The Flyers Make it a Winning Streak

The Philadelphia Flyers have turned it up a notch at the perfect time, winning their third game in a row, defeating the New Jersey Devils 4-2. The Philadelphia Flyers, who have made inconsistency look consistent over the past few months, managed to put together their second 3-game winning streak since December.

The Flyers, who went into their game on Friday against the Sabres tied with the Penguins with 84 points for fourth in the East, have rattled off three straight wins, including huge wins over the Penguins and Devils, to put four points in between themselves and Pittsburgh. In the process the Penguins have actually slipped behind the Hurricanes by one point and into the 6th spot in the East. The Flyers now have 90 points, three over Carolina, giving the Flyers the inside track towards securing home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Flyers seem to be getting settled as several of their key players continue to play well. Simon Gagne now has 6 goals and 8 assists in his last eleven games, including a goal and two assists against the Devils. Danny Briere has picked up the pace since returning and he now has three goals and two assists during this 3-game winning streak, including a goal and assist against New Jersey. Jeff Carter, who also added a goal tonight, continues to play well as does Mike Richards. In addition, Marty Biron seems to be gaining confidence with each start and seems compelled to step into the role of number one goalie; something that the Flyers will require if they are going to make a serious push towards the Cup this spring.

Just as important as the individual play is the fact that the Flyers power play has finally been revived, and they have scored 7 power play goals in the past three games.

All in all, the Flyers seem to be getting hot at the perfect time. With ten games remaining in the regular season, the Flyers have an opportunity to build some serious momentum heading into mid-April. The Flyers have managed to make the best of their opportunities and made a weekend that started off with some questions transform into a 3-game winning streak and something they can build on. The Flyers next game is Thursday when the welcome the Florida Panthers to the Wachovia Center.

The Flyers Need to Step Up

"We won yesterday. If we win today, that's two-in-a-row. If we win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak; it has happened before." -Lou Brown, Major League, 1989.

The Flyers have started their march towards the NHL playoffs. With only three weeks left in the regular season, every game is meaningful. So why has the Flyers play been so inconsistent? They haven't been able to string together any wins and their play has been up-and-down. The Flyers need to settle down, build some momentum and start making some noise as they prepare for the playoffs. Can they do it?


Is there anything better to watch then playoff hockey? I mean anything that you can watch with the curtains open, the lights on, when people are home? No, I didn’t think so. Playoff hockey is one of the most entertaining times of the year in all sports. For as long and tedious as the NHL regular season can become, once the playoffs role around and the intensity of the games pick up, the NHL becomes Must See TV.

With 12 games to play, the Flyers are essentially playing playoff hockey with each drop of the puck. The Flyers remain the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference following their win over the Sabres, but only remain five points over 8th seeded Montreal and six points above the 9th seeded Panthers. Every game means something as they strive to make their playoff run. It’s now time for the true players on this team to step up and make some noise.

The Flyers will need Mike Richards and Jeff Carter at the top of their games. They need Daniel Briere to start playing like the star they hoped he would be when they signed him two years ago. Martin Biron needs to play like the quasi-number one goalie he can be and stop giving up weak goals. But most importantly, the Flyers must string a few wins together, start playing consistent hockey and build some momentum as they race towards Lord Stanley’s playoffs.

The Flyers have only won three games in a row once in the past three months. They put together three in a row in mid-February. Other than that “winning streak”, the Flyers have traded wins and loses and are 5-5 in March. This type of inconsistent play is not the type of play that a team can build on entering the playoffs. The Flyers need to stay in the 4th seed and do not want to lose home ice advantage in the playoffs. The streaking Penguins have climbed into the fifth spot and the last thing the Flyers need to do is slip behind their cross-state rivals and open the playoffs in the Steel City. The Flyers cannot have games like they did against the Sabres Friday night. The Sabres are not a playoff team and the Flyers should not place themselves into situations in which they are forced to come from behind to beat sub-par teams.

The Flyers fate lies in their own hands. They have more games in hand then any of the other playoff teams. Several of those games are against other playoff teams including the Penguins, the Rangers (2) and the Devils. They also play the Panthers twice. The Flyers season is going to be what they make of it. If they can grab the opportunity that has been presented to them, we may get to see another exciting run through the playoffs. But if they let these games slip away and they can’t muster any consistency then it may be an early spring for the Fly-Guys.