Flyers trying to keep momentum after latest break
When the Flyers return from their all-star break and play in Carolina on Tuesday night, they will be greeted with a favorable schedule.
When the Flyers return from their all-star break and play in Carolina on Tuesday night, they will be greeted with a favorable schedule.
After facing a 21-20-7 Hurricanes team that has lost five straight - and has been outscored by a 23-5 margin in that span - the Flyers will return to the Wells Fargo Center for their longest homestand of the season: five games.
The Flyers (25-19-6), who return from the all-star break and practice Monday in Voorhees, are 15-7-3 at home, 10-12-3 on the road.
At the break, the Flyers hold the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with 56 points, one point ahead of Toronto. The Maple Leafs, however, have three games in hand.
If you include Boston, which is third in the Atlantic Division with 56 points and has played two more games than the Flyers, only seven points separate 10 teams that are in contention for the final wild-card spot.
That magnifies the importance of each of the Flyers' last 32 games.
The Flyers will carry a three-game winning streak into Carolina.
"I like the way that we played in all three games," said right winger Wayne Simmonds before he was the Flyers' lone representative in Sunday's All-Star Game in Los Angeles. "For us, it's just keeping that attack mind-set and not making mistakes."
"It's definitely what we wanted," left winger Travis Konecny said of the team's pre-all-star-break surge.
The Flyers went 3-1 after returning from an NHL-mandated bye week.
"We put games into segments to make sure we were getting a certain amount of points," Konecny said. "We've done what's been asked of us."
The latest break, Konecny said, left a "positive mind-set."
"We had three days off to spend with our families, but we are going to come back on Monday and be ready to go," goalie Michal Neuvirth said.
In their first 50 games, the Flyers have been the definition of inconsistency. After winning 10 in a row, they lost 12 of 15, followed by a three-game winning streak.
"I think we were trying to find our game a little bit after we won 10 in a row," captain Claude Giroux said. "We got away from our game and how we wanted to play. But you know what? . . . We've had a team effort the last few games, the goalies are playing well, the D are moving the puck well, and the forwards are doing their job, so we just have to keep going here."
When you win 10 straight, coach Dave Hakstol said, "it draws a lot of attention. You go through a tough stretch after that and it draws a lot of attention. I will be honest: The highs really aren't that high and the lows really weren't that low. There are some small differences that are in there. We played some real good hockey games during the time where you could call it the slump. So for us, it's the simple things" that need to be stressed.
As the Flyers return from their break, "we are going to have one quick workday, so that is going to be a real mental turnaround," Hakstol said. "Probably the biggest key for us coming back is to be real sharp in the 35 to 40 minutes of practice we have and have a great mind-set as we get on the plane and head to Carolina."
Breakaways
The Flyers have allowed a total of three goals over their last three games, and their penalty kill is 8 for 8 in that span. . . . The Flyers and Penguins will hold another alumni game, this one on March 18 at 3 p.m. at the Santander Arena in Reading. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com.
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