Travis Konecny's postgame comments miss the mark with playoff hopes dwindling

The Philadelphia Flyers have had an up-and-down season. Even with their struggles, they are still in the playoff race. With 80 points, the Flyers were just five points out of a Wild Card spot, so they were within striking distance. But with 13 games left on the schedule, Philadelphia needed to start stacking some wins.

Instead, the Flyers lost 3-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in regulation, meaning they received no points. The loss stings even more since other teams in the playoff chase in the Eastern Conference all lost on Tuesday, such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, and Detroit Red Wings all lost. It was a true missed opportunity for the Flyers.

After the game, Flyers alternate captain Travis Konecny spoke about the loss and how it affected their chase for a playoff spot. Konecny said that "it wasn't like we were going to win out the rest of the year."

"We lost one game against an opponent that was above us," said Konecny. "It's frustrating, but it is what it is. And just regroup. Nothing else you can do."

Travis Konecny's comments after loss to Blue Jackets are frustrating for Flyers fans to hear

What Konecny said isn't wrong. They faced off against a Blue Jackets team that has been on fire as of late, so getting a win was never going to be easy. But it's the circumstances surrounding the game that really make the comments sting.

With the Flyers being five points out, they do need to win as many games as possible. The Eastern Conference picture is incredibly crowded, with no teams clinching a spot just yet. The Flyers have ground to make up, and Tuesday night presented itself as a perfect opportunity to do so.

The Flyers had a 10-3 shot advantage in the first period against the Blue Jackets, only managing one goal. Head coach Rick Tocchet said after the game that he felt the team should have led 3-0 based on the shots put on net.

"Should have been up 3-0, at least," said Tocchet, h/t NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "Then a couple mistakes by a couple of guys ... and then now you're chasing the game."

Sure, winning every game is not entirely feasible, but looking at some of the teams in the Eastern Conference, they have been nearly at that pace since the return from the Olympic break. The Blue Jackets were one of them, as they've gone 9-2-4 for 22 points in 15 games. The Ottawa Senators have been on fire as well, going 10-2-2 for 22 points in 14 games. Finally, there are the Buffalo Sabres, who went 12-1-1 for a grand total of 25 points in 14 games.

Credit can be given to the Flyers, who may not be as hot as those three teams above, but they were on a six game point streak, highlighted by a three game winning streak against the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and San Jose Sharks. But the chance to gain ground in the Eastern Conference passed them by.

Luckily for them, the Flyers will face off against some of the teams they are competing with for a playoff spot. In their final stretch, the Flyers face the Red Wings (three times), Bruins, Islanders, and Canadiens.