Sunday marked the 35th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice and the American hockey team's upset of the Soviet team in the 1980 Olympics. It was a moment that defied the odds.
The Flyers are trying to defy the odds as well. Just over a month ago, after a 4-0 loss to Vancouver on Jan. 15, the team's chances of making the playoffs was less than one percent.
The Flyers trailed the final playoff spot by 11 points after that loss. Following a 3-2 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday, they are now four points back in the race.
"We were talking about it all year long that this team is too good to be that low in the standings," Jake Voracek said. "It took us a while to find the right rhythm but over the last month we've found a way to win games which is really important."
"Going into a weekend with back-to-back games against two teams like that, you're hoping you're going to come away with points," Rob Zepp said. "Guys stepped up and played great and we were able to get all four points which was awesome."
The Flyers counted on their top players for contributions in the win. Voracek had two assists, including the primary assist on Michael Del Zotto's game-winning goal at 15:47 of the third. Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds each scored on the power play. Zepp made 21 saves.
"Our leaders are character guys," head coach Craig Berube said. "They're good leaders. They believe in each other."
The Flyers ended a four-game homestand with five points – after back-to-back wins against Nashville and Washington – after picking up just one point over two games against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Buffalo Sabres. The Flyers are heading on the road to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday before returning home again.
"It's a huge boost, but we've beaten other good teams too," Berube said. "We've just got to carry it on."
"Every game we've got left this year is going to be a big game for us," Giroux said. "We're back in the race now. We've got to be happy with the way we're playing right now."
The key to the Flyers win was not only in goals from top players on the team. The Flyers closed the game killing off a penalty with the Capitals net empty. The successful kill made the Flyers a perfect 5-for-5 while short-handed in the game.
"PK has been good for a long time," Berube said. "We're getting up ice and pressuring, disrupting breakouts, doing little things like that. All the penalty killers have done a great job."
Unfortunately for the Flyers, after a week of getting assistance in the standings, there was no help to be found. The Bruins, who started their game with Chicago only up two points on the Flyers, cruised to a 6-1 win, pushing the margin between the Flyers and the final playoff spot back to four.
Despite that, the Flyers remain focused on their own games, and there are three more this week with points available for the taking.
"We're just trying to play hockey the right way," Simmonds said. "We've played pretty good hockey the last couple months and we've just got to stick to it. We've got to make sure we're taking care of the business on our end."
"I told you guys all along I believe in this team. Just like last year," Berube said. "I think our players have focused on game-to-game like we wanted them to. I truly believe that."
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
