Philadelphia Flyers

With the Flyers riding a nine-game winning streak, the guys welcome aboard new members of the bandwagon that are jumping on to support the Flyers in their run to the playoffs.

The Flyers win over the Sabres, their ninth straight, was a classic formula that good teams follow. Their goalie stole the result and some opportunistic goals were enough.

Carter Hart made 38 saves in helping to lift the Flyers to their ninth straight win, a 3-1 defeat of the Sabres, allowing them to keep pace in the Metropolitan Division with the Washington Capitals in a tie for first place.

The Flyers could have a chance to move into first place in the Metropolitan Division, depending on Saturday’s afternoon’s game between the Capitals and Penguins, when they take on the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

For as level-headed and as focused as the Flyers have been on the task at hand and staying in the moment in every game, notably when adjustments have to be made, it’s only natural that some of the excitement is setting in.

The Flyers secured their eighth straight win, defeating the Hurricanes, 4-1, on Thursday night and moving into a tie for the Metro Division lead after Washington lost to the Rangers in overtime.

The Flyers provided a timeline for James van Riemsdyk’s injury, suffered in the Flyers win in Washington on Wednesday night. van Riemsdyk will miss four-to-six weeks with a broken right index finger.

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 win against the division-leading Capitals on a national stage with a very strong final 40 minutes certainly qualifies as a statement. That statement: this team is for real, and people are really starting to see it.