How bad is it for Flyers?
OTTAWA -- So, just how bad is it for the Flyers?
How bad is it for Flyers?
OTTAWA -- So, just how bad is it for the Flyers?
Exactly one week ago, after their all-important victory over Pittsburgh at the Consol Energy Center, the Flyers were in the driver’s seat and appeared destined to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
They moved to three points up on second place Washington. They were a full four points ahead of Pittsburgh in the Atlantic divsion. And with just five games to play, they had one game in-hand on each team.
Their magic number to close out Washington was just 7 points. For Pittsburgh, it was down to 3 points.
Since then, the Flyers passed on two opportunities to eliminate both New Jersey and Atlanta from playoff contention - allowing other teams to do the dirty work for them - and also two chances to clinch their first Atlantic division title since 2004.
Guess what?
The Flyers have lost 13 of their last 19 games. The magic number in the Atlantic division is still at 3 points.
And the Flyers’ probability to win the Eastern Conference has plummeted from 88 percent last Wednesday to just 12 percent today.
They now have a 47 percent chance to pick up the second seed. More alarmingly, they now have a 28 percent chance to lose the Atlantic and finish in fourth place, since the NHL seeds division leaders, which would setup a date with Tampa Bay in the first round.
Washington’s magic number to close out the Flyers is now down to 3 points, which means the Flyers would likely need to win both of their remaining games against Buffalo and the Islanders to have a shot at the No. 1 seed.
All of which is the long way of saying that the Flyers are in the middle of an epic collapse. The fear of every Flyers fan for the past month has been validated. They need to stop praying for the playoffs to get here. It could be a quicker exit than they’ve been banking on.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
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- WELL SAID!... Down 0-3 to the Bruins, down 0-3 in game 7... this team is frustrating to watch sometimes but they have definately given ALL of us a reason to hope they can turn it around... This is still basically the same team as last year, inconsistent but with their backs against the wall, they usually step up, lets hope!
— broadstbu11y - broadstbu11y, you don't seriously believe they can duplicate that performance this year, do you?
- Basically the same as last year...except for the starting goalie, half the defence, and removal of a top 6 forward, that was absolutely clutch upon his return to the playoffs, in Simon Gagne. Last year the Flyers rode the wave of their emotions from winning the shootout in the final game, and had the best possible first round matchup. — Hexy4GM
- Yeah the problem is, the Flyers keep pointing to last year. But this is really more like 2 years ago when they thought they were locked into the #4 seed and stopped playing with a month to go. They ended up coughing up the #4 seed and home ice then getting bounced in the 1st round by a Pittsburgh team they could have beaten. This year feels way more like 08-09 than 09-10. — dennis27
- I love Lavs, but I'm seeing a Barberesque mutiny in the not too distant future.— erbower
- http://www.walkoffwalk.com/cinema.majorleague.groundskeepers.jpg— AreaMan
- I can't even watch the gutless and heartless play anymore. It just makes me sick.— puckurself
- They will be fine.— azguz
- B*A*D...— M60tanker
- Well it was fun while it lasted Lavy. The players tuned you out and it won't be long before ownership kicks you out and that sucks. The playoffs are looking more and more like a disaster.— MH
- I think Lavs worked wonders with the Flyers last season. Wasn't he also fired the season after winning the Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes? He is the NHL version of Larry Bowa, Larry Brown, etc. They have short shelf lives because they don't embrace relenting a bit every so often. But in his defense, this current team has had the meltdowns under Stevens too. So, it is either shake up the team if they don't win or the coach is on a very short leash...— kwasi2323
- They keep talking about their depth, well- WHERE IS IT????????— mrjarn
- mrjarn wrote:
"They keep talking about their depth, well- WHERE IS IT?"
They are IN it: The depth of despair.
- Amazing. Simply amazing— justacarpenter
- "How bad is it?" ...can you say TOAST...burnt toast. Even with Prongs and Danny back in the lineup, I can't see how they can reverse their downward spiral. The defense was a "no-show" last night. Bob was hung out to dry. No passion, being out-muscled for pucks in the corners. The boys look like they want to hit the links early. Now we will see if the legend of Lavy will live up to his name.— dogman5
