Inside the Flyers: Flyers appear headed in right direction

The Flyers aren't the NHL's most talented team, but they certainly rank among the most resilient.

In the last month, they have overcome injuries to three top-six forwards - Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek, and Sean Couturier - and season-ending wrist surgery to defenseman Michael Del Zotto, their runaway leader in minutes per game.

They completed a clutch 5-1 homestand Monday by rallying past Tampa Bay, a gifted team that had won nine straight. They did it by not getting frustrated even though the Lightning's impressive backup goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, looked like Ken Dryden in his prime for most of the game.

At one point, the Flyers had a 29-6 shots advantage but trailed, 1-0.

But their relentlessness paid off, and they beat Tampa Bay, 4-2, and climbed to within two points of a wild-card spot with 17 games remaining.

"We got outplayed, outcompeted, outclassed, out-everythinged," Tampa coach John Cooper said.

Cooper, one of the league's most respected coaches, said the Flyers are "looking up at eight teams ahead of them and they want one of those [playoff] spots. They came in to win a hockey game, and they did."

"It was a must," goalie Steve Mason said of the productive homestand. "We had to have a big one, so it was pressure to perform, and the guys came up and were equal to this strong task."

Now comes the daunting part. The next six games are against strong competition: Tampa Bay (again), Florida, Detroit, defending champion Chicago, Pittsburgh, and the New York Islanders.

The Flyers (31-23-11), who have eight more wins than regulation losses for the first time this season, will be hard-pressed to duplicate Monday's dominating performance. But that's the goal. The forecheck was outstanding, and the Flyers spent most of the last 50 minutes in the Lightning's end. Witness their overall 40-18 shots advantage and the fact they had a season-high 90 shot attempts, which included 32 that were blocked and 18 that missed the net.

"Just playing our hockey," defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said after scoring two goals and gaining ground in the rookie of the year race. "We don't let teams get in the zone. We want to be a hard team. It's working for us, and we want to keep that going."

After playing back-to-back road games Friday and Saturday against Tampa Bay and Florida, respectively, the Flyers will have 15 games remaining. Five of them are against the teams they are chasing for a wild-card spot: Pittsburgh (three games) and Detroit (two).

Call it the Fateful Five.

They hope to have Voracek back for next Tuesday's critical game against the visiting Red Wings, though the high-scoring winger is still wearing a walking boot.

"We have to keep going," said Brayden Schenn, who has eight goals in his last 13 games and has helped pick up the slack for the loss of Voracek. "This is a fun time of the year for us to keep on battling and competing for a playoff spot. It's not easy. We're going to play a lot of good teams along the way."

Monday's game had a playoff feel to it.

"I think we all know we're fighting for our lives now, and the crowd was into it right from the get-go," Schenn said. "Those are the fun games to play in, when the crowd is rowdy and you have to battle against a good team."

The fact they are so close to a playoff berth is a testament to rookie coach Dave Hakstol's system; to the development of young players such as Gostisbehere, Sean Couturier, and Schenn; and to the steadiness of Giroux, Voracek, and Wayne Simmonds.

Mason and Michal Neuvirth, veteran goalies who have pushed each other, have been a big part of the playoff drive. Ditto the improved, inspired play from the third and fourth lines and from the much-maligned defense.

No one knows if the Flyers are ready to earn a playoff berth, but their improvement makes you believe this franchise - which has some promising prospects that are almost NHL-ready and in the offseason could have enough cap space if general manager Ron Hextall wants to add a piece - is headed in the right direction.

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull www.philly.com/flyersblog