Are The Flyers Entering The Danger Zone?

The day was March 1st, the Flyers were coming off one of their best February’s in team history. Possibly, with a good finish to the season, competing for a Metro Division title.

However, today, after 7th loss in their last 8 games, the Flyers are not competing for the Metro Division title anymore. No. They are now competing for their playoff life.

On March 1st, the Flyers held an 11-point lead on the last team out of the playoffs and just 1-point back of the Metro Division lead. However, today, March 16th, the Flyers lead is only 4-points on the last team out of the playoffs and are 6-points back of the division lead.

So, what happened?

Well, the Flyers have hit a wall and it is effecting more things than one. In their 8-games in March, the Flyers are 1-6-1 and have failed to score more than 2 goals in 6 of the 8 games. That is not a good recipe for success when you are giving up an average of 4 goals a game during that stretch.

The goal scoring issue has already been a problem for the Flyers once already this season. Back when they lost 10-straight games in November, they couldn’t buy a goal from anybody other than Giroux, Couturier, or Voracek. However, during this stretch, the Flyers can’t buy a goal from anybody other than Giroux or Patrick.

With the similarities a-like, the question becomes when will they break out of this slump?

Well, the answer to that question is simple. When is this team going to come together again and figure this out. But, that is not the only problem they have.

When the Flyers entered March, they almost assured themselves a playoff spot with an 11-point buffer. However, with just a 4-point buffer and losing ground at a fast rate, these final 11-games cannot end soon enough.

But, there is a problem with that. The Flyers have the 5th hardest schedule remaining in the NHL. They have more games against teams in or battling for the playoffs than out. So, with no ease in sight, what will this Flyers team have to do?

Well, they will first have to bite down hard and grit out some hard fought wins. Then, they will have to hope and pray that they can do enough to make the playoffs. But, they will have to beat out one of the hot teams at the moment, Columbus or Florida, to make the playoffs.

According to Jake Voracek, he believes the Flyers will need 92 points to make the playoffs. That means, the Flyers would have to go something like 5-5-1 or 4-4-3 over their final 11-games to get to where he believes they will make the playoffs.

I believe they just need to go over .500 and they should be in. Something like 6-5-0 or 5-4-2. Every point now is more valuable than ever.

Mandatory Credit : Len Redkoles NHL Images