Where Will the Philadelphia Flyers Finish in the Eastern Conference?

Heading into Wednesday night’s action, the Philadelphia Flyers sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The odds of the Flyers catching the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the Atlantic Division, which would give the team home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, are slim to none and slim just left the building.

The good news for Flyers fans is that the Orange and Black are just a mere five points behind the fourth place New Jersey Devils and fifth place Ottawa Senators, two teams that, with a little luck, could be caught in the standings.

Thus far, Philadelphia has played 65 games, New Jersey 64, Buffalo 64 and Ottawa 67. What it all amounts to is if the Flyers want to get a favorable seeding in the East, they will have to do it the good old fashioned way; they’ll have to earn it.

Through the Flyers final 17 games they will play the Senators and Devils just once. Beating the Senators and Devils in their head-to-head tilt would go a long way in solidifying the Flyers playoff aspirations and, quite possibly, be the difference between the sixth and fourth seed.

By season’s end, the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and one of the Senators or Sabres will likely occupy the first, second and third playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, meaning the Flyers will be left to fight it out with the Devils and the loser of the Northeast Division for the Fourth spot overall in the East.

Over the past 10 games the Flyers have put together one of their best stretches going 7-2-1 over that span. Comparatively, the Senators have gone a rather ordinary 5-4-1, the Devils have struggled, going a miserable 3-6-1, while Sabres have struggled, compiling a 3-5-2 record over that same 10-game stretch.

When we look at the numbers, you can clearly see that the Flyers have positioned themselves to take a run at all three of the Devils, Senators and Sabres. One might even say that the Flyers may, in fact, be the favorites to come out of the East with the fourth seed.

Of the aforementioned four teams, the Flyers boast the best goals for/goals against differential at +23, followed by the Devils at +15, the Sabres at +13 and the Senators at -5.

The Flyers sit sixth overall in goals for, the Senators 15th, the Sabres 16th, while the Devils are ranked 24th. Defensively the Flyers sit 12th overall, the Senators 18th, the Sabres fourth, with the Devils sitting at second overall.

When you add it all up, you have four teams that are very evenly matched, each with strengths and weaknesses. That said, the Flyers look to be the most well-balanced team, Michael Leighton haters be damned!

Over the past 10 games the Flyers have managed to balance the ledgers on both sides, scoring 35 goals while giving up just 25. Where the Flyers have been most successful is in the close games, winning four of their past ten by just one goal, with the only blemish being their 7-4 loss to the Florida Panthers on March 3.

The Devils have always relied on goaltender Martin Brodeur to come through in close games. Given Brodeur’s recent struggles, it’s safe to say that the Devils are in real jeopardy of falling in the Eastern Conference standings.

Comparatively, the Sabres have struggled to light the lamp of late. In fact, Buffalo has scored just 21 times in their past 10 games and have not scored four goals in a game since Feb. 1, a 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

When it comes to scoring goals, the Senators are either red hot or ice cold, rarely in the middle. Over their past 10 games, the Senators have been shut out once and kept to just one goal on four occasions. That said, the Sens have also posted six goals in a game, four goals twice and three goals on two other occasions. 

When we add it all up, what we have is an inconsistent Senators squad whose inconsistency may cost them down the stretch.

For a team that was all but left for dead at the Christmas break, the Flyers have done well for themselves just to get back into playoff contention. The fact that they have a realistic chance of finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference is a testament to the Flyers’ willingness to embrace the hard working/tight checking game that Head Coach Peter Laviolette insists on, without which the Flyers would likely be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

Fourth place will not be easy, but it is there for the taking. To use the old cliché, the Flyers are going to have to take things one game at a time and hope that the teams ahead of them in the standings continue to play mediocre hockey.

Keep in mind, once the Flyers reach the end of the regular season, it will only be the beginning of what Flyers fans hope to be a long and prosperous playoff run, one that could be made a whole lot easier if they were to finish fourth.

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Until next time,

Peace!