Since being officially eliminated from playoff contention on March 29, the Flyers have gone on a four-game point streak (7 points) with a 3-0-1 record.
They’re playing rather carefree, without any pressure, and are going up against teams that have something to lose -- a playoff spot. The pressure is all on the opposition.
They are also trying to save coach Craig Berube’s job, which seems a lost cause at this point.
Told the players are concerned for his fate, Berube said, “That means a lot. We’re all tight in here and like each other and play for each other. There’s a lot of character in here.”
Jakub Voracek is having a career-season with 81 points. He says the man responsible for that is Berube who pushed, prodded and harped on him to become a better player going back three seasons.
“He’s been very hard on me to be honest, since he took over,” Voracek said. “Even when he was an assistant, he didn’t let me off the hook. That was real important for me as a player. That I try to be the best I could be every, single shift. He’s still doing that. He helped me this way.”
Voracek said the players don’t blame Berube for the mess this season presented.
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“There’s only certain things you can do as a coach when you have a record on the road as we do, it’s hard to make the playoffs,” Voracek said. “There’s only so much a coach can do. We weren’t good enough on the road to make the playoffs.”
Voracek is one of the few players -- Steve Mason is another -- who openly seemed angry this season with the team’s play and voiced his concerns on a daily basis.
“I don’t like clichés,” Voracek. “You say things as they are even if you hurt someone. They’re words. That’s the way it is. If you say what you say, you have to do things right.
“I think everybody is pretty upset with [being out ] … of the playoffs. I wouldn’t say there’s a differential between players being mad about it. Everyone is not happy about it ... Everybody is on the same level of madness.”
The Flyers have played hard since being exited. Voracek said the 81 points mean nothing to him without a cause-effect that’s positive.
“It would feel much, much better if we were in a playoff spot, that's for sure,” he said. “It's hard when you're battling out there because you can feel like you kind of let the team down a little bit. No matter how many points you have, you didn't help the team enough to sneak into the playoffs.”
Unlike some players on this club, Voracek looks within himself and says he might have been able to make a difference when it really mattered – March 7 in Boston.
He had a breakaway in overtime that could have won the game the Flyers actually lost by blowing a lead in the final 15 seconds of regulation.
“Maybe I could have been better … Maybe I could have scored that overtime goal in Boston, when I had that breakaway. Maybe then we wouldn't be sitting here talking about missing the playoffs.
“I wasn't thinking about it, no, but that's a thing that could have made a difference in a season, and that's a thing that maybe I can get better at. Step up a little more. Make more differences in the games today than I am. Not point wise, but [score] in more crucial moments.”
Berube noticed that Voracek had become a voice in the dressing room in a season when two of the club’s biggest voices – Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen – were no longer here.
“You don’t get that from everybody,” Berube said. “He’s definitely become a real good leader on this team. I noticed that last year with him. Jake deserves all the credit because he’s the one that worked in the summer time and got himself into the shape that he got himself into.
“That takes a lot of work to change like that. He came into camp in great shape and I can’t name two games where I didn’t see this guy work on the ice. That’s the difference. He works hard. He works hard every shift.
“There’s never a time where he comes back to the bench — or if I do say something to him about working harder, he’ll let me know he’s working hard because he is working hard, you know? I try to push him like I try to push every player.”
Ryan White, a new player this season, also said Berube challenged him as a player.
“He’s a fair coach and tells it like it is,” White said. “There are all kinds of different guys. When you get an ex-player that guys like to play for, you want to keep him around. He’s helped my career.
“He’s the first guy who gave me a chance to play. Play more offensive minutes. I love him. He’s a great coach. He’s fair and hones the first guy to kick you in the butt when you need it, too.”
Mason also threw his support behind Berube.
“Chief is extremely well liked in this locker room,” Mason said. “It’s unfortunate the way things unfolded. Whether this little stretch can change the course of what might happen in the summer time, who knows?
“Guys are definitely playing to finish the season strong. Chief has been great with me. There’s been a lot of speculation in the papers but Chief and I have never had a problem. We have a great relationship.
“Since Reeser [Jeff Reese] has been gone, we’ve actually had more of an open line of communication because we’ve had to. There is no goalie coach to relay messages. We talk daily where I’m at ... As far as goaltender and coach relationship goes, it’s great.”
If only it had all translated into a playoff season on the ice.