Jagr: Nothing for granted

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- The words, as they were typed on the page, were short and sweet.

Jaromir Jagr understands the Flyers' situation.

Posting on his blog on iSport.cz, a Czech Republic-based sports web site, Jagr commended the Flyers' newest acquisition of fellow countryman Pavel Kubina.

Kubina, 34, is the Flyers' first right-handed shot defenseman since Eric Desjardins.

"Philadelphia has acquired a new defender, Pavel Kubina, and I am really happy about that," Jagr wrote. "He is big, strong, he can play tough.

"And most importantly, he is right-handed, which is great for us. He will be a huge help in the play-off [sic].

"However, we still have to fight to get there at all. The standings are tight. We have to do our best. Nothing can be taken for granted yet."

And Jagr is right.

While it's certainly not time to push the panic button yet, the Eastern Conference standings - even less than a week until the Feb. 27 trade deadline - are getting tighter every night with these 3-point swings in shootout games.

It's a refreshing tone to hear from a veteran, when most in the Flyers' locker room continue to downplay their skid and talk about "being in the driver's seat" in the standings.

On Feb. 1, less than 3 weeks ago, the Flyers had a 2 point edge on Pittsburgh for 4th place in the East. They were 3 points behind the Rangers for the top spot. And they had an 8 point cushion on a playoff spot.

Look at today's standings.

Tonight's opponent, Winnipeg, is tied for 8th place - just 7 points back of the 5th place Flyers. The 15th place team in the East, Carolina, is now just 7 points back of a playoff spot.

With a loss to Winnipeg, the Flyers could fall back to 6th place in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa is one win from passing the Flyers, too.

Winnipeg has won 3 straight. And they're undefeated against the Flyers (3-0-0) this season, looking to close out a season series sweep at the boisterous MTS Centre.

Then again, it's amazing how one win can be a cure-all for a club. With Pittsburgh and New Jersey losses tonight, the Flyers can slide right back into the 4th spot. Every game means something.

As it stands, the Flyers have just a 4 percent chance to miss the playoffs, according to PlayoffStatus.com. But that number is 4 times what it was just 3 weeks ago.

JET STREAKS: A slew of Winnipeg players carry 3-game point streaks into tonight's affair. Here's the list: Blake Wheeler (1G, 7A), Evander Kane (3G, 3A), Alex Burmistrov (2G, 2A), Kyle Wellwood (1G, 3A) & Dustin Byfuglien (0G, 5A). Byfuglien has 9 points in his last 7 games.

ANOTHER BROTHER: As if the Flyers haven't seen enough brother vs. brother action this season, after Blake and Phil Kessel faced each other in the preseason and Brayden and Luke Schenn have seen each other twice in the regular season, Flyers rookie Eric Wellwood will play against his older brother, Kyle Wellwood, for the first time in the NHL.

More from after the Flyers' morning skate.

For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers