After all the complicated scenarios that we have hashed out over the past month or so everything is suddenly very simple. If the Flyers beat the Boston Bruins this afternoon they will sit in sole possession of 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division which would qualify them for a playoff spot …for at least a few hours.
For the eternal optimist this Easter Sunday could be a day of redemption. They’ve pushed all the trash talking aside and never gave up the faith. They were right all along, the Flyers are very much in this race.
For the perpetual pessimist this is just another chance for the Flyers to blow yet another golden opportunity. They wrote the team off after a disastrous January and who can blame them. After the calendar flipped things got bleak, bleaker, bleakest. A skid turned into a free-fall as the Flyers lost 13 of 16 games in the new year.
For the bandwagon jumper, go get your fan gear out of the closet already. Nobody likes the smell of moth balls. This may not be a long ride and you’re already missing out on the fun.
In reality, since the Olympic break in February the Flyers have returned to the tone they had set in the Fall. January proved to be an outlier and the Flyers are still relevant in the final weeks of the 2025-26 season.
Anything can happen on any given night, you just gotta watch the games and see where they take you. For the players this has remained the focus all along. None of the complicated scenarios or twisted machinations mean a thing unless you keep winning hockey games. Keep it simple.
Far From Over
That being said, even if the Flyers beat the Bruins this afternoon they would need to protect that 3rd place spot in the division for another week and a half which is no easy task. In fact, if the Washington Capitals beat the lowly New York Rangers tonight they would overtake the Flyers for that coveted 3rd place slot.
Silver Platter Saturday
Yesterday almost everything the Flyers needed to happen happened. It was a rare day for the City of Brotherly Love. The Islanders, Red Wings, Senators, Bruins, and Blue Jackets all lost their respective games on Saturday.
The Islanders currently sit in that 3rd place spot in the Metro. The Flyers beat the Islanders on Friday night cutting their lead to just one point. Carolina beat the Islanders last night keeping them frozen at 89 points over the weekend.
The Flyers with 88 points could pass the Islanders with a victory over Boston today. This would be a very challenging development for the Islanders since at this moment the Flyers have two games in hand over them as well.
Including this afternoon the Flyers have just six games left on their regular season schedule. That is a possible 12 points which seems gigantic considering the close quarters inside the Metro division and wild card race where every point counts.
Heading Down the Stretch
The simple path is through the Metropolitan Division standings. Carolina is safe, they have clinched with 104 points. The Penguins beat the Panthers 9-4 yesterday, they are in good shape in 2nd place with 94 points.
The Islanders are in 3rd with 89 points and only 4 games remaining. The Flyers are currently tied with the Blue Jackets with 88. The Caps are hot on their heels with 87.
Jersey is in the distance with 81 points. And the New York Rangers are locked up securely in the basement with 73 points.
The complicated path is through the wild card race. Currently the Flyers are in a 4-way tie for the second and final wildcard spot in the East with the tie-breakers working against them.
The Bruins, who we’ll see later today, are in good shape to hold onto the 1st wildcard spot with 94 points. The Sabres are currently in 3rd place in the Atlantic Division with 100 points. So Buffalo will either retain their spot in the top three or trade spots with the Bruins. Either way the top wildcard spot is pretty much spoken for.
It Ain’t Over Either Way
No matter how this game turns out today this is not the end of the road for the Philadelphia Flyers. They will either remain in striking distance with just five games remaining. Or they may be have earned the challenge of protecting their 1st playoff berth since 2020. To quote the late great Bernie Parent “Some fun eh”?
Today: Flyers vs Bruins in Philly 3:30 PM.
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