enough points to prevent the tiebreaker with the Blue Jackets from coming into effect. The Flyers lost all three games to Columbus this season. They would need to do the same against the Islanders as well, with whom they have one more game this season.
So these next three matchups against the Red Wings are vital to the Flyers' attempt to end their postseason drought.
Flyers have rare and key opportunity against Red Wings
The Red Wings do have the edge in most categories. They have two 70+ point scorers in Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. The former has been red-hot as of late, posting 11 points in his last five games and 14 during his eight-game point streak. He has posted three points in three of those games. Since coming to Detroit, DeBrincat has four points in six games against the Flyers, though three of those points came in one game. Overall, he has 11 points in 17 career games against Philadelphia.
Defensively, the key to shutting down the Red Wings' offense lies with the two players above, as well as captain Dylan Larkin. There is a decent drop-off in goal production after those three. The Flyers need to force them to use their depth to beat them. Behind those three is former Flyer James van Riemsdyk, whose 15 goals are eight behind Raymond. Patrick Kane (13), Emmitt Finnie (12), and J.T. Compher (10) are the only other Red Wings who have double-digit goals.
Offensively, the Flyers will need to put up more efforts like they did against the Blackhawks. While facing a weaker team, they put up 42 shots on net, well above their average for the season. It's been a point of emphasis for Rick Tocchet lately.
The Red Wings aren't the only opponents the Flyers will need to beat, but they are one of the most important as the season winds down. The margin for error is almost non-existent. Philadelphia must take care of business.