(Flyerdelphia/Kate Frese)
As the Flyers slid closer and closer to the Eastern Conference's second Wild Card spot, they needed some help from other teams to get there. Keeping track of Flyers games wasn't enough for fans; many found themselves focused on how teams like the Detroit Red Wings and New York Islanders were faring as well.
Entering the final week of the regular season, a new competitor has entered the race as well — the Boston Bruins. The Bruins had spent the bulk of the second half of the season among the Atlantic Division's top three teams — even leading the division for a stretch — and now find themselves on the outside looking in after a 6-4 loss to Chicago on Sunday.
With a 3-2 win Saturday over Toronto, the Red Wings gained their 91st point and usurped the Bruins for the third spot in the Atlantic, eliminating them (for now) as a threat to the Flyers. But the Bruins, with 90 points and three games left, sit just one point behind the Orange and Black for the final spot.
Determining how much of a threat the Bruins are, however, is a different story. The B's are 3-7 in their last 10 games, and have recently endured a five-game losing streak. Their final three games will see them take on Carolina, the Red Wings and Ottawa, and the Flyers, naturally, have one game in hand over them.
The Orange and Black may have looked human in their 6-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday, but they've still been one of the hotter clubs in the NHL lately. They've been able to take top clubs the distance, and have been more than willing to take games to overtime if need be. Essentially, they've been everything the Bruins haven't been.
While the Bruins are a relatively new entrant in the race, the Flyers still can't keep their focus solely on what they're doing. They still have matchups against the Penguins and Islanders to close out the regular season (in addition to the still-important game against the Red Wings and their season finale against the Maple Leafs), ensuring that even if they narrowly miss the boat, their last two games will at least have a playoff feel to them.
It's also worth noting that the Bruins have been one of those teams that have been worth keeping an eye on, in addition to the Islanders and the Red Wings. However, their status alongside Florida and Tampa Bay as one of the Atlantic's top three teams kept them as an outside threat, for the time being. But now, their slide results in their playoff hopes on hold as they compete for the final spot with the Flyers.
The chase for the playoffs has been nothing short of a dogfight for the Flyers, and it's seen them play their best hockey of the season. But their playoff fate is still uncertain, and will be figured out over the next four games. They've had to duel with several other competitive clubs in the Red Wings and Islanders so far, and now, count the Bruins in the mix as well.
Rob Riches is a writer for Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
