Flyers faring well in stretch against contenders: ‘We never give up’
The young team is gaining confidence during a crucial stretch that could determine its playoff fate.
It’s March Madness: Flyers edition
As college basketball hits its stride with the NCAA Tournament, the Flyers are smack dab in the middle of their own mini-madness — a seven-game stretch against the top teams in the Eastern Conference. And while many thought this could sink the season, as the teams racing behind them have pulled into sight, the Flyers have stood tall and collected points in three straight games.
They are now 2-2-1 amid the gauntlet.
On Tuesday, the Flyers topped the high-octane Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3 — a game in which the Orange and Black staked themselves to a 3-0 lead — before a thrilling, back-and-forth 3-2 overtime loss against the revamped Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night in Raleigh, N.C. Saturday’s matinee was the biggest win of all, a 3-2 game in which the Flyers twice took leads before holding off the Boston Bruins, a team that had scored 12 goals in the previous two meetings.
“I think that’s what we’ve been doing all year, we never give up,” Tyson Foerster said. “We always stick together and we were lucky enough to get the win tonight.”
“I think all year we’ve been playing good against top teams,” added goalie Sam Ersson. “It’s something, we’ve got a good record against them. Obviously, you have to respect them, but we know what we can do. We’re a very good team as well. So we have to believe that and go out and prove it every night.”
Indeed the Flyers have done it all season. They beat the likes of the Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets, and the Panthers when they were atop the NHL standings. Now on Sunday, they’ll face a Panthers team that has lost four straight, is 5-4-1 in its last 10, and has already lost to the Flyers twice this season.
Then the last of the murderers’ row is Tuesday at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers. The Blueshirts have won four of their last five, including a 4-3 shootout win against the Panthers on Saturday.
“This is why I’m so excited about playing these games, because the other teams are elevating,” coach John Tortorella said before a 6-5 loss to the Bruins last week. “Especially in this little group of games, these are playoff teams. They know they’re in and they are working at their game and it’s a whole different level of where it was three months ago. That’s why I’m glad we’re in it. I’m anxious to see, can we handle that? ... I think it’s a very important time for us, but I’m thrilled that we’re in this pocket because we’re still evaluating and we’ll see where it all goes.”
Where it all goes is anyone’s guess at this point. The Washington Capitals are making a charge and the New York Islanders are still hanging around. The Flyers have seen three straight seasons without postseason action, and although they’ve been in third place in the Metropolitan Division for what feels like forever, it’s starting to get a little too close for comfort.
“From here [on] out, the rest of the way, every win will be the biggest win, because we need them all,” Travis Konecny said.
Whether or not they get the chance to play in the NHL’s second season, the thrill of the hunt is creating a mindset for the roster’s youngsters who haven’t had a chance to experience meaningful hockey before. As recently acquired defenseman and 2022 Stanley Cup champion Erik Johnson said after the Bruins win, “It’s really paramount for their development and it had that buzz like a playoff game. ... Those are the fun ones and games we’re going to be playing all down the stretch.”
After their matchup with the Panthers, the Flyers have 10 games remaining. Only two of those games is against a team in the playoffs right now, in the Rangers. The key term is right now because they face the Capitals in the last game of the season and who knows how the playoff landscape will look then.
But as Sean Couturier said: “I think we can start believing in ourselves, [that] we’re one of those [good] teams, so we’ve just got to keep going.”
Breakaways
Felix Sandström is expected to start against the Panthers as Ersson played on Saturday.