MELTZER'S MUSINGS: PLAYOFF CHASE GETS EVEN TOUGHER
After taking a complete off-day on Monday, the Flyers resume practice on Wednesday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. Practice is slated for 10:30 a.m. ET.
The Flyers put forth one of their best 60-minute efforts of the season in Monday's 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. As a matter of fact, it may have been the best all-around performance the club has had since Game 6 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal, when they beat the New York Rangers by a 5-2 count to force a seventh and deciding game back at Madison Square Garden.
On Monday, the Flyers came out with a focused urgency and sustained it. I dislike the use of the word desperation, because the term actually defines exactly what a team in the Flyers' situation needs to avoid -- low-percentage risk taking, playing as individuals, losing all sense of discipline and generally showing telltale signs of despair and frustration. By contrast, focused urgency is what a team needs, and exactly what the Flyers delivered.
The win on Monday was an emotional one, because it was a statement by the Flyers that the club is going to fight for all it can to hang in the playoff chase. The battle is only going to get tougher from here.
On Friday, the Flyers rematch with the Lightning in Tampa Bay. The other night, in all honesty, had "trap game" written all over it for Tampa. They had won nine games in a row, so there was a chance that the Flyers would come in with more determination. Additionally, the Lightning faced a big divisional showdown on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. There was a possibility that Tampa would already have its energies focused, at least subconsciously, on their big home game on Tuesday rather than a Monday road game against a Metro Division team currently out of playoff position.
Ultimately, the Lightning fell headlong into a trap game. The Bolts were flat and unprepared to match the ferocity the Flyers threw at them in their hunger for the puck. Philly fought Tampa for every foot of space on the ice -- in all three zones. The Flyers played a "hard" game, and the Bolts played soft between the whistles. It showed in the final score and especially in the puck possession differential.
Friday night could be a different story. Tampa has now lost back-to-back games, after losing 1-0 in overtime to the Bruins on Tuesday as Boston's Brad Marchand scored just 10 seconds into overtime and Jonas Gustavsson stymied the Tampa attack with a 42-save shutout. Meanwhile, it's still fresh in the minds of Lightning coach Jon Cooper and his players have badly the Flyers outworked and outcompeted their side on Monday.
Managing the first and third period on Friday, especially the first five minutes and the latter portion of the final stanza, will be even more critical than normal. The Flyers need to be prepared for a "Lightning storm" right from the outset. If Philly can withstand an early push, perhaps counterattack for a goal and then emulate the way they denied easy entries into their own zone and forechecked relentlessly, they could set themselves up nicely.
On Monday, the Flyers spotted Tampa an early goal but overcame it because they bounced back immediately and steadily took over the game. It took 37-plus minutes into the game, despite their dominance, for the Flyers finally get on the board. Next time around, the Flyers need to avoid playing from behind early.
While the Flyers' weekend back-to-back games in Tampa Bay and Sunrise (against the Florida Panthers) are crucial -- indeed, all 17 remaining games are critical, because Philly is still battling uphill and has little margin for error -- there will be three critical factors in determining the team's fate in the playoff chase.
1. The Flyers have to play better on the road. Last year, the Flyers were a 53-point team on home ice. This season, they've again generally been strong on home ice. To date, team has posted an 18-9-7 record (43 points) at the Wells Fargo Center. Their undoing last season was on the road. While the club has improved somewhat in away games (13-14-4) thus far, it's still not a good enough pace to get into the playoffs. Ten of the Flyers' remaining 17 games are away, including seven of the next nine matches. Plain and simple, Philly is going to need to get hot on the road in a hurry for their three April home games to matter by the time they are played.
2. Head-to-head games against Pittsburgh and Detroit. The Flyers got some help on the scoreboard on Tuesday, as Columbus defeated the Red Wings, 5-3. As a result, Philly remains two points behind the Red Wings. The Wings play again on Thursday, hosting the Winnipeg Jets. The Flyers will have two games in hand thereafter; meaningless unless the games are won.Meanwhile, the Flyers are three points behind the Penguins, who lost to the New York Islanders on Monday.
The Flyers' playoff chances are strongly tied to how they fare in upcoming head-to-head games against the Penguins (three remaining games) and Red Wings (two remaining games). The rest of the schedule is a matter of either holding serve or taking advantage of a missed point(s) opportunity or idle night for Detroit or Pittsburgh. However, those other games can quickly be rendered meaningless if the Flyers do not beat the Red Wings and Penguins -- much more preferably in regulation, so it's a "four-point swing" (two that Philly gains, zero gained by the other team).
Keep in mind that the Flyers have a disadvantage in the regulation/overtime win stat that the NHL uses as its first tiebreaker in case of a dead heat in the standings. The Flyers are probably going to have to beat either Detroit or Pittsburgh outright in points -- i.e., gaining three more points than the Red Wings and/or four more points than the Penguins -- in a span of 17 games. That task can be made eminently more doable with regulation wins against those teams.
3. Avoiding letdowns against "spoiler" teams. The Flyers damaged their playoff hopes with ugly regulation losses against the likes of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, in addition to all the two-point opportunities in which they've had to settle for one point. Every opponent is dangerous this time of year. Ask Tampa Bay, which just learned from the Flyers themselves on Monday that bubble teams (because they're fighting for their season) and spoiler teams (because they're playing with no pressure and trying to impress for contracts or roster spots) can be tougher opponents this year than the marquee clubs that are on cruise control during the stretch drive.
FLYERS ALUMNI: JA HOCKEY CHALLENGE & OFFICER HARTNETT BENEFIT
On March 12, the Flyers Alumni Team will play its eighth annual JA Hockey Challenge to raise money for Junior Achievement of Delaware. The event will be held at Fred Rust Arena at the University of Delaware, starting at 4 p.m. with the game at 7 p.m. ET.
This year, attendees will have a chance to have their photo taken with the Stanley Cup. There is also a family skate with free rentals and a host of other family-friendly activities, auctions and more.
Admission is $10, Stanley Cup photos (up to five people may pose) are $20 per pose. All proceeds go directly to Junior Achievement of Delaware.
For more information on the 2016 JA Hockey Challenge, click here.
On Sat. March 26 at 3:00 p.m. ET at the Flyers Skate Zone in Northeast Philadelphia, the Flyers Alumni Team will play the Philly's Finest team in a benefit game for Officer Jesse Hartnett and his family.
This game was not originally on the Flyers Alumni game calendar, but when the Philadelphia police officers on the Philly's Finest team contacted the Alumni about the possibility of setting up a benefit for Officer Hartnett, the Alumni acted quickly to add it to the schedule.
On January 7, 2016, Philadelphia police officer Jesse Hartnett, 33, was traveling on his police cruiser at 60th and Spruce Streets. According to reports, 30-year-old Edward Archer approached the vehicle and opened fire on the driver's side. Archer fired 11 shots, three of which struck officer Hartnett.
The story initially received widespread media attention, not only in the Delaware Valley but also on a national level because Archer claimed to be acting in the name of Islam and on behalf of ISIS. Subsequent investigation revealed that he had no direct affiliation with any terrorist group, and was acting alone. When that fact was learned -- combined with the fact that Officer Hartnett survived the senseless attempt on his life -- the story dropped out of media focus despite the ongoing hardships that the policeman faces.
Officer Hartnett has had to undergo multiple surgeries to repair severe damage to his arm. He still faces an arduous road to recovery. Thus, the Philly's Finest Hockey Team approached the Flyers Alumni Association and asked if a game could be set up to raise money for his needs as well to raise awareness of the dangers policemen face on a daily basis.
Admission is $20, with all proceeds going directly to provide assistance for Officer Hartnett's needs. The admission includes the game, beer donated by the Fraternal Order of Police and food donated by Mission BBQ. The Flyers Alumni with meet and take pictures with fans after the game. However, be aware that space is limited.
For more information on the Flyers Alumni vs. Philly's Finest benefit for Officer Hartnett, click here.