CALGARY, Alberta — Ten games. That’s all that remains to this lost Flyers season.
Ten games for the Flyers to finish off their second non-playoff campaign over the past three years.
Some players are fighting for jobs. Some for promotions. Some to save the coaching staff.
Jakub Voracek could easily look at the final 10 games and realize he still has a legit chance to win the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer.
All that separates Voracek from the Islanders’ John Tavares is three points. Tavares has 72 points to Voracek’s 69.
With the Flyers out of playoff contention, maybe Voracek should focus on doing something of personal value.
As his coach Craig Berube said on Wednesday, Voracek hasn’t had two games in succession where his effort lacked, despite the fact he has just five goals — one at even-strength — since the midpoint (41 games) of the season, when he led the NHL in scoring with 49 points.
"No, just try to play my game the way I did all season long,” Voracek said of his goal over these final games. “Play good defense, create offensive chances. Have fun with it. It sucks ...
"It’s a tough spot to be in, but you've got to learn from it and take from it and next year use the experience. ... Being in this spot, it sucks. It sucks. It's bothering every one of us. We have to make sure and finish this year strong. Leave everything out there (on the ice)."
Eleven points won by Boston or lost by the Flyers will officially eliminate Berube’s club from the wild-card chase.
Truth is, the Flyers’ season ended March 7 in Boston when they lost in overtime, 3-2 to the Bruins, after they were 15 seconds away in regulation from reducing their playoff deficit to two points behind Boston.
Right now, they are playing out the string with little motivation other than personal pride.
“You're playing in the best league in the world,” Voracek said. “The best players. The treatment we get is the best. You've got to enjoy it. It’s tough. Only eight teams can make the playoffs and unfortunately, it’s not us this year.
“It is what it is. You play, you enjoy it. You keep working hard. It shows a lot about your character — how you perform even when you are out of it. We’re not just going to go and play the games.”
There are so, so many reasons why Berube’s team won’t be in postseason, it’s almost impossible to point to just one thing.
Voracek, however, echoes the thoughts of many Flyers, who point to a terrible start for the third consecutive season as the initial culprit. They went 2-6-0 after the 2012-13 lockout, 1-7-0 last season (even though they eventually made the playoffs), and 1-3-2 to begin this season.
“We dug ourselves such a big hole at the beginning of the season when we didn’t play well, when we couldn’t find ways to win games when we were up,” Voracek said.
“We couldn’t turn around games when we were down. We got ourselves in such a big hole, we were (playing) catch-up and catch-up since November. It’s really hard in the NHL’s (three-point) system to get back in the race.
“Unfortunately, we were almost there. It’s really hard chasing three, four months and chasing, chasing, chasing. We just got to learn from it. You can tell now every point counts. Next year, we have to make sure we have a good start. We've got 10 games and we've got to be strong, which we will be.”
Voracek was almost pleading the Flyers' case, which is what you expect from the team’s leading scorer.
The roster will change this offseason and it’s possible the entire coaching staff will change, as well. That’s a byproduct of two years without playoffs over a three-year span in a market such as Philadelphia, where the playoffs are a given — not an expectation — every season.
Berube has done about as much as anyone could with this roster given his lack of salary cap dollars to make a critical improvement.
Voracek said no one is thinking about whether Berube and his staff will be axed.
“It didn’t cross my mind because we have 10 games left,” Voracek said. “You play for Chief. Obviously, it sucks to be in this position, but it sucks for everyone.
“It is what it is. It’s a learning process now to take from it and use it for next year.”
Sad thing is, for 40 years now, Flyers fans have been saying, 'We got next year.'