Photo Courtesy of Kate Frese
It's a Christmas miracle! Or something like that.
Somehow, the Flyers have found themselves close to a playoff spot. Despite a November that saw them win five of 14 games (including a streak of six losses that carried over from the end of October), the team now finds itself four points from a wild card spot.
This month, the Orange and Black have already matched their November win total, and there are still three games left to play — including tonight's game against St. Louis. With a 14-12-7 record and 35 points, they sit four points behind Florida for the second wild card spot, but have to leapfrog two teams (Tampa Bay and New Jersey, each with 37 points) in the process.
Somewhat satisfyingly, the Orange and Black topped Pittsburgh late last week in the standings. The Penguins are in the midst of a tailspin that has seen them drop five-consecutive games, swap blueliners with Chicago, fire their second-year coach and lose their captain for a day-to-day basis. They are a dismal 2-6-2 in their last 10, and now sit two points behind the Flyers for sixth in the Metropolitan Division.
Feels good, man. pic.twitter.com/yMWgxRASLj
— Flyerdelphia (@Flyerdelphia) December 18, 2015
As the tiresome cliche goes, you can never clinch a playoff spot at the beginning of the season, but you can lose one. Considering their play later in October and throughout November, it looked like the Flyers were well on their way to a second-consecutive spring with no extra hockey.
Of course, the Orange and Black were not expected to be a playoff contender this season. This season was to be a year where the Flyers gained a familiarity with Dave Hakstol's system, all while giving the young prospects another season to develop. They were not pegged as anything more than a bubble team, if they were lucky.
Then again, look no further than the exact Lightning team that sits two points ahead of them. They were expected to run the table in the Eastern Conference, and now find themselves on the outside as well. Their biggest storyline at the moment is their captain/generational talent's future (or lack thereof) with the franchise, and his (perhaps accidental) misuse of Twitter.
The Penguins were also set to take a run at the New York Rangers for tops in the Metro after their acquisition of Phil Kessel — a move that was panned to truly bring out Kessel's scoring abilities now that he had a legitimate center to play with — and instead found themselves in this rut.
As usual, things aren't going as expected in the NHL. The 2015-16 campaign has continued to provide more than its fair share of twists and turns, and will continue to provide even more as the season continues. Its sheer unpredictability is one of the best parts about it.
Of course, the Flyers still have 49 games left to play this season. The season it not yet at its halfway point, and though the Flyers have shown signs of improving, a playoff spot is not guaranteed yet. They could come back to Earth any day now, but on the converse, they could still continue to heat up and make a strong second-half run (see also: Ottawa Senators, 2014-15).
In the meantime, let's all enjoy being ahead of a hapless Penguins team in the standings. Santa Claus (or Santa Coates) has come to the Delaware Valley a bit early this year.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
