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APP ONLY: End of season important to Flyers

There is 1 month and 1 day to go in the Flyers' regular season. It says so, right on the schedule.

After 65 regular-season games, with 3 days of a highly publicized boot camp with plenty of end-to-end skating mixed in, the Flyers remain the top team in the Eastern Conference. That is the good news, if you're a Flyers fan.

They had an embarrassing weekend — blowing a 2-0 lead at home to the Sabres on Saturday and a touchdown and extra point (a kick, not a two-pointer) loss at the Rangers on Sunday.

Their power play is anemic, their penalty kill is not in the top 10. They are issues, real ones, when the playoffs start. For now, they are not scoring. Their goalies are losing pucks. Not one player, it seems, is hot. They are doing a lot of dumping and chasing without a lot of results. That is the bad news.

To his credit, coach Peter Laviolette took blame for the Flyers' 7-0 loss Sunday at Madison Square Garden. He was the taskmaster driving them in practice right before they had to play three games in 4 days (all losses).

"If I am being honest, I have to take 100 percent responsibility for what happened," Laviolette said at practice on Monday in Voorhees, N.J.

Laviolette is a Cup-winning coach who has the players' attention. He knows what he is doing. The players have had a long season of success, which followed an unexpected and long run to the Stanley Cup finals. They have proven they know how to win.

Are they tired? It is just natural to relax so deep into a long season? Are they looking ahead to the playoffs, which aren't that far away? Are they a big win away from breaking out of this slump and rolling toward the playoffs? Have they hit a wall that will end their season in April, not June?

We don't know. We do know it will make this final month of regular-season hockey very interesting. Last year, the Flyers were struggling for every point, for every point was necessary.

This year, they might be struggling for every point, for every point could be more valuable in their minds and their psyche than in the standings.

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Send e-mail to: bausmac@phillynews.com