3 Things The Flyers Need To Land An Eastern Conference Wild Card
The Eastern Conference wild card race didn’t fall the way fans of the Philadelphia Flyers wanted on Monday night. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Washington Capitals secured two points apiece to put the Orange and Black on the ropes.
The fate of the 2023-24 Flyers rests on three remaining games. What needs to happen to save the 2023-24 season?
Flyers Defeat Capitals In Regulation
Help around the league will mean nothing if the Flyers don’t take care of their own business. The Capitals have regained balance after a recent six-game losing streak.
Washington sits with 89 points with one game remaining, two points ahead of the Flyers at 87 points. They’ll similarly need help from the Red Wings and Penguins if they can secure a victory in Philadelphia on Tuesday night.
The Flyers not only need two points to tie (and effectually jump due to tie-breaker scenarios) their Metropolitan Division rival. They also need those points in regulation.
A loser point wouldn’t necessarily mean the Capitals earn the final Eastern Conference wild card themselves, but Washington’s jump to 90 points would officially eliminate the Flyers.
Two consecutive wins have helped the Flyers put an ugly eight-game losing streak behind them. They’ve regained their rhythm with good execution in their offensive transition. Sam Ersson has also looked much sharper in the crease in wins over the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils.
The final game of the regular season means the Wells Fargo Center crowd will see the organization hand out the Bobby Clarke Trophy for the team’s MVP, the Barry Ashbee Trophy for the team’s best defenseman, and the other annual awards.
However, everyone inside the Wells Fargo Center has one thing at the top of their minds. The Flyers still stand the narrowest sliver of a chance for a miracle berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Canadiens Defeat Red Wings In Regulation
The pesky Habs looked like they would hand the Flyers some help when they took a 4-2 lead into the third period on Monday. The Red Wings rallied, however.
Lucas Raymond scored two clutch goals to secure an overtime victory and keep hope alive in Hockey Town.
Montreal pounded the Flyers 9-3 one week ago, but they’ve lost three straight since then. They’re long gone from playoff hopes. Philadelphia needs a major upset on the second half of this home-and-home series. They also need it in regulation.
One point from the Red Wings won’t necessarily get them into the playoffs, but it would officially eliminate the Flyers.
A Triumphant Penguins Loss On Wednesday
A tough night for Flyers fans on Monday erased any chance of watching a clincher on Tuesday night. The Flyers will need to cling to their long odds on Tuesday to remain alive for one last time on Wednesday.
The Penguins will travel to Long Island to meet the Metropolitan’s third-place New York Islanders.
Philadelphia’s arch-rivals have caught fire. They’re 8-1-1 in their past 10 games. The Flyers could take care of their own business on Tuesday and get some help from the underdog Habs.
It wouldn’t change the fact that they need the Penguins to lose in regulation against a team that’s locked into playoff position with no incentive to win.
Eastern Conference Wild Card Race
The odds are stacked heavily against the Flyers to earn the final Eastern Conference wild card. That’s been the case for most of the 2023-24 season, but they’ve stayed alive until game 82.
Say your prayers and cross your fingers, Philadelphia. You’ve seen the Eagles advance to the playoffs with improbable luck to set them up for a run to the NFC Championship Game after the 2008 season.
You’ve seen the Flyers advance to the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs on the final day of the regular season in the most consequential shootout in NHL history.
Watch and hope for one more miracle.
Flyers to make the playoffs:
— Colin Newby (@ToNewbyginnings) April 16, 2024
1. Regulation victory against the Capitals on Tuesday
2. Canadiens defeat Red Wings in regulation on Tuesday
3. Islanders defeat Penguins in regulation on Wednesday
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History of Philadelphia Flyers Captains
Bobby Clarke (1972-79, 1982-84)
It’s hard to find any player in NHL history who embodies the identity of a franchise better than Bobby Clarke represents the Philadelphia Flyers. He helped usher in the era of the fiercest, most intimidating team that bullied their way to consecutive Stanley Cup in 1973-74 and 1974-75.
Clarke still holds franchise records in goals, assists, games played, and plus/minus. He had two stints as the captain in Philadelphia.
Dave Poulin (1984-90)
Dave Poulin wasn’t the best player in franchise history, but he played an invaluable role for the Flyers teams at the top of the NHL during the 1980s. He received votes for the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward eight times, and he won the award for the 1986-87 season.
The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final against Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers in 1985 and 1987 during Poulin’s captaincy. He entered the franchise Hall of Fame in 2004.
Ron Sutter (1989-91)
The Sutter family remarkably sent six brothers to the NHL. Ron Sutter played 19 seasons in the league. Nine of them came with the Flyers. He played 555 games and recorded 360 points in orange and black.
Rick Tocchet (1991-92)
Rick Tocchet earned the respect of the entire hockey world as a heart and soul player in the deep playoff runs of the 1980s. The Flyers awarded the captaincy to the “Rocket” for the 1991-92 season after their success in the 1980s had waned.
They dealt him away to the Pittsburgh Penguins before the end of the season, but he returned for a second stint in 2000. His impact on multiple eras of Flyers hockey landed him in the franchise Hall of Fame.
Kevin Dineen (1993-94)
The Hartford Whalers sent Kevin Dineen to the Flyers in 1991. He became the captain for the 1992-93 season as a respected veteran during a forgettable era in Philadelphia.
Dineen played 19 seasons in the NHL and retired with 760 career points and 2,229 career penalty minutes. He has continued his life around the game as an NHL and AHL coach for over two decades.
Eric Lindros (1994-2000)
The Eric Lindros era didn’t end the way that Ed Snider and Bobby Clarke hoped it would. However, the organization has buried a bad memory of stripping his captaincy in favor of honoring the good times.
The most talented hockey player ever to wear the Flyers jersey won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP in 1995 and led the Flyers to the 1997 Stanley Cup Final. His point per game average ranks among the best in NHL history.
Eric Desjardins (1999-2001)
The Flyers handed the “C” to Eric Desjardins in response to the Lindros saga. He had previously spent time as an alternate captain with Rod Brind’Amour.
The puck-moving defenseman was the rock of the Philadelphia blue line during the memorable era of contention in the 1990s and early 2000s. He ranks toward the top of the franchise record books in most statistical categories among defensemen.
Keith Primeau (2001-06)
It took a great hockey player to make the Flyers forget about trading Rod Brind’Amour, but Keith Primeau quickly made an impression in Philadelphia. He proved himself as the team leader in the early 2000s after Lindros left a void as the top-line center.
Primeau’s goal in Game 4 of the 2000 series against the Penguins still stands as one of the best memories in Flyers history. He scored a comparably memorable goal four years later in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Derian Hatcher (2005-06)
The Flyers unsurprisingly made a splash after the 2004-05 lockout. Derian Hatcher spent his best years with the Dallas Stars, but he occupied the captaincy as a stopgap during his time with the Flyers. He played his final three seasons in the NHL in Philadelphia.
Hatcher hung around long enough to play in the Eastern Conference Final in 2008.
Peter Forsberg (2006-07)
The decision to trade Peter Forsberg as part of the Lindros deal is questionable with the benefit of hindsight. The crafty Swede did return to the organization in his 30s after his prime years. Forsberg struggled with injuries in Philadelphia, but he was stunningly skilled with the puck in the 100 games he played for the Flyers.
Paul Holmgren dealt Forsberg to the Predators to begin a series of moves that ultimately brought Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell to Philadelphia.
Jason Smith (2007-08)
The Flyers came back with a vengeance in 2007-08 after their worst season in franchise history. Holmgren flipped his roster upside down, and his retool included acquiring veteran Jason Smith to wear the “C” for a team that reached the Eastern Conference Final.
Smith wasn’t a star player. However, he served his purpose well enough in one season with the Flyers to earn a position in the organization after his retirement.
Mike Richards (2008-11)
An organization that stripped the “C” off one of the most publicized players in NHL history experienced another controversy just over a decade later. Mike Richards was a hard-nosed hockey player who took over the captaincy at age 23.
The Flyers hoped they found the next Bobby Clarke, and Richards played with incredible intensity as a two-way forward and a penalty killer. The Sea Isle City regular flamed out quickly in Philadelphia, however, and Holmgren dealt him and Jeff Carter away on the same day in a summer stunner in 2011.
Chris Pronger (2011-13)
Chris Pronger was one of the most intimidating players in NHL history. The 6-foot-6 defenseman captured the hearts of Flyers fans as the general of the 2010 team that reached the Stanley Cup Final. He was the obvious choice as the captain after the Richards trade.
He only played 13 more games in the NHL. An unfortunate injury ended his career too soon, and the Flyers have not truly replaced him since. Look for Pronger’s name on any list of the best defensemen in NHL history.
Claude Giroux (2012-22)
The Flyers hoped for a new era of Stanley Cup glory with Claude Giroux as the centerpiece. After they named him the captain in 2013 following the latest NHL lockout, they fell off the face of the Earth. Giroux became one of the most consistent point scorers in the NHL for a decade as the captain, and the depth behind him never gave him a chance to lead the Flyers to the Stanley Cup.
The Flyers traded Giroux in 2022 in the deal that brought Owen Tippett to Philadelphia.
Sean Couturier (2024)
The John Tortorella era began without a captain while the Flyers attempted to establish a new standard for performance on and off the ice. They named Sean Couturier their captain in 2024 during his 12th season in Philadelphia.
Couturier broke into the NHL at age 18 in 2011-12. He steadily ascended into the role of a top-line center. The peak of his career came in 2019-20 when he won the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive (but really two-way) forward.
