Strange season it’s been for the Flyers as the clock winds down to zero with seven games left now after Wednesday’s 4-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks (see Instant Replay).
Another Stanley Cup favorite loses. Another team better than the Flyers is reduced to mere mortals here at Wells Fargo Center.
Let the record show the Flyers are now 9-1-4 in their last 14 games against clubs that are playoff-bound and, stunningly, 0-6-3 against those who will be sitting at home this spring.
“It’s very frustrating and I’d like to tell you why and it’s a frustrating thing we’re not in the playoffs,” said team captain Claude Giroux, who scored his first even-strength goal on home ice all season.
“When we’re ready to play, we play our best games. It’s definitely frustrating.”
It’s been a mental block for Craig Berube’s club all season.
“It’s something we need to learn from for next year because it’s not acceptable,” Giroux said.
Berube himself said he thinks it’s more of a home/road thing -- the Flyers have 21 wins at home and nine on the road.
The Flyers' home/road disparity has happened before. In 1972-73, they were 28-8-4 (.744) at home and 10-22-7 on the road (.346).
They are now 21-9-16 at home and 9-20-10 on the road.
“You look at goal differential home and road, there’s a big difference,” Berube said. “Big difference. Gave up too many goals on the road. At times, didn’t score enough. It’s a big difference.”
A lot of interesting things happened in this game. Ryan White scored his fifth goal. No one expected him to do that when the Flyers signed him last summer.
Imagine what his numbers might have been had he not missed half a season with a torn pectoral injury.
He’s fighting to show the club he wants another contract next season.
“Hexy (Ron Hextall) always told me to go out and play my game and so did Chief (Berube),” White said. “They believed in me from the start. You play the right kind of hockey here and it fits my style.
“I’ve got a one-year contract. I’m always playing for a job. I try not to put too much emphasis on it. Show up at the rink and go do your job.”
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is another one. He fought tough guy Dan Carcillo. He’s not expected to do things like that. He’s a skill guy, not a fighter.
“He’s a strong kid and it takes some guts to fight Carcillo because Carcillo is a pretty good fighter,” said Jakub Voracek, whose assist tied him with John Tavares and Sidney Crosby for the NHL scoring lead with 74 points.
“He did a great job. That’s what we got to do. We stood up for ourselves all season long. It shows this team has character.”
The Flyers fought hard for goals, as well.
Wayne Simmonds' 28th goal at 7:20 of the opening period was the result of some tenacious forechecking and a turnover from Marian Hossa. That's when Matt Read got a loose puck in the left circle and found Simmonds in the right slot for a quick shot on Corey Crawford.
The goal was Simmonds’ 100th as a Flyer and first in five games.
Simmonds finished the game with just 12:45 ice time after taking a shot in the left leg from Mark Streit during a Flyer power play in the third period. He has a fracture, a source told CSNPhilly.com (see story).
Andrew MacDonald has a fractured right hand, the source also said, after taking a shot off it from a Chicago player. Both players are out the rest of the season, the club announced.
Goalie Steve Mason had a number of momentum saves in the game and withstood a strong third-period push from Chicago after the Hawks made it a 3-1 game.
The Flyers' dressing room, understandably, was subdued. Can’t celebrate victories now when so many points were left on the ice this season.
“At this point, winning feels good but there is that sobering feeling where we are at in the standings,” Mason said. “Tonight was an effort you look back on.”
Voracek was very direct.
“It’s too late,” he said. “I said before the game, we’ve got to play for pride. Make sure we show up for every game. We did tonight. We beat one of the best teams in the league.”
Hextall said during the game it’s this Jekyll-and-Hyde personality that makes him believe he doesn’t need to tear the roster apart, but just make adjustments for next season.
“It’s very frustrating,” Hextall said. “You’d rather have it that way than the other way. You know there is more there than we’ve given some nights. Nights like this [against Chicago] prove it.
“You got to be real. I don’t think the other team is having it’s best game. You’ve got to keep it in perspective. But we’ve played our best hockey against the better teams.”
Again, nothing makes sense. Like Giroux not scoring an even-strength goal on home ice until the 36th home game of the season. His last one? Last March 28 against Toronto – nearly a full year ago.
“He obviously has to produce for us and it’s mind-boggling at times that he only had one goal 5-on-5 at home,” Berube said.
Added Giroux, “When I scored, I knew it. We were just trying to do some good things out there.”
This was a good thing: The Flyers won in classy fashion, celebrating Kimmo Timonen in his return to Philadelphia with chants and applause and standing ovations and stick tapping.
“That’s awesome,” Jonathan Toews said. “Really great. I think, especially in this city, even if you spend a number of years here, you always hear stories of guys getting it pretty good from the fans be it booing or jeering or stuff like that.
“Kimmo has a history of being a class act, a good guy on or off the ice. Definitely showed why he got that ovation."