Four reasons to be optimistic about the Flyers as they close in on a playoff spot

NEWARK, N.J. ― The Flyers got it going on.

Winners of three straight, capped by a 5-1 win Tuesday over the New Jersey Devils — who they eliminated from postseason contention with the loss — the Flyers are one step closer to their first Stanley Cup playoff appearance in six years.

Here are four reasons to be optimistic with four games left.

Although they had only 19 shots on goal and 27 shot attempts — the Devils had 24 and 63 — the Flyers were opportunistic Tuesday in scoring five goals. That can partially be attributed to a shoot first, ask questions later mentality.

“Before the game, I said, if we get a two-on-one — me and Tipp — I said, ‘Don’t pass. Shoot.’ So that’s what we did," forward Tyson Foerster said of his two-on-one goal with Owen Tippett, which was started by Matvei Michkov.

» READ MORE: Trevor Zegras and Tyson Foerster help Flyers cruise to a 5-1 win over New Jersey Devils

The Flyers have three players with clear “shooter’s first” mentalities now in Foerster, Alex Bump, and Porter Martone. Foerster scored on his second shot after returning from an upper-body injury that caused him to miss more than four months. Martone has played five NHL games and already has 22 shots on goal — 14 from his first two contests. And among players who have played five games, fellow rookie Bump ranks third on the Flyers in five-on-five shots per 60 minutes (6.85) since debuting on March 7 .

“Martone, Bump, Foerster, these guys, Tipp, they can rip it. They’ve got hard shots, and Tyson gets it off so quickly. So that’s what he can do, he’s a sniper,” coach Rick Tocchet said.

It’s long been stated that the Flyers need game-breakers. As general manager Danny Brière’s vision comes into shape, maybe the call is coming from inside the building.

“For me, when you got shots like that, attack the interior — all the great players who score goals, they all attack the interior — these guys got the traits to become really good goal scorers," Tocchet said.

The Flyers’ power play has been ... interesting ... for years. And while you never want to get your hopes up, there seems to be a recent shift.

Trevor Zegras didn’t want to give away any secrets, but the power play has scored in two straight games — Zegras scored off a nifty pass from Martone on Tuesday, and Martone scored the game-winner during an overtime five-on-three on Sunday against the Boston Bruins.

It’s the first time since Jan. 29-Feb. 3, when they scored in three straight, that the Flyers have consecutive games with power-play goals.

Hold onto your hat — across the past seven games, the Flyers have five goals, good for a 27.8% (5-for-18). In that span, they are tied for 12th in the NHL.

There’s been some tweaking with the units. The most recent breakdown has Zegras, Martone, Foerster, Jamie Drysdale, and Noah Cates on one, and Tippett, Michkov, Christian Dvorak, Travis Konecny, and Rasmus Ristolainen on the other.

It’s a good sign considering power plays can easily make or break a season — or, dare we say, a postseason.

“It’s great, a little bit of relief,” Tocchet said about the power play after Sunday’s game. “We’re kind of band-aiding it up, and that was a great goal. ... We’re gonna have to change up some stuff; that’s for another conversation.”

The Flyers took a two-goal lead on their second and fourth shots before the game was even four minutes old. But when you looked up at the scoreboard after 20 minutes, they were outshot 10-7, and, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Devils had a 23-9 advantage in shot attempts.

“We knew we had to come out on time. Obviously, when you get two quick like that, it lifts the room up. I thought we kind of lifted our foot off the gas at the end of the first period, but we came in here, reset, and closed it out pretty well,” said Tippett, who thought the team’s execution and concentration may have slipped a little.

» READ MORE: Five things to know if you are just jumping aboard the Flyers’ playoff bandwagon

But the bending and not breaking applied to youngsters like Bump and Denver Barkey, who have both been in and out of the lineup lately.

Barkey played 13 minutes, and Bump was on the ice for the Devils lone goal, a shot by Jonas Siegenthaler that went off Cody Glass atop the crease and up and over Flyers goalie Dan Vladař. Bump finished with three shot attempts and hits and played more than 11 minutes for the second straight game.

The Minnesotan also played again on a line with Michkov, who had two assists across 13:46, and now has 12 points in his past 12 games (one goal, 11 assists).

“For me, a guy like Bumper, he had a couple tough shifts, and all of a sudden, after that, he played great. I thought he had a great game,” Tocchet said.

“Barks, he throws one in the stands, he’s mad, but after that, I thought he played great. They’re going to make mistakes, and you can’t wallow in it. And they [rose] to the challenge. Mich, he served the penalty, comes out of the box, he wins the battle along the wall, we get a two-on-one. These are big things. They’re not small things.”

As captain Sean Couturier said after the Flyers beat the Bruins: “It’s been a lot of fun winning.” Indeed.

“I know personally, for me, I haven’t played any games, other than this season, of this magnitude,” Zegras said. “I think a lot of the other guys would say the same, so it’s been great.”

Tocchet appreciates how his players have embraced the moment and responded to these high-pressure games.

“Right from the beginning, Trevor came to us; he wants to play in meaningful games,” Tocchet said. “I hate using the word playoffs, but he wants to make the playoffs. He hasn’t played a playoff game. I think he wants to prove a lot of people wrong. He played with a chip on his shoulder, and I love that he played with a chip on his shoulder. Pushes the pace. And like I’ve said, he’s a real good locker room guy.”

The integration of Zegras into the room has seemed to spearhead the good vibes. From yelling teammates’ nicknames as they speak to the media and watching them intently as they hold court with a smile to shouldering the load when needed but also making it light when needed, Zegras has helped the Flyers turn the corner.

He’s one of several players, including Travis Konecny, who tries to “keep it loose in the locker room.”

But while the Flyers are having fun, they’re also focused because of what the next few days could mean: a playoff spot for the first time since 2020 and playing games in front of the faithful for the first time since 2018.

» READ MORE: Porter Martone’s fast start with the Flyers was forged in Michigan State’s gym: ‘The best decision I ever made’