Winning Streak on the Line as Flyers Head to Dallas
Now that the Philadelphia Flyers have built a 10-game winning streak and have the attention of the entire National Hockey League, the race is on among their opponents to be the club that ends the streak. Next up: the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center on Saturday afternoon.
Last Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center, the Stars had the Flyers on the ropes in the third period but then (rather characteristically of the way the first half of the 2016-17 season has gone for Dallas) self-destructed with undisciplined penalties that resulted in the Flyers tying the game and then going ahead to stay in what turned into a 4-2 Flyers victory.
The Stars are just 3-5-0 thus far in December although the team actually has played improved hockey overall. Winnable games have repeatedly slipped away in the third period. They've tightened things up defensively and have gotten pretty good goaltending this month. Unfortunately for Dallas, the tendency to make the "big mistake" has remained as has surprisingly spotty scoring from what had been one of the NHL's highest powered offenses the last few years.
Saturday's game is the third of a five-game homestand for the Stars. The Stars have only won back-to-back games twice this season, going just 1-8-3 in the next game after a win.
On Tuesday, the Stars seemed to be on the brink of a breakthrough, exploding for five third-period goals to turn a 2-1 deficit in the third period into a 6-2 blowout win. On Thursday, the Stars and Rangers were in a scoreless deadlock in the third period with Dallas on the power play. A Jamie Benn turnover yielded a Rick Nash breakaway shorthanded goal, and Mats Zuccarello added an empty-net goal to seal a 2-0 final.
Saturday's game is a crossroads game for the Stars, who need to start stringing some wins together to avoid having too step of an uphill climb in the playoff chase come the second half. The Stars are currently just two points by the LA Kings for the lower wildcard in the Western Conference but the Kings also hold three games in hand.
In the meantime, the Flyers' 10-game winning streak has the team in third place (automatic playoff position) in the brutally tough Metropolitan Division but the Columbus Blue Jackets, just one point behind Philly, holds a whopping five games in hand. The Flyers are two points behind the Rangers for second place and also trail the Division-leading Pittsburgh Penguins by two points. The Penguins have a game in hand on both the Flyers and Rangers.
The Eastern Conference wildcard race is where the Flyers have truly helped their cause with the 10-game winning streak. The top team currently out of playoff position, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are nine points behind Philadelphia (albeit with two games in hand).
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Poulin and Marsh Talk Flyers Identity, Alumni Weekend
Dave Poulin was the captain of the Flyers team that strung together the franchise's record 13-game unbeaten streak from Oct. 19 through Nov. 17, 1985 and reached the Stanley Cup Finals in both 1984-85 and 1986-87. Brad Marsh was another vital part of the leadership group, serving as a steadying veteran on what still a very young team.
Recently, Marsh and Poulin got together for podcast, talking about some of their favorite memories as Flyers and discussing what makes the organization special. They also preview the upcoming Flyers Alumni Weekend, and what they're most looking forward to about the Alumni's Golden Anniversary Reception (Jan. 13, 2017 at the Sugarhouse Casino) and especially the 50th Anniversary Game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Alumni at the Wells Fargo Center the next night.