VOORHEES, N.J. — They had a challenge. They met it.
The best that can be said for the Flyers' 3-1 win over St. Louis is that they were able to rally from a third-period deficit Thursday against one of the top clubs in the NHL that had lost just one time all season in regulation when leading after two periods.
“Coming back from a real defensive team in the third period being down 1-0 coming up with some huge goals is something good and to feel good about,” Steve Mason said.
Mason had something personal to feel good about. It’s been an incredibly long climb, but the Flyers' goaltender finally reached the .500 summit with this victory — 13-13-8.
“It’s been a grind to get back to this point the way the season started,” Mason said. “A large part of that is our team has really come around the last little stretch and helped contribute to the wins.
“Now you got to get above the .500 mark and keep going from there. Fifty wins with the Flyers is something special. I hope there are quite a few more down the road.”
He goes into the Boston game amid the sudden departure of goalie coach Jeff Reese.
NHL
Whether Reese’s exit is a distraction to the Flyers remains to be seen.
Flyers coach Craig Berube would not comment on that but said he wasn’t worried.
“Do I look worried?" Berube said Friday at practice. "No, I’m not worried at all."
Berube called the Bruins game, “a huge challenge.”
“They are fun games to be a part of, but this is a time of year where playing hockey is extra fun just because there is so much on the line,” Mason said.
“Especially for us right now when every game is a must-win. I think if we’re finally able to get back into these playoffs, we could be a dangerous team just because we’ve been playing must-win hockey for a long time.”
The Flyers go into Boston on Saturday four points behind the Bruins for the second wild-card spot.
“They are a team in the same situation as us, where every game coming down the stretch is a must-win,” Mason said. “Just because they have teams chasing them, they realize how important [Saturday's] game is just like we do.”
As good as that seems, it’s tempered with this thought: the Flyers were four points behind the Bruins as far back as Feb. 21 and still have not caught them.
At one point a week ago, they could have been tied with the Bruins had they not lost consecutive road games in Carolina and Toronto.
That’s why Berube was rather blunt in saying he wasn’t happy at how close his club was to a playoff spot because it’s been that way for much of the second half of the season.
Nothing has changed. Every game has an impact now in the standings.
“It’s a huge game obviously, but they’re all huge now,” Berube said. “I don’t really have to go and tell my team how big the game is. They’re all big from here to the end of the year. It’s obviously a big game against a team we’re chasing. [We are] four points behind them. If we can get a win, we’re two points.”
The four-point reach has been like Everest for the Flyers to climb this season, no doubt influencing the odds makers against the Flyers. Sportsclubstats.com still gives them virtually no shot at making the playoffs — 3.9 percent.
Yet the Flyers believe their fate can change. They need a victory in regulation at Boston and can’t afford to give the Bruins any points in overtime or a shootout.
The Flyers should have little trouble getting up for Boston. Their one constant during a year of inconsistent performances is that they play their best hockey against teams better than them in the standings.
“Part of it I guess is that you don’t want to be embarrassed,” Mason said. “That’s not to take anything away from teams that are on our level and below us.
“When you’re playing a team, especially like St. Louis, where they are strong and can really wear you down, you got to make sure you take it to them instead. If you don’t, you’re going to be on the wrong end of it pretty quickly”.
First time
Defenseman Luke Schenn had his first multi-point game as a Flyer with two assists and a plus-2 rating against St. Louis. As irony would have it, his last multi-point game in the NHL was Feb. 9, 2012 — against the Flyers.
Penalty kill
The Blues were 0 for 1 on the power play. The Flyers have killed off 29 of 31 opponent power plays during their last 12 home games.