For the first time since Oct. 28, the Philadelphia Flyers are in playoff position. Wednesday's 3-2 road victory over the Chicago Blackhawks has allowed the Flyers to leapfrog the Detroit Red Wings for the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
It has been an incredible run over the past month-plus to get the Flyers to this point. On Feb. 16, the Flyers were four points out of the last wild-card spot. With the NHL being a very tough league to make up ground in the playoff race, even as little as four points, Philadelphia has taken a long, hard road to get to this point. It took them 14 games to catch up to and pass the Red Wings and it will be a battle to hang onto the spot they just climbed into, but they’ve put themselves in a fantastic position.
Timely scoring and a few bounces helped the Flyers put away the defending Stanley Cup champs Wednesday night as they earned a season sweep and the all-important two points. It wasn’t easy, but like Philly has been used to doing, it just clawed its way through.
The Flyers didn't even lead in the game until Radko Gudas scored on a deflection off of Blackhawks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff's stick with 10:07 to play in the third period. Philadelphia then endured significant pressure from Chicago late in the third period, but held onto the lead and come away with the huge victory.
Here are four things to know about a game that had such huge playoff implications:
1. The Flyers have been the NHL’s best team over the past month
Since Feb. 16 the Flyers have gone 10-2-2. Over those 14 games they’ve scored 50 goals, an average of 3.57 per game. That’s well over the league average of 2.69 goals per game. The Flyers are unlikely to sustain this scoring pace, but it’s gotten them here. Now they just have to find ways to keep winning.
Part of that could come from goaltending, which has been fairly strong this season. That said, both Michal Neuvirth and Steve Mason have picked up five wins over this recent string of success despite relatively uninspiring .901 and .904 save percentages. Head coach Dave Hakstol may have a tough decision when it comes to picking a guy to stick with down the stretch, but what they’ve been doing lately has been good enough so far.
What has also been surprising about this remarkable run is that Jakub Voracek, the team’s second-leading scorer coming into Wednesday night’s action, has been on the shelf for the past nine games. The team is managing to produce at such a high level without one of their best players. One of the reasons? Key players are stepping up, like the guy at No. 2.
2. Brayden Schenn's breakout pacing Flyers over recent hot streak
One of the most important developments of the past month has been the incredible production from Schenn as the 24-year-old has been the breakout star of this recent stretch.
With a goal against the Blackhawks, Schenn is having the most productive season of his career with 48 points. That surpasses his point total from last season in 15 fewer games. Most impressively, though, he has 17 points over his past 14 contests. That’s tied with Sidney Crosby for the third-highest point total since Feb. 16, when the Flyers’ run of success began.
Playing alongside Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds should do wonders for anyone’s game (just look at the Flyers’ second goal to see why), but Schenn appears to be growing into the player the Flyers have been waiting for. He has always shown flashes of the vast potential that made him a top-five pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, but it usually seemed difficult for him to sustain.
With 24 goals and 24 assists this season, he’s rewarding the Flyers for their patience with him.
3. The Detroit Red Wings have a lot to lose amid these most recent developments
The Flyers have now put the Red Wings on the outside looking in when it comes to the postseason. While every team wants to make the playoffs, the Wings have their incredible postseason streak on the line. Detroit has reached the playoffs in 24 straight seasons. That is the longest active streak among teams in the major professional sports in North America.
The two teams will play one more time before the season is over and with the Flyers one point away in the standings, it’s not like it’s time to panic in Hockeytown. No one would fault them for being nervous though.
Don’t expect the Red Wings to go away, but they’ve got some work to do.
4. The Blackhawks’ slump is coming at a pretty bad time of year
The Chicago Blackhawks are unlikely to fear anyone when they go into the postseason, but they’re not exactly putting themselves in the best possible position considering where they were just a few weeks ago.
The defending champs have now lost four straight games and five of their last six as their goal scoring has faded. They remain in third place in the Central Division, three points behind both the Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues. That's not exactly the ideal spot for them, even if it was the same position they went on their Stanley Cup run last season. Not only gives them the toughest possible first-round matchup, it also takes them away from home ice in the first round.
They’ve got some things to work out over their past 11 games.
