With just 18 games remaining left in the shortened 48 game NHL season, the race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs are heating up. Philadelphia is currently in 14th place in the Eastern Conference and sit 5 points back of the eighth and final playoff spot. It seems like whenever things start to go right, everything goes wrong. The Flyers are winning one game, and then losing two or three in a row. If they want a shot at the playoffs, they must find a way to rack up consecutive wins, and this five game home stand would be the perfect start.
After Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, the Flyers will be home for five straight games with match ups against the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, and the home stand ends with a big game against the Montreal Canadiens. Out of those five games, only two are in the top eight, and the rest are fighting for the final spot just like the Flyers. A win on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Penguins (winners of 11 straight) could really bring some momentum to the team when they take on the Rangers on Tuesday. There is no question the Flyers need at least four in these next six crucial games, and even that may not be enough to get them where they want to be.
Although many people want a splash trade to happen, with the deadline coming up its likely that Philly stands pat, and plays out the rest of the season with the crew they've had all year. The main reason is because they do not want to trade players on the roster for a rental player who will only play maybe 10-15 games in orange and black. If they were to make a trade this year, It would make more sense if they traded for a player, but got that mans word that he would sign an extension to stay in Philadelphia for years to come. The only man I see the Flyers trying to bring in is Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien. Big Buff is a right handed d-man with a laser for a shot. He could easily be paired with Kimmo Timonen, especially for the power play. Many fans in Philadelphia probably still don't like Buff because of the big role he played when Chicago beat us to win the cup in 2010, but they would get over it by watching this kid play his heart out every night. So if the Flyers become "buyers", Byfuglien is the only guy that makes sense to bring in for the final games of this lock out shortened season.
Will it be a struggle for the Flyers to make the playoffs? Yes. Will it be tough to play consistent hockey for the final 18 games? Yes. But with these questions, anything can happen. Just remember what happened in 2010 when Philly beat New York on the final day of the season. They got hot, made a historic comeback, and missed the Stanley Cup by 2 wins. If the Flyers get in, they will be have the momentum, and could run wild on teams, and make another big playoff run.
-Jimmy "the Fish" Forte (Beat writer for the Sports Goombahs)
-Coming soon: Will the Flyers try to bring Weber to Philly?
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