By

It’s too early to talk about playoff matchups, right?

WRONG.

After the Flyers ridiculous, unbelievable, insane, spectacular, dazzling…ok I’ll stop myself…shoot-out win against the Presidents’ Trophy winning Washington Capitals last night, now is the time to start thinking about who they’d like to face in the playoffs. *Knock on wood.* The time for wondering if we’ll make the dance seems to be over.

It’s not just last night’s win that gives the Flyers so much hope. Since their embarrassing 4-0 loss against Edmonton in early March, the Flyers have gone 9-2-2, outscoring their opponents 41-28. That is the sign of a team that knows it needs to win, and does just that. They have gotten scoring from 2nd and 3rd line names like Michael Raffl, who has 12 goals and 28 points, rookie sensation Shayne Gostisbehere, who has 16 goals and 42 points, and even Ryan White, who has 11 goals this year.

The Flyers sit in the final wild card spot, and a comfortable two points ahead of the Red Wings, who they also have a game-at-hand against. Earlier in the month the Flyers took care of business against teams like the Blackhawks, the Lightning, and the Islanders, and it’s paying off now.

Meanwhile, things are going nuts in the standings. Boston sits just one point ahead of Detroit in the third Atlantic Division spot, and given Boston’s lackluster 3-6-1 record in their last 10 games, a standing shift is very likely for Beantown. It’s worth mentioning here that the Red Wings have made the playoffs for the last 24 years, and that’s the kind of supernatural streak that you just don’t overcome. Hockey Town USA makes the playoffs, there is no denying that.

Given all the standings shifting that will be happening in the next week, there are a few matchup possibilities for the Flyers. We’ll save the best for last.

The Atlantic Division

First, let’s discuss the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay and Florida are in a tight race for the top spot, each with 93 points in 76 games. If Detroit does manage to hunt down Boston and take the third spot in the Atlantic, and if the Flyers end up on top of Boston in the Wild Card, they could face either one of these great teams.

The Flyers had a great season series against the Lightning, capped off by two consecutive dominant victories, in their March 7th 4-2 win, and their March 11th victory by a score of 3-1. They lost the season opener to the Lightning in a 3-2 overtime game, but short of sweeping the series, that’s as good as the Flyers have done this year against a team that has a real shot at winning the Stanley Cup. Advantage-Flyers.

The Flyers did not fare so well against Florida however. The Panthers own the three-game regular season series against the Flyers, having outscored Philadelphia 12-6. The final game was a 5-4 Florida win in a shoot-out, so the series may actually be closer than it appears. Advantage-Panthers.

The Capitals

Now, the big showdown. Flyers vs Capitals, the surprisingly close matchup that I can guarantee you not one expert would have predicted at the beginning of the season.

With the Flyers most likely ending up with one of the wild card spots, the only Metropolitan team they can face is the Capitals. Believe it or not, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals split their season series this year. WHAT?! That’s right, the Flyers went 2-2 against the best team in the NHL this year, highlighted by the Flyers January 4-3 win in overtime, and by last night’s shoot-out heroics by Nick Cousins, Sam Gagner, and Steve Mason. The total goal scoring in the series is also just as close as the record suggests, with the Capitals barely outscoring the Flyers 12 goals to 10. Advantage-Neither

It might sound crazy, and anyone in their right mind would never suggest it, but the Flyers might have a legitimate shot against this year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners. Last night’s win just felt like the type of game that previews an intense playoff series.

Keep in mind that Alex Ovechkin, in his 10 seasons in Washington, has never been to the Conference Finals. Washington chokes in the playoffs, it’s just what they do.

All this being said, the Flyers work is far from finished. There are still a few huge games coming this week, including two against the red-hot Penguins, who seem to be incapable of not overcoming any deficit lately, and the Red Wings, who will be more desperate to win now more than ever.

No matter how the standings look at the end of the season, the Flyers will be playing teams that are by far statistically superior to them in the first round of the playoffs. However, in hockey, a playoff series often doesn’t come down to who is the better team statistically, but who is the team that can find a weakness and exploit it. Who is the team that can tough out a long, seven game series, and the team that can put records, names, and accolades aside, and frankly play their guts out. We saw it happen in 2010, and we could be seeing it happen again this year. The Flyers have had repeated success against superior teams twice this season, against the Capitals and the Lightning. Who’s to say they can’t do it a few more times as well?

Comments