Chuck Fletcher’s motives by the April 12 deadline will be strongly influenced by the Flyers’ play over the next five or six games.
“We put ourselves in a position to play back in the playoffs,” the Flyers general manager said Saturday afternoon. “We have time to come in again, but with the danger of under-emphasizing it, this week is a great week for us, especially the next four days.”
Saturday night, the Flyers opened this important stretch with a 3-2 shooting loss for the islanders at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Sean Couturier, Nolan Patrick, Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek were eliminated in the skills competition.
Mathew Barzal recorded the lone result to win it for New York.
It was important for the Flyers to grab a point. Their next two games are of the utmost importance.
“The season is at stake,” Voracek said. “We’re in a big hole, we can not afford to lose any big games. That’s how it is.”
With 20 games left in the shortened, 56 games regular season, the Flyers (17-14-5) are four points behind the Bruins, who are finishing fourth and final in the Eastern Division. Boston has two games under hand at the Flyers and has so far taken all five meetings between the two clubs.
On Monday and Tuesday, the Flyers have a chance to draw with the Bruins in the points column.
“We are all aware of that,” Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said before the game about the club’s position before the deadline. “I’m aware of that, my staff are aware of that and all the players. We’re on the outside now, we’re trying to get in again and these next games are extremely important for Chuck and the management. Think about it. It’s up to us to get on the playing the right way and doing the right things on the ice and winning games. ‘
The Flyers started 3-0-0 against the Islanders (24-10-4) this season, but dropped the last three (0-1-2).
• For the Flyers, possibly the biggest storyline that came out Saturday night: Carter Hart watched much more like himself.
He was brilliant.
After the 22-year-old mini-reset that consisted of practice and extra work, Vigneault returned to Hart for his first start in nine days.
“It’s obviously a coach and goalkeeper discussion there, but he looked me straight in the eye and he said he was good to go play,” Vigneault said before the game about his conversation with Hart.
“If we’re going to make the playoffs that I believe we can do, we need to keep all our top players, all our top performers at stake and that A game and that A effort. Carter is one of those guys. We are just there, there are 21 games left and we have to be at our best and Carter has to be one of the players who has to be at his best. ‘
Hart, who passed with a 4.04 goals against the average, finished with 22 saves and many of them were of high quality. He denied three of four strokes in the skill competition.
Overall big for him and big for the Flyers’ hopes of chasing a playoff spot.
“I just came every day to practice without simmering, just to have fun with the boys and to compete and fight,” Hart said. “Just show up to work every day with my hard hat and my lunch bucket.”
Newly net-less Ilya Sorokin is 3-0-0 with 89 shots on 93 shots in his last three times against the Flyers.
• In less than four minutes during the third period, Giroux erased New York’s 2-0 lead with some impressive shots.
The 33-year-old captain was a man on mission. Travis Konecny and Voracek both scored goals.
The islanders were 11-0-1 when they took the lead after the second period and nailed the score to 12-0-1. Hard to play against them from behind.
• The Flyers have scored 13 goals in 13 of their last 18 games. They fell 2-0 in the second period when they had numerous failed attempts to clear the zone.
As a result, Barzal had time on his stick with time and space. The 23-year-old star of the Islanders found Anthony Beauvillier, who sent off his second goal of the game with a 2-0 lead to New York.
• Samuel Morin dropped the gloves with Ross Johnston in the first period.
Later in the period, Morin is whistled for interference after a big hit from behind on Jean-Gabriel Pageau. New York benefited from the first power play of the game as Beauvillier scored an easy goal near the lock.
The Flyers trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes and have yet to hold a lead for the first time in their last ten games. For some reason, it remains problematic.
• In a physical play with Brock Nelson, Philippe Myers went awkwardly on the boards in the third period. He went up the tunnel but was able to return to the game.
Robert Hagg (shoulder) stayed on the health front and exercised on Friday and appears to be returning.
• Tanner Laczynski has called up fourteen games in his professional career for his NHL debut. The 23-year-old center was one of Lehigh Valley’s best forwards from AHL and has scored six goals in his last five games.
He took the traditional solo rounds in warm-ups on Saturday and centered the fourth line. He won three games and blocked a shot in 8:17 minutes.
• The Flyers have a rugby game against the Browns. The teams meet Monday at TD Garden (19:00 ET / NBCSP) and Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center (19:00 ET / NBCSP).
The NHL deadline is next Monday.
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