Surging Flyers have awakened disillusioned fans | On the Fly
Of the six other Flyers teams that won at least nine straight games, two went on to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
The Flyers are soaring. Nine straight wins. A young goalie maturing before our eyes. A team playing with a relentless style that has awakened a once-disillusioned fan base, making the Wells Fargo Center electric again.
With 14 regular-season games remaining, the Flyers have a chance to finish first in the Metro Division and secure home-ice advantage in at least the first two playoff rounds. That’s extra important this season because the Flyers have an NHL-best 25-5-4 home record.
The long winning streak is no guarantee, of course, that the playoffs will produce a Stanley Cup (see below), but it has created a buzz that hasn’t been around these parts since Danny Briere and Co. were making a remarkable playoff run in 2010.
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Putting win streaks in perspective
So what does the Flyers’ winning streak, which will be in jeopardy Tuesday against powerful Boston, mean from a historical perspective?
Did the six other Flyers teams that won at least nine straight games use that as a springboard to a Stanley Cup?
You might be disappointed by the answer: no. But two of those six teams did reach the Stanley Cup Final, so maybe a long playoff run is in store.
Here is a look at those streaking Flyers teams from yesteryear and how their seasons finished:
13 straight wins from Oct. 19 to Nov. 17, 1985. That 1985-86 team finished 53-23-4 (110 points), won the Patrick Division, and was stunned by the New York Rangers — who had more losses than wins in the regular season — in the first round of the playoffs, three games to two.
11 straight wins from March 5-24, 1985. That youngest-in-the-league 1984-85 team, which went 53-20-7 (113 points) and captured the Patrick Division title, won 10 of 13 playoff games to reach the Stanley Cup Final, which it lost to mighty Edmonton, four games to one. Some guy named Gretzky had 47 points (47!) in 18 playoff games that season.
10 straight wins from Nov. 27 to Dec. 14, 2016. That 2016-17 team peaked too early. The Flyers that season, infamously, became the first team in NHL history to miss the playoffs in a year in which it had a 10-game winning streak. Hard to believe, Harry.
10 straight wins from Dec. 22, 1982 to Jan. 13, 1983. Those 1982-83 Flyers finished 49-23-8 for 106 points and a Patrick Division title. No matter. They were swept by the Rangers, three games to none, in the first round of the playoffs. The Blueshirts scored 18 goals in those three games. Eighteen!
Nine straight wins from Oct. 25 to Nov. 15, 1979. The 1979-80 season was when the Flyers put together a remarkable 35-game unbeaten streak. The Flyers finished 48-12-20 (116 points) and won the Patrick title. They went 11-2 in the playoffs to reach the Final, which they lost to the Islanders, four games to two. The Isles won the controversial Game 6 in overtime, 5-4, to capture the Cup. A blown offside call by linesman Leon Stickle enabled the Islanders to score a first-period goal that, in hindsight, cost the Flyers the victory. Ah, if only the coach’s challenge had been part of the rules in 1980 …
Nine straight wins from April 2-22, 1995, a lockout season in which the Flyers finished 28-16-4 and won the Atlantic. The Flyers lost to New Jersey, four games to two, in the Eastern Conference finals. In Game 5, Claude Lemieux’s blast from just inside the blue line beat Ron Hextall with 44.2 seconds left, giving the Devils a 3-2 win and a 3-2 series lead. The Devils later swept Detroit for their first Cup.
And now, nine straight wins, starting with a 5-1 victory over visiting Columbus on Feb. 18. Before that game, the Flyers were in the second wild-card spot. Will the streak end Tuesday against Boston? Will it reach double digits and propel the Flyers to a Metro title and a long playoff run? Stay tuned.
Things to know
The Flyers will host best-in-the-NHL Boston, a team they have defeated twice this season, and try to extend their winning streak to 10 games on Tuesday.
Oskar Lindblom gave the Flyers some inspiration by joining them for their team photo Monday.
Columnist Marcus Hayes believes fans should be offered a refund if they don’t want to attend a Flyers or Sixers game because of coronavirus fears.
The Bruins arrive in Philly with plenty of fight, Frank Fitzpatrick writes.
GM Chuck Fletcher says defense has been the “hallmark” of the Flyers’ surge.
Jake Voracek: The Flyers’ X-factor, writes Hayes.
Schedule favors Caps, but ...
Based on their remaining strength of schedules, the Washington Capitals should win the Metropolitan Division title.
Then again, non-playoff teams such as Buffalo and Detroit have been spoilers lately, playing havoc with the races.
Entering Monday, the Metro-leading Capitals had the easiest remaining schedule among the NHL’s 31 teams, according to the league. Their opponents had a combined .514 points percentage. That was before the Caps were jolted by host Buffalo on Monday, 3-2, in a shootout.
The second-place Flyers had the 10th-toughest remaining schedule, as their opponents had a combined points percentage of .568. Third-place Pittsburgh had the 13th-most-difficult schedule, as their remaining opponents had a .563 points percentage.
Washington has 90 points with 13 games left. The Flyers (89 points) and Penguins (84) each have 14 games remaining.
With a win over Boston on Tuesday, the Flyers would move into first place in the Metro for just the third time since the division was formed in 2013.
Important dates
Today: vs. Boston, 7 p.m. (NBCSP). The Flyers are 2-0 against the powerful B’s this season, winning twice in shootouts.
Thursday: at Tampa Bay, 7 p.m. (NBCSP). Tampa, which is without injured Steven Stamkos, has won a pair of tight games against the Flyers this season. The Bolts are trying to overtake Boston in the Atlantic Division.
Saturday: vs. Minnesota, 1 p.m. (NBCSP). The Flyers will be aiming to avenge a 4-1 loss on Dec. 14.
Sunday: vs. Edmonton, 1:30 p.m. (NBCSP). The only local appearance of Connor McDavid (assuming he returns from an illness) and the Oilers, who spanked the Flyers in Edmonton on Oct. 16, 6-3, to ruin Carter Hart’s homecoming.
Tuesday, March 17: vs. St. Louis, 7 p.m. (NBCSN). Coach Craig Berube, center Brayden Schenn and the Stanley Cup champs will try to avenge their 4-3 OT loss on Jan. 15. “Gloria” will not be on the Wells Fargo Center’s playlist.
From the mailbag
Will Nolan Patrick ever be ready for contact (and play) this season? — Phil Checchia (@pac0796) via Twitter
Answer: Thanks for the question, Phil.
Patrick skated again with the Flyers on Monday and has participated in several practices lately, but he still isn’t able to absorb contact because of his migraine disorder. In the past, the center and GM Chuck Fletcher said they felt Patrick would play this season, but time is running short.
From here, it seems unlikely Patrick will play until 2020-21. Adding centers Derek Grant and Nate Thompson at the trade deadline gave the Flyers some much-needed help at that position.
Send questions by email or on Twitter (@broadstbull), and they could be answered in a future edition.