Kevin Hayes
The Flyers will face a well-rested Carolina Hurricanes team that has not played since a 4-3 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens last Saturday. The Hurricanes are currently the first team out of the playoffs, three points behind the Islanders for the final wildcard spot.
The Flyers fell behind in the first, but responded with a strong second and third period to secure their third win of the season against the Washington Capitals, claiming a 5-2 victory in Washington on Wednesday night.
With the Flyers on a six-game winning streak and in second place in the heavyweight Metropolitan Division, it feels like night and day compared to just a year ago.
In the middle of a game where the scoreboard showed 4-1 and 5-1 for most of the third period, it is the small defensive plays that will quickly be forgotten, but those little plays have the Flyers where they are. Where they are, on Saturday morning, is second in the Metropolitan Division and on a five-game winning streak.
Friday’s game doesn’t lock the Flyers into anything just yet, but it was another statement that this team continues to put together solid games within the division and draws closer to solidifying their spot. Giroux was a big player in that result again, scoring twice in the Flyers 5-2 win over the Rangers.
A recent surge has the Rangers just two points out of a playoff spot, while the Flyers, on a four-game winning streak of their own, look to maintain their place in third in the Metro with their sights now firmly set on taking another step and trying to catch the teams at the top.
For Nate Thompson and Derek Grant, who were literally dropped into a playoff race at the trade deadline, there should be some added motivation. They both had a front row seat as their next team continued to make that playoff push with another win on Tuesday.
Kevin Hayes scored two goals and had a three-point game as the Flyers extended their winning streak to four games with a 4-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center.
That’s perhaps the biggest difference between the Flyers of this season and the Flyers of last season and years past. This team believes they are never out of a game. More times than not, they have risen to the occasion. There have been times when people want to pronounce them dead for a poor performance or a crushing loss, only to have them rise to the occasion the very next game.
In overtime, it was Kevin Hayes playing hero, scoring the game-winning goal with 1:09 remaining to give the Flyers a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
