[Chris]

Flyers Complete Turnaround with Playoffs

by Anthony J. SanFilippo
Special to ComcastSportsNet.com

It’s safe to say no one thought it would happen like this.

There was such a random yet utterly perfect combination of events that took place that really had to leave a lot of folks scratching their heads.

First, and most importantly, the Flyers figured out a way to finally defeat the New Jersey Devils.

Not only that, they unearthed what the would-be recipe for success is against their hated rival if, in fact, at some point they were to meet in the postseason.

Punch them in the face. Hit them hard and relentlessly hound them at close range. Force them to make mistakes. Force them to turnover the puck. And although they may have the greatest goalie in the history of the sport, fire the puck at him enough and a few might go in.

Sounds like the same game plan the Devils always seem to employ against their opponents, making them one of, if not the most successful team in the NHL for the better part of the past 15 seasons.

Only this style, the one the Flyers play, has a little more bite and lot more edginess.

And one thing that made those added traits so much more obvious Friday’s playoff-clinching, 3-0 victory over the Devils, was the best hockey crowd in Philadelphia in about four years.

It’s amazing how much energy a good crowd can give a hockey team, and Friday’s game was evidence of that.

The team fed off the crowd, and played the way it did at the start of the season. With passion. With desire. And, as their season-long marketing campaign constantly reminded, with vengeance.

It is the way this group of Flyers needs to play to win. Anything less leaves them a level below their opposition. And while it may be a lot to ask a team to bring it that hard and that fast night in and night out during the regular season, but this time of year, when the games matter most, it is imperative.

But, the win over New Jersey was just the beginning of a confluence of events that ended up with an unexpected playoff berth before the weekend.

That’s because the Florida Panthers, a team brandishing fresh tans as they look forward to an offseason in Ft. Lauderdale, went into Carolina, the place where they dropped their previous 14 contests, and somehow beat the Hurricanes in a game that meant so much more to home team than the Panthers.

And yet, it happened. And just like that, three teams qualified for the playoffs – Boston, Ottawa and the Flyers.

It was the culmination of one of the most impressive one-year turnarounds in NHL history.

Remember, the Flyers were the worst team in hockey last season. General manager Paul Holmgren needed to correct that mess and quick.

So, he rebuilt the team in an image that was successful in Flyers lore – young, fast, smart and at the same time brutally physical.

And so, here they are, back in the playoffs.

They are currently the eighth seed, but can still finish sixth or seventh based on other outcomes tonight and tomorrow.

A Flyers win tomorrow coupled with a Boston loss to Buffalo tonight, lands the Flyers in sixth place, and a first round date with the Southeast Division champ – either Washington or Carolina.

If the Flyers and Boston both win, the Flyers won’t reach sixth, but will leapfrog Ottawa into the No. 7 seed in the East. A Flyers loss keeps them eighth.

In each of those two scenarios, the Flyers will play either Pittsburgh or Montreal depending on where those teams finish up this weekend as well.

The best matchup for the Flyers, of course, is Carolina, but that’s the longest of shots – as three games would have to go the Flyers way.

Believe it or not, as well as they are playing right now, Washington might be the next best choice for the Flyers, but again a lot has to happen to make that possible.

So really, it’s down to Pittsburgh and Montreal. Neither of which is a pleasurable prospect for the Flyers.

Montreal is a little banged up, and they are starting a rookie goalie, so that makes them slightly more vulnerable then the talented Penguins, but still the Flyers will have to have a lot of things go right for them to make any noise.

But anything can happen. Just look at Friday night.

Anthony J. SanFilippo covers the Flyers for the Delaware County Daily Times.

E-mail Anthony J. SanFilippo

[Drew]

Fantastic read. God I cannot wait for playoff hockey!