Blackhawks Daily: The Flyers are Flailing As Playoff Spot Slips Away

The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-1 on Saturday. The Flyers have yet to recover from it. The Washington Capitals are right on their heels in the Metropolitan Division and making the playoffs even as a Wild Card team is far from a lock now.  On Monday night, the Flyers lost a tough game to the New York Islanders who are one of many teams trying to take that postseason spot from them. Though they got one point in overtime, it simply wasn’t enough.

It also led to a very blunt–and epic–assessment from head coach John Tortorella.

The Flyers were horrific in the first period and even worse in the second period. If it weren’t for new Flyers goaltender Ivan Fedotov (who came in relief for Samuel Ersson), this game would have been a blowout.

The only reason that the Flyers got a point at all was because they scored a miracle game-tying goal with 10 seconds left in regulation. Without that, they’d be leaving this game with nothing which is probably what they deserved.  Nobody expected them to be in this spot in the first place as many considered them a lottery team coming into the year but the expectations have shifted. Right now, they are just trying to hang on before the final game of the year is played. But it’s another reminder for a supposed to have been rebuilding team that once expectations rise, so too, do the disappointments.

Blackhawks In Case You Missed It

• Trevor Zegras may be on the move at some point. This is a player that Kyle Davidson should consider calling about when the time is right.
• Wyatt Kaiser is showing a lot more confidence these days. His trip to the Rockford Ice Hogs seems to have paid off for him in his development.
• There is a lot of Chicago Blackhawks flavor headed to the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul Minnesota. There is also another big reason to watch as you’ll be able to see Macklin Celebrini.
• Frank Nazar made a brilliant play that helped Michigan reach the Frozen Four once again. This kid is going to be huge for the Blackhawks very soon.

Hockey Now Playoff Focus

• Boston Hockey Now: The Boston Bruins finally had Patrick Maroon practicing with his teammates. They are gearing up for another big playoff run with their new deadline acquisition.
• Colorado Hockey Now: The Colorado Avalanche lost a game that they should have won with ease against the Columbus Blue Jackets. That hinders their chances of winning the Central Division which would negatively impact their playoff seeding.
• Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Pittsburgh Penguins had a very impressive win over the New York Rangers and Sidney Crosby is still making history. Can they find a way to sneak into the playoff race again?
• Detroit Hockey Now: The Detroit Red Wings are back in the playoff hunt after earning a huge victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.