Porter Martone delivers a game-winner for the ages in Flyers thriller

Holy cow! If you saw the Philadelphia Flyers win that wild game in overtime against the Boston Bruins, you may need to see a heart doctor right now. Or maybe you had too much Easter ham. Who knows? But man, what a game!

Here's the thing: any player's first goal in the NHL is going to be special. They will remember it for the rest of their lives. Sometimes it is a memorable goal. Perhaps a flashy play or a great move to beat a goalie.

In Porter Martone's case, the goal was important for two reasons.

1. What it Means for Martone

When the Flyers drafted Martone back in June, they kept talking about how much of a playmaker he was going to be. He was going to provide a sparkplug for the Flyers' sometimes lackluster offense...someday. At some point, he will join the big club and star. For now, we have to sit and wait.

All season long, we heard about Martone tearing it up in the college ranks. He helped propel Michigan State into the NCAA hockey playoffs and was tied for second in goals (25) in the NCAA with Ethan Wyttenbach and only four behind Hayden Stavroff. Every report was better and better, and Flyers fans were drooling over it.

Then he made the jump to the NHL. He registered his first assist in his second game against the Red Wings. So far, he's played quite a feisty game; scruffing it up a little bit. This helped the 19-year-old earn the respect of his teammates.

Despite not scoring any goals in his previous three games, he had come close several times. And during regulation against Boston, he had come close to scoring several goals. A lucky bounce here, a millimeter off the post there...who knows.

However, his goal in overtime was better than any of that. First of all, it showed that he can come up in big-time moments. Secondly, he flashed memories of John LeClair and Mark Recchi waiting to grab that rebound and dump it in behind Joonas Korpisalo.

More importantly, he got that first goal off his back. Now he can relax a bit. He knows he can score in big-time moments, and his team knows he can deliver when needed. That kind of confidence can boost a young player and a young team that could head into the playoffs.

The Flyers had come close several times earlier in that game. Martone's game-winning clincher came up big and helped save the season for the Flyers. Which leaves us to the bigger reason this goal is important.

2. What it Means for the Flyers

With Martone's game-winning shot, the Flyers leapfrogged over two teams to temporarily earn a playoff berth. For the time being, the Senators have the second wild card spot, and the Islanders are on the outside looking in. Philadelphia and Ottawa have 90 points, the Isles have 89, Detroit and Columbus have 88. Washington is lurking behind with 87 points. This goal also placed them back in legit playoff contention since Jan 12, during the heart of their pre-Olympic slide.

So what does this mean? Quite a bit. First, it puts Philly into the driver's seat. The Flyers' next game is against New Jersey on Tuesday. A victory over the Devils pretty much knocks them out for good. Then Philly plays Detroit. The Red Wings also play Columbus on Tuesday. Those two teams beating up on each other would be great for the Flyers. The best-case scenario would be Detroit beating CBJ and then falling to the Flyers on Thursday. That would help knock each team further behind.

The problem the Islanders have is that they have just four games left. Ottawa has six games left. Everyone else in the hunt has five. New York can't afford to lose any more games. Ottawa doesn't have to worry about playing any team that is also in the hunt. Most likely, it is going to come down to Philly and Ottawa for the last two spots in the playoff race. The Islanders are most likely cooked, Washington has too much ground to make up, and Detroit and Columbus are facing too many teams that are also fighting to break in.

For the Flyers, this means they control their own destiny. They need to continue their hot streak. Winning the next two games is critical. After that, winning at least one of their last three against Winnipeg, Carolina, and Montreal would help out a lot. It will also help give this team confidence, as these are the sort of teams that the Flyers could face in the playoffs. In fact, if the playoffs were to begin today, the Flyers would open up with the Penguins, a team the Flyers tied in the season series.

The season is almost over. The five-year playoff drought might be over. Keep your fingers crossed, say your prayers, and grab any sort of superstitious item you have in your Flyers' closet. Martone's goal was a memorable one and helped put the Philly into a playoff spot. Let's hope the Flyers don't waste this opportunity.