Laviolette's plan puts Flyers in playoff mode

THE NUMBERS have been staring down each and every Flyer since Jan. 2, the day after their disappointing overtime loss in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park.

Despite his penchant for being quoted as "taking things one game at a time," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette posted a plan for his team in their locker room. It is updated with each game.

Statistically grounded, Laviolette and his staff broke down the final 42 games of the season into six segments of seven games.

The goal was simple: get a minimum of nine points in each seven-game segment. The Flyers entered play on Jan. 3 with a 19-18-3 record (41 points), sitting in 12th place in the Eastern Conference standings. In January, the playoffs were a long way off.

But if the Flyers met Laviolette's goal the rest of the season, they would finish the regular season on April 11 with 95 points - enough to comfortably guarantee them a playoff spot based on last year's numbers.

It was a realistic goal, not overinflated or unachievable for a team coming off a 3-13-1 run.

"We were trying to keep some short-term goals to stay on point," Laviolette explained. "It's a way to keep things in perspective; to see what we needed to do and what we need to continue to do."

Now, with just nine games and one full segment remaining in Laviolette's master plan, it would take the Flyers eight wins to meet his goal of 95. For a team that has lost five of six - on top of their top scorer and two starting goalies - that's all but impossible.

Despite the grim outlook, the Flyers hold the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of Boston and one behind Montreal, which got a point in a shootout loss to Buffalo. With a four-point edge on a spot, they will decide their own playoff fate.

"It's like a playoff series," Chris Pronger said of the seven-game segment setup. "Our goal is to get nine points. It helps you getting ready for the playoffs, thinking how you need to play and produce to perform."

The Flyers haven't produced or performed anywhere near where they should be at this point. They have scored three goals in their last three games and haven't scored more than three in a game since March 3. Their power play is 0-for its last 13 tries.

"If you've got half a team going, it's probably not enough," Laviolette said. "I think some individuals are playing pretty good hockey right now and we need to get more from others. It's a team sport. It's not tennis. It's not golf. We need to play for each other and do it at the highest level."

But according to PlayoffStatus.com, it would take the Flyers just four wins (or eight points) over their final nine games to statistically lock up a spot. That's attainable with five games against teams that are all but out of the playoff picture, if they aren't already (Wild, Rangers, Islanders, Maple Leafs).

The only definite clincher is seven wins, which would automatically give the Flyers the tiebreaker over ninth-place Atlanta if the Thrashers win out.

"There's a lot of hockey to be played," Matt Carle said. "You look back to sweeping that home-and-home with Montreal before the Olympics and that was the end of the world for those guys. Now they're right back in it. We control our own destiny at this point."

This fifth segment of seven games, which began against Nashville last week, will be the first in which the Flyers haven't accumulated at least seven of nine points. They beat the nine-point goal in segments two and three.

"We've dug ourselves out of a hole," Laviolette said. "Am I happy with all of the games we've played? No. But more nights than not, we've done what we needed to do over the past 30-to-35 games to stay in the mix. It has always been about having the right to play for the Stanley Cup."

"We're not happy with the way we played in the last three games," Simon Gagne admitted. "We had the opportunity the last three games to be in great shape but now we've put ourselves in a tough situation but we're still in. It's up to us."

Phantoms starter Johan Backlund was officially added to the Flyers roster yesterday, allowing backup Jeremy Duchesne to be sent back to AHL Adirondack. Backlund said he is feeling "100 percent" after not skating for nearly a week since he strained his groin with the Phantoms . . . Stiffer penalties with contact to the head from blindside and side-angle body checks will go into effect today, according to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly . . . Simon Gagne said he is feeling fine after Anton Volchenkov's violent blindside check in the third period Tuesday in Ottawa . . . Three more losses will eliminate tonight's opponent, Minnesota, from playoff contention.

For more news and analysis, read Frank Seravalli's blog, Frequent Flyers, at

http://go.philly.com/frequentflyers.