The Philadelphia Flyers got a boost from their top prospect, but it's been an all-around effort to climb into a playoff spot. Now, can they do what they didn't do two years ago in this position?
The Philadelphia Flyers are on the verge of ending a playoff drought.
A surprising 14-5-1 run since Feb. 26 and a thrilling overtime win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday put the Flyers into third place in the Metropolitan Division. They're in the driver's seat with a chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Truth be told, they've been there, haven't done that in recent years.
Now they are trying to finish their latest opportunity and reward a fan base that has been extremely patient – and loyal – during their long rebuild.
The top three teams in each division and two wild-card teams in each conference earn playoff berths. The Flyers (90 points) are one point ahead of the New York Islanders (89) in the Metro and have five games left, with one game in hand on the Isles.
Whoever doesn't finish third could get a spot in the crowded wild-card race, which, besides the Flyers and Islanders, has the Ottawa Senators (90), Detroit Red Wings (88), Columbus Blue Jackets (88) and Washington Capitals (87) in contention. Boston (95) appears locked into the first wild-card spot.
The Flyers control their own destiny if they win their last five games: at the New Jersey Devils, at Detroit, at the Winnipeg Jets, versus the Carolina Hurricanes and versus the Montreal Canadiens.
Two years ago, the Flyers were also in a great spot to get into the playoffs, but then came a late-season, eight-game losing streak under coach John Tortorella, crashing their hopes. (They were third in the Metro when the skid started.)
Sunday's win over Boston put the Flyers in a playoff position for the first time since Jan. 12. But Rick Tocchet, the Flyers' first-year coach, says now comes the hard part: staying there.
"When you're chasing somebody, it's hard," Tocchet said after super-prospect Porter Martone's first NHL goal gave the Flyers the win over Boston. "But when you're getting hunted, it's harder. We're going to have to learn that…Guys get nervous. It's hard when you have three or four teams coming for you."
Net-Front Presence
Martone doesn't seem nervous. Unflappable is more like it.
Relentless in front of the net, the former Michigan State star has been one of the Flyers' best players since signing an entry-level contract and joining the team. In four games, he has a goal, two assists, a plus-2 rating and 20 shots. The 19-year-old became the second-youngest player in NHL history to score his first NHL goal in overtime.
"He loves the game. Even on the bench, you tell him something (and he responds). He's a very engaged kid," Tocchet said. "He's not afraid to say something. He was talking about the power play to some guys and saying, 'Hey, I'll be here, you be there.' I like that, a young kid doing that… He's just a hockey player. I love the kid."
The Flyers' surge has been surprising because they are relatively weak at center, and their power play is clicking at just 15.2 percent – last in the NHL.
But their defense has tightened, allowing 2.95 goals against average per game, the eighth-fewest in the NHL.
Goalies Dan Vladar and Sam Ersson have risen to the occasion. Ditto unheralded players like Noah Cates (17 goals) and Christian Dvorak (17), who have complemented Owen Tippett (28), Travis Konecny (27) and Trevor Zegras (23).
Another Key Addition
The Flyers have also benefited from getting sturdy right winger Tyson Foerster back in the lineup after being sidelined for 49 games with an injury. He has 11 goals in 24 games.
The addition of the X-factor, Martone, might be the biggest reason that the Flyers are in a position to end their five-year playoff drought. Besides his game-winning goal, the 6-foot-3, 214-pound right winger made a slick through-the-legs pass that set up the Flyers' first tally in the important victory over the Bruins.
No moment seems too big for him.
"For me, ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to be an NHL player," Martone said. "Now that I’m here, I'm going to continue to play my game and do what I do best."
And maybe, just maybe, take the Flyers over the playoff hump.
Even if he doesn't, Martone and his young teammates have created a long-missing hockey buzz in Philadelphia.
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