Flyers firing on all cylinders, shaking up Eastern Conference playoff race

Philadelphia Flyers analyst Steve Coates joins Writers Bloc to explain how the team is making a push at winning the Metropolitan Division.

It stands to reason that, when a team has ripped off nine straight wins, more than a few things are going its way. Still, you’d require quite a wingspan to get your arms around everything rolling in the right direction for the Philadelphia Flyers right now.

After downing the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 at home on Saturday, the Brotherly Love Boys are one victory away from a double-digit win streak. When they woke up on Feb. 18, the Flyers were a single point clear of the Eastern Conference post-season cutoff. Now, they’ve basically sewn up a playoff berth and are tied for the Metropolitan Division lead, holding the exact same 41-20-7 record as the Washington Capitals.

The success certainly starts with goalie Carter Hart. Since returning in mid-February from an abdominal strain that shelved him for a month, Hart is 9-1-0 with a .934 save percentage. The sophomore started seven of Philadelphia’s nine consecutive W’s — including the one over Buffalo — and has the third-best high-danger save percentage in the league during that stretch (.905).

Hart’s performance has been especially key because, over the course of their winning run, Philly has the 25th-ranked Corsi For percentage (47.76) in the league. That said, this is not a smoke-and-mirrors situation. The Flyers may be giving up shots, but they’re doing a solid job of suppressing high-danger opportunities. They’re also seeing a wide range of players step up, some of whom — like Hart — appear to be taking the next step in their career.

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Put Travis Konecny at the top of that list. The fourth-year right winger has 24 goals on the season, equaling the total he posted each of the past two seasons. Konecny is tied for the team scoring lead with Jakob Voracek in the past nine outings, as both men have put up 13 points. Scott Laughton, who missed time earlier this season with finger and groin ailments, is producing the best offensive numbers of his career right now as a point-per-game player the past two weeks. Rookie Nicolas Aube-Kubel has been chipping in points in a limited role lately and Kevin Hayes, the team’s big free-agent signing last summer, has six goals in his past nine and is two away from equaling his previous career-high of 25.

All of this is occurring behind a top line of Voracek, captain Claude Giroux and two-way dynamo Sean Couturier doing their thing.

The best offensive story could actually be happening on the blue line, where Ivan Provorov appears to be realizing his full and substantial potential. The seventh-overall pick from 2015 has 13 goals on the season, more than all but seven defencemen in the NHL. He’s also averaging just a tick under 25 minutes a night, roughly three more than the second-busiest player on the squad, his blue-line buddy Matt Niskanen.

Let’s not forget first-year coach Alain Vigneault, who has never missed the playoffs in a debut season with a club in three previous tries. Vigneault is certain to go four-for-four on that front — and getting to the post-season might only be the start for this balanced crew.

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Other Weekend Takeaways

• While one side of the Keystone State is soaring, the other is struggling. The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped two home games on the weekend (to Washington and Carolina) by a combined score of 11-4. The Pens are 2-8-0 in their past 10 and have about one more week of bad hockey to go before they have to really start sweating their playoff spot.

• Kevin Fiala and Alex Galchenyuk both scored in Minnesota’s crucial 5-4 overtime win versus the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday. If the 26-year-old Galchenyuk is looking for a blueprint to get his career back on track, he could do much worse than the 23-year-old Fiala. The latter popped two goals — including the extra-time winner after drawing the power play that led to the marker — against the Ducks and is in the running for breakout player of the year. The former, meanwhile, has goals in two of his past three outings and likely has to make the most of the next month to avoid starting next year in the KHL. By the way, the Wild — who fired a coach about a month ago and might be rebuilding, but might not be rebuilding — are presently on the inside of the Western Conference playoff picture.

• We deride social media all the time, but I’m so glad Twitter came along and helped us see another, awesome side of Roberto Luongo during this past decade. Congrats to ‘Bobby Lou’ on having his No. 1 lifted to the rafters in the place he made his home, Southern Florida. (Related: I wish more goalies would go with No. 1 as a nod to the old school.)

• A two-win weekend for the Red Wings deserves acknowledgement, especially the six-point contribution from Tyler Bertuzzi in wins over Chicago on Friday and Tampa Bay 48 hours later. Also a must-mention: the three-point NHL debut from Carolina’s Morgan Geekie on Sunday. What a start! What a handle!

• When you’re doing right by Billie Jean King, you’re just plain doing right. Great job by Sportsnet (and NBC) on International Women’s Day.

Red and White Power Rankings

1. Edmonton Oilers (37-24-8): What a performance by Mikko Koskinen on Saturday, stopping 45 pucks in a 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets as the Oilers stay in the hunt for top spot in the Pacific.

2. Winnipeg Jets (35-28-6): Kyle Connor popped his 36th goal of the season during Friday’s win over Vegas. Two years ago, in his first full campaign, he netted 31, then 34 last season. The 23-year-old just keeps hitting new heights.

3. Calgary Flames (36-27-7): The Flames dropped a tough one on Sunday night to Vegas, but Mikael Backlund scored in Friday’s critical home win over Arizona and he’s been driving the offence with 10 goals and 22 points in his past 16 contests.

4. Toronto Maple Leafs (35-25-9): A horrible California trip concluded on Friday with a loss to the Ducks. The Leafs need to re-discover their scoring touch in a hurry when they host Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

5. Vancouver Canucks (35-27-6): Brock Boeser skated with the group on Sunday and, in a wonderful development for Vancouver, it now appears he’ll be back sooner rather than later.

6. Montreal Canadiens (31-30-9): Backup Charlie Lindgren is getting a chance to make an early case as the No. 2 for next year, but it’s hard to imagine the Canadiens won’t be looking outside the organization to fill that role this summer.

7. Ottawa Senators (25-32-12): With the NHL Draft Lottery set for April 9, it’s time to start dreaming for Sens fans. With the San Jose Sharks’ pick in their back pocket and the Los Angeles Kings heating up, it’s possible Ottawa could have the second- and third-best odds of winning the first pick.

In Your Ear

If you’re looking for more Flyers talk, check out the latest episode of Tape to Tape as co-host Rory Boylen and I welcomed Philly beat writer Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic.

The Week Ahead

• A huge tilt in the West playoff race goes off Monday in Winnipeg, as the Coyotes come to town.

• The Flyers will have their hands full in pursuit of 10 in a row: Philadelphia hosts Boston on Tuesday night. David Pastrnak needs two goals in that game to hit 50, by the way.

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