A Full Breakdown of the Flyers’ Playoff Scenarios and Implications

The Flyers are no longer playing for fun.

They’re playing against a magic number, a scoreboard, and a crowd that suddenly has something to cheer about for the first time in half a decade. The 7-1 victory Saturday night against Winnipeg has the Flyers at 94 points, and a magic number down to just three. They are in full control of their postseason fate and their own destiny, which is huge this late in the season. 

It all started against Boston. Last Sunday, they were able to move into a guaranteed playoff spot for the first time since January 12, thanks to Porter Martone’s first NHL goal. After that, the Flyers have just been rolling. A 5-1 smashing of the Devils follows their 7-1 victory against the Jets. The loss against the Red Wings hurt, but they have been getting lots of help from other teams, which is keeping them alive in the race. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets currently sit at 92 points after their win against the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night. The New York Islanders are right behind them, but are falling. A 3-0 loss to Ottawa on Saturday afternoon has New York at 91 points, and a regulation loss on Sunday afternoon could eliminate them from playoff contention. They face the Canadiens. 

Columbus will face Boston on Sunday, with Boston locked into a playoff position. Both Ottawa and Boston are tied with 96 points, and both teams will be looking for wins to see which side gets the top wild-card spot. Columbus has a three-point lead on the Islanders and would force New York to win out while also needing losses from the Flyers and Blue Jackets.

The Flyers are idle on Sunday, and Monday night could potentially be the day playoff hockey is brought back into Philadelphia.

The Flyers will finish their regular season with two home games in a back-to-back, starting with the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night. The Canes have already won the Metropolitan Division with 110 points, so there is a possibility that Carolina could be scratching out starters, which could help out the Flyers even more. Monday’s game could have high implications if the Bruins do their job. A Columbus loss and a Flyers win would clinch a playoff spot for the Flyers on Monday. 

Even with no help, the Flyers could go just 1-0-1 the rest of the way, and they’ll make the playoffs. That is if Columbus wins on Sunday. If it comes down to game 82 on Tuesday night, they’ll have one more chance against Montreal, and all they would need is a point. The Canadiens have already clinched a playoff spot and sit in third in the Atlantic. But they can also relax for the next few games, as they are not fighting for a wild-card spot. Montreal, Tampa Bay, and the Buffalo Sabers are all in a two-point gap from each other, so the only thing they would be playing for is seeding. 

But what if the Flyers lose? That is always still a possibility. 

If the Flyers lose all their remaining games, they’d remain at 94 points. The best scenario would be for the Blue Jackets and Islanders to lose out. If Columbus loses out and the Flyers lose out, the Flyers are in. If the Flyers lose out and Columbus only gets a point in the last two games, the Flyers are in. The Islanders would need either two wins or a win and a point to match the Flyers. The Islanders hold the tiebreaker over the Flyers, which would put them in the postseason. The Blue Jackets also have the tiebreaker over the Flyers, so if the Flyers were to lose out and Columbus go 1-1, the Blue Jackets would be in. 

But what about the Capitals? They also have 91 points and are tied with the Islanders. The Caps have two more games remaining on their schedule, and they hold the tiebreaker over the Flyers. Washington would need at least what New York needs in order to catch the Flyers. The Capitals end their regular season against the Blue Jackets. These are the worst-case scenarios. But anything is possible in sports. 

So this is what teams Flyers fans should be rooting for during Sunday’s games:

Penguins to beat the Capitals

Canadiens to beat the Islanders

Bruins to beat the Blue Jackets

What we will see is a sold-out Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday night. The Hurricanes are fighting for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Canadiens are fighting to win the Atlantic Division. It’ll be tough for the Flyers in the next two games, but their grittiness with the home crowd behind them will give them an extra kick in their sleeves. 

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