As the horn sounded on Thursday's disastrous 4-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, it looked like the Flyers' chances at a Wild Card playoff berth could finally be put to rest.
It was the fourth time this season that they had been shut out, and their first goal-less effort since Nov. 21. It also happened to come against a bottom-feeding Oilers squad that's in line for yet another top draft pick, and was another classic example of the Orange and Black playing down to their competition.
As Saturday's game against Columbus approached, the Flyers had another down opponent on the schedule, but not another game that would be perceived as an easy win for them. The Blue Jackets have had the Flyers' number since joining the Metropolitan Division, posting a 9-2 record against them since integrating into the division at the start of the 2013-14 campaign. The Flyers also had not beaten the Blue Jackets since Nov. 22, 2014 — carrying a five-game losing streak into the matchup.
Of course, the Flyers managed to counter one of their worst efforts of the season with one of their best, in a 6-0 romp of the Blue Jackets. Surly blueliner Radko Gudas recorded a four-point night — the second multi-point game of his career — while Steve Mason posted 19 saves in his first start since Feb. 20 and fourth shutout of the season.
That win briefly brought the Flyers to within three points of the second Wild Card spot, but Pittsburgh's 6-1 win over New Jersey on Sunday puts them four points behind Detroit now. Per SportsClubStats.com, their chances at making the playoffs drop to 32.8 percent, slightly dropping from their win on Saturday. As my esteemed colleague Kevin Durso pointed out earlier today, though, the Flyers are still very much in the race.
In a way, the Flyers' outings in their last two games have basically served as a microcosm of their playoff race. Since the calendar flipped to 2016, they've looked like a team that could very well clinch a berth one week, yet look like a team belonging nowhere near the playoffs the next. It's no secret that consistency has been one of their big flaws throughout the course of this season.
The Orange and Black are far from the only team in the NHL to be plagued by consistency issues. "Consistently inconsistent" has been the best way to describe the team over the past several seasons, and that won't be changing anytime soon. Consistency issues will continue to plague the team over their remaining 18 games, and will remain the biggest factor in their wild-card push.
The Flyers' playoff fight continues tonight, as they begin a home-and-home series with a formidable Tampa Bay Lightning squad. It's worth seeing what ends of the spectrum they will play on.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
