Brad Shaw Wants Flyers To Embrace 'Spoiler' Role As Season Winds Down

There's a particular joy in hockey that doesn't show up on the stats sheet.

It's not a highlight-reel goal, a big save, or a postgame celebration after clinching a playoff berth. It's quieter, meaner, and, for teams out of the hunt, incredibly satisfying: walking into another team's barn and blowing up their plans.

That's exactly the fuel interim head coach Brad Shaw is hoping the Philadelphia Flyers will run on in these final six games of the season.

Although the team on track to miss the playoffs this season, the Flyers are not done fighting. Far from it. Their mission now? To make life as miserable as possible for teams clinging to hope. To be the proverbial thorn in the side. To spoil someone's party.

"We don't have a lot of other things to play for," Shaw said after practice on Friday. "We can play the spoiler role, though. And I've asked our guys to try and maintain that focus for six more events. We're not going to be on the ice outside of the games very often, but we're going to try and keep the energy level high within the games."

And that—playing with pride, grit, and togetherness—is still very much worth chasing.

Finding Meaning in the Spoiler Role

For a group that's fought tooth and nail all year long, this isn't about mailing it in. Shaw's message is clear: just because the standings say you're all but done doesn't mean the season is over. There's always something to play for—your teammates, your city, your crest. And now, there's the chance to disrupt the hopes of those still clinging to the playoff bubble.

"If we can go in and spoil somebody's party—there's a few things in hockey that feel really good, and that's one of them," Shaw said. "It's fun to go in and be the spoiler. It's fun to go in and take the life out of a building. That's a hard thing to do. It's hard to do for 60 minutes, long enough to take a team that's really believing in themselves like Montreal."

This isn't just coach speak. Shaw knows exactly what he's asking for. He knows how hard it is to be emotionally dialed in when there's tangible to gain from the scoreboard. But he also knows this Flyers team—its character. its heart, its defiant energy.

They've been counted out before and never backed down. So why stop now?

Montreal, New York, and a Chance to Disrupt

The Flyers have their sights set on two major targets in the coming days: the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers, who they will play Saturday and next Wednesday, respectively.

The Bell Centre is notoriously loud when the Canadiens are rolling. The Rangers are hungry to sharpen their edge as they continue fighting for a wild-card spot. Both arenas are looking for jubilation—and the Flyers want to give them silence.

"There's certain things we can play for...In the short term, we can go into Montreal and have a chance to rain on their parade a little bit," Shaw continued. "And then we have the chance to do it again [against the Rangers]. We have to take some pride in the fact that we can go in and possibly play that well and get that type of result."

There's something beautifully cruel about it: the Flyers, written off by the standings, marching into enemy territory and making believers doubt. It's the chaos element that makes the Flyers the Flyers.

A Final Stand Rooted in Identity

For all the talk of strategy and structure, what Shaw is really pushing for is a return to identity. The Flyers have been their best this season when they play hard, fast, and together. When they outwork teams, not out-finesse them. When their compete level is unrelenting. That identity doesn't disappear just because the games may not be carrying much of the weight of playoff consequences.

"We really get our best results when we work at an extremely high level and play together," Shaw emphasized. "That's what we're going to focus on."

That sense of collective effort has been a hallmark of this team under former head coach John Tortorella, and now Shaw. Although it hasn't always been a pretty or smooth display, it showed an undeniable step forward in their rebuild. Shaw's challenge now is about protecting that progress, making sure the final stretch of the season reflects the work the team has put in since October.

That's why the spoiler role isn't a consolation prize—it's a continuation of the ethos this team has built: no matter what the world says, we'll play hard, we'll play proud, and we'll make you earn it.

A Little Bit of Fun, a Whole Lot of Fight

If the Flyers are going to empty the tank over the next two weeks, Shaw wants it to be with purpose. Go into the lion's den. Shut down the party before it starts. Let the floodgates open and just go for it.

There's a hint of mischief in his voice when he talks about it—an edge, a grin, like someone who knows how enjoyable it can be to ruin someone else's night when you've got little else to lose. But underneath that is something more serious: a belief that these games still matter. That how a team finishes says a lot about who they are.

And if the Flyers finish the season by dragging teams into the mud and showing they can still dictate a game's tone—even without the carrot of playoffs dangling in front of them—it won't be meaningless. It'll be another step forward.

So here they go. Six more games. Six more chances to be a pain in someone else's backside.

They might not have a parade waiting for them after this season—but they'd be more than happy to crash someone else's.