The secret to the Flyers' surge toward the playoffs has been … the loss of a beat writer?
According to captain Claude Giroux, that may be the case.
"Since Tim Panaccio got [his] lower-body injury, we started playing better," Giroux said after the Flyers' 3-2 overtime win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night in which he scored his seventh career regular-season OT goal, surpassing Simon Gagne for most in franchise history.
Our own Flyers Insider rolled his ankle, breaking two bones and tearing several ligaments, when he slipped on ice in Montreal before the orange and black's game against the Canadiens on Feb. 19. Panotch has been out of action ever since.
"This is a very significant setback for me," Panaccio told the Montreal Gazette on Feb. 26. "I could miss the entire playoffs."
At the time, the Flyers were on the outside looking in with little hope of a legitimate playoff run. But since, they've come together with Panotch on the injured reserve.
While Giroux was playful after a big win, he's not wrong. In 19 games since Panotch went down, they're 12-4-3 and find themselves in a playoff position with seven games left.
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So if the Flyers do squeak their way into the postseason, send your best Italian wine to Panaccio at the Comcast SportsNet offices. To hear from Giroux, watch the video above.