Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese
As Winter Storm Jonas dumped layers and layers of snow throughout the Delaware Valley and Mid-Atlantic region, the Flyers found themselves with a rare predicament — postponing a game.
Yet, the NHL had no choice but to cancel three games — Washington's game against Anaheim on Friday, the Flyers' Saturday matchup with the New York Islanders and a Washington-Pittsburgh tilt scheduled for Sunday. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had imposed a ban on traffic in New York City on Saturday afternoon, so it's not as if the Flyers and Islanders could have taken the (indoor) ice.
Of course, if the players and coaches had their druthers, the game still would have been played. They were prepared to find a way to make up lost ground from losses earlier in the week, and try to make up for lost playoff ground. But of course, it's one of a number of situations that are out of a team's control, and the Orange and Black were still able to get in a solid practice day.
It's disappointing for fans as well — after all, what better way is there to spend a snowed-in Saturday night after some ardent shoveling than watching a Flyers game with some liquid refreshment of choice? (There was a decent game on, though, as the NHL Network picked up the Hockey Night in Canada feed of Montreal-Toronto, but seeing as this is not a Canadiens or Maple Leafs site, I'll get back on track).
What's fortunate for the Flyers is that by not playing on Saturday, they add another game to their games-in-hand stockpile. Their games-played total remains at 45, which is the lowest in the NHL. Even the Capitals, who lost two games this weekend, still have 46 games played.
Of course, having games in hand is always valuable for a team chasing a playoff spot like the Flyers, even though their chances at snagging a playoff spot seem to fluctuate on a weekly basis. It also provides some benefit that the wild card spots appear to change on a daily basis.
Currently, Boston and New Jersey, each tied with 55 points, hold both Wild Card spots. Though the Flyers are seven points behind, they have two games over the Bruins and four over the Devils.
Naturally, having games in hand goes for moot if the Flyers produce little points with them. The Orange and Black have been presented with this interesting opportunity, and it's an opportunity that's crucial for them to make the most of.
In order to capitalize on that opportunity, they will have to address one of their biggest pitfalls of the season — consistent play through three periods. Both losses last week came as a result of disastrous second-period play. The Flyers showed flashes of consistency during their recent six-game points streak (particularly in their 4-0 win over the Islanders and 3-2 win over the Bruins), and will need to return to that form in order to climb back into the playoff fold.
Additionally, the Orange and Black will make up those games through eight back-to-back games over the rest of the season. Of those eight series, two will come in the form of a grueling four-games-in-five-days gauntlet. There's no doubt the next few months will be fatiguing, but having games in hand doesn't exactly come cheap.
The Flyers' number of games in hand has been one of their unsung advantages over the past several weeks, and that's been strengthened by this weekend's postponed matchup. But as one of the teams on the outside looking in for a playoff spot, it increases their workload in the latter half of the season, and provides them with little margin for error.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
