VOORHEES, N.J. — Wayne Simmonds had just finished mobbing Claude Giroux in celebration of the Flyers’ pulsating overtime win with 14 ticks left on the Wells Fargo Center clock.
In that moment Monday night, Simmonds’ mind was nowhere else.
Or maybe it was.
“Detroit still up 2-0?” he asked reporters after the Flyers’ 3-2 victory over the Jets.
So, sure, the Flyers are keeping tabs on the competition while fighting their own battles in this quest for the playoffs.
“Yeah, definitely watching,” Simmonds said. “Definitely seeing a little bit of that.”
But don’t lump Dave Hakstol into that group scrolling the out-of-town scoreboard.
NHL
The first-year coach made that crystal clear after Tuesday’s optional practice at Flyers Skate Zone. With seven games remaining and his team tied for the second wild-card spot, Hakstol’s focus was — and is always — in one place.
“We always have a pretty introspective look here,” he said. “We’re worried about ourselves and taking care of ourselves and getting ready and prepared, and we’ll do that.”
His concerns aren’t with the Red Wings as they challenge the Flyers for the Eastern Conference’s final postseason bid. They’re not even with mighty Alex Ovechkin and the NHL-best Capitals, who visit the Wells Fargo Center Wednesday night.
“I’m not too worried about the Caps,” Hakstol said. “They’ve had a tremendous season.”
It’s about the Flyers.
“We have to worry about what we’re doing today,” Hakstol said. “Worry about the next opportunity at points.
“Really, you keep it simple and worry about that next challenge and next opportunity.”
The rookie NHL coach is getting his first taste of a playoff push and the schedule only gets tougher. After Wednesday’s home game against Washington, the Flyers finish the regular season with three separate back-to-back sets.
That’s six games in nine days. That includes two with the Penguins and one each with the Red Wings and Islanders.
“Move forward a day at a time,” Hakstol said. “We know what the schedule holds for us but we don’t have to worry about things that are coming up 10, 12 days down the road right now.”
Natural G-men
Hakstol said he watched Monday’s game-winning play orchestrated by Shayne Gostisbehere and Giroux “a couple of times.”
Even Hakstol, stoic and not one to gush, was left impressed.
“It’s one of those plays that you don’t teach that kind of ability,” he said.
“You kind of have a mix of emotions there because it goes from almost a two-on-none, two-on-one type of situation to looking like the play is broken up. And then a great play by Shayne to strip that puck and get it to Claude.”
Hakstol felt the play was bigger than just one game.
“That’s a huge play for our hockey team,” he said. “Not just in that game, but for our stretch that we’re in here, to get that point.”
Mason ‘fresh’
Steve Mason has played in 48 of the Flyers’ 75 games this season.
Was missing parts of the season and at times sitting in favor of Michal Neuvirth a blessing in disguise? The lesser load has allowed the Flyers to now heavily ride Mason with Neuvirth sidelined the rest of the regular season.
“Maybe that’s part of it for Mase,” Hakstol said. “It’s a little bit of speculation on my part, but certainly he’s fresh. We see that in him right now on a day-to-day basis. Physically, it’s a pretty taxing schedule, but I just see a guy that is fresh mentally and that’s a good spot to be in as a player, especially in that position.”
While starting 11 of the last 12 games, Mason has been at his best. In March, the 27-year-old is 7-2-2 with a .929 save percentage and 1.97 goals-against average, the latter of which is third best among NHL goalies with nine or more games played during the month.
“For him to be able to show up to the rink every day, be fresh mentally and be upbeat and look forward to the next challenge is a strength for him,” Hakstol said.
Practice notes
Only the healthy scratches from Monday night’s game — Scott Laughton, R.J. Umberger, Evgeny Medvedev, Jordan Weal — and backup goalie Anthony Stolarz practiced on Tuesday.