By Mike Witmer, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
After splitting decisions in Dallas and Colorado, the Flyers are now at 92 points and in third place in the Metropolitan Division.
For the Flyers, the importance of depth scoring is key for them to get into the playoffs. The team needs to have players like Jordan Weal, Scott Laughton and Matt Read — among others – to step up and help put up points.
While it’s great to see players like Travis Konecny start to take off on the first line, and the second line of Nolan Patrick, Oskar Lindblom and Jake Voracek continuing to get opportunities to score, the bottom six has to show up for the remaining games and in the playoffs, if the Flyers are able to close out the run.
After Weal’s three-point game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, hopefully it can spark him to continue to contribute offensively. It seems to have worked for the time being, as both he and Wayne Simmonds had multiple chances in Dallas, but just fell short in putting it in the back of the net.
The third line of Weal, Simmonds and Valtteri Filppula has struggled for most of the season. Now is the time for them to step up, with another tough appointment in the Boston Bruins coming up. They need to keep up and get their offensive games going.
Simmonds in particular has struggled over stretches of the season. He currently sits at 23 goals on the season after putting up over 30 goals in each of the past two seasons. Of course, Simmonds has dealt with a number of injuries this season and could still be laboring, but like Weal, he also seems to be showing signs of a turnaround.
The fourth line of Jori Lehtera, Laughton and Read, typically gets the lowest ice time, but still has moments in the offensive zone. This is a line that is crucial for the Flyers and their march to the playoffs, simply because a balance attack offensively, and balanced scoring, are crucial for playoff teams to experience success.
If these players can get going, then the Flyers will get more balanced scoring across all four lines. At this time of year, it's time for players to step up and contribute, and if the Flyers can start seeing results across their lineup, it will be an important step in the right direction.
