Flyers show playoff qualities in closing out another close game
If the must-win nature of the remaining games on the Flyers schedule isn't enough preparation for what could be coming, then the nature of the games the Flyers are playing is.
The Flyers shootout win against Washington on Wednesday was everything a playoff game is, minus the shootout of course, even if one finally went in the Flyers favor.
Saturday's game lacked the vibe of a playoff game on paper. Playing a team with nothing left to play for but pride can certainly be difficult. And as is the case with afternoon games, the Flyers struggled to find that energy early, but once they did, they showed why they are still in the running for a playoff spot.
That was particularly evident down the stretch, as the Flyers played the final 7:32 with a one-goal lead and confidently closed things out in a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators to retain their playoff positioning.
"You obviously would like to extend it to a three goal lead rather than go the other direction, but I thought the last 5 minutes, again, our group showed they were doing the right things taking care of some of the details that have to be taken care of," head coach Dave Hakstol said. "The right word isn't comfortable, but our group is confident in those situations to just go out and make the next play."
"We stuck to our game plan," Sean Couturier said. "We kept with pressure, kept bringing pucks to the net. We didn’t give up a whole lot of opportunities in our end. We kinda cleaned up the turnovers and that’s what made our success. We gotta build on that, we gotta play our way, and we’ll be good."
Finally, the top power play unit seemed to come around. They had some help, with Ottawa turnovers feeding directly into the first two goals, but cashed in on opportunities that had previously gone by the wayside.
"They did a great job for us today, it was the difference in the game for us," Hakstol said. "Specialty teams were obviously a big part of it for us today. I think those are the signs that we’ve seen coming from the Giroux unit over the last couple of games. Sean Couturier's unit has been good and solid over the last month."
The Flyers are going to need the power play to step up in the playoffs to make any sort of noise in a series. Facing a Senators team that struggles mightily on both ends of special teams, they went 3-for-4 on the power play. Wayne Simmonds scored twice. Brayden Schenn and Jake Voracek each had two points.
Ottawa scored on their only power-play attempt, but for the final two periods, the Flyers were clearly the better team at even strength, especially in the third.
Steve Mason was again excellent in goal. There were times where the Flyers were skittish in their own zone and very careless with the puck. Mason bailed the Flyers out several times. The one save in particular that was the difference maker was a breakaway stop on Mike Hoffman, less than two minutes after the Flyers had taken the lead.
"That’s a game-changing save right there," Hakstol said. "Key saves at key times. Doesn't matter how many there are, if it’s one at a key time, that’s a big play for a goaltender to provide to his team and his teammates. That was one of them for sure."
"He’s been unbelievable for us," Couturier said. "Tonight he kept us in the game there. In the second, we kinda got floppy there a little bit and Mase made some big saves, kept us in. He’s been a real key part of our success lately.
The final seven minutes were a force. To play non-stop hockey — and there were no whistles for the last five minutes of the game — and continue to forecheck as hard as they did was as gritty as it gets.
The fourth line had a mammoth shift in the offensive zone, doing nothing more than pinning the puck in a board battle for more than 30 seconds. In the final minute, Couturier and Michael Raffl did the same, holding the puck deep in the Ottawa zone and tied up along the board for much of the remaining time.
"Mentality and the ability to stay aggressive and stay on your toes. That’s exactly what that shift says," Hakstol said. "We kept it in the offensive zone, we kept the clock winding without a whole lot of whistles as we went down the stretch. Because of that we were able to stay on our toes and stay aggressive and that’s exactly what [Pierre-Edouard Bellemare’s] line did on that shift."
Those are the efforts that make a playoff team. That's the kind of work ethic and determination that a team needs to display when a game is on the line.
The Flyers have displayed those qualities of late, and it has allowed them to climb into the playoff race with now 39 wins and 91 points. Who would have thought three months ago we would be talking about those numbers? Every single win and every single point has been necessary.
This week, each game is another chance for two necessary points in the standings. Next week, it will be games in a playoff series. At least that's the hope for the Flyers.
"You just got to relax out there," Shayne Gostisbehere said. "We know what the task is at hand. We are just going to play a simple game. Not change anything. Keep it going and make it hard for teams to play against us."
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
