Before Sunday’s matchup with the Dallas Stars, Philadelphia Flyers’ head coach Rick Tocchet said there is a lot of belief in the team’s locker room.

“There’s a lot of belief in the room,” Tocchet said. “It’s good, you know, that it’s all that matters. There’s a little bit of us against the world type of thing.”

Tocchet likes that people are against the team. He thinks it gives them an edge, which is a good thing. “I like that. A lot of guys like that, because a lot of people think we’re whatever. But that’s good. I think that they should have it. I think they should have that swagger.”

Still, Tocchet knows the task isn’t easy. The Flyers have snuck back into the playoff picture, but chasing points with less than 10 games to go is never a sure thing. It’s going to demand a lot out of the team, both physically and mentally.

“But saying that, you know, it’s going to be tough. We know that you’re gonna have to have a lot of focus. Hopefully, there are a lot of ice bags after games. That’s the way we have to play.”

It was not an easy battle for the Flyers on Sunday, as they faced one of the two teams in the NHL with a clinched playoff spot. It was that same resilient effort that the Flyers have gotten from their team throughout this run.

They went up 1-0 in the second period, before the Stars tied the game late that same period. The third period was a great fight, but they could not score. A gutsy penalty kill saved the game and forced overtime. Eventually, Trevor Zegras capped off a great night with the OT-winner.

Now, the Flyers are within two points of a playoff position.

Read More: Zegras Wins it in Overtime, Flyers Beat Stars 2-1

Observations from the Flyers’ 2-1 win

Sam Ersson was terrific once again, turning the page at a critical time

Sam Ersson has been unbelievable for the Flyers since the Olympic break. With the win, he is 5-0-0, and the Flyers are 5-1-0 in the 6 games he has appeared in.

Ersson was the Flyers’ MVP on Sunday. His 17-save night may not look flashy, but he came up big time for Philly when his teammates needed him the most. Including Trevor Zegras, who thanked Ersson for “saving his butt.”

The Flyers were going up against a Stars team with the second-best power play in the league. For the most part, Philadelphia did a good job staying out of the box, limiting the chances. When the Stars’ power play was on the ice, it was the Sam Ersson show.

The Flyers’ netminder made multiple show-stopping saves to keep the game tied. During the Stars’ last power play, Ersson robbed a back-door attempt by Wyatt Johnston – a shot he buried 9 times out of 10.

To make his night even better, Ersson earned his first-career NHL point with the secondary assist on the game-winner. Have a night, Sam Ersson!

Read More: Former Flyers Head Coach Lands New Job in Western Conference Playoff Race

Flyers beat the Stars at their own game

The Dallas Stars are a physical team. Their smallest defender is 6’1″, and they have four defenders 6’3″ or taller. Dallas’ third pair is made up of 6’7″ Lian Bischel and 6’8′ Tyler Myers.

Before the game, Rick Tocchet mentioned that they were a physical team and that shot suppression was their forte. It was something the flyers would have to fight against.

Well, the Flyers totaled 30 shots on goal against the Stars. It goes beyond that, however. The Flyers were physical along the boards, winning puck battles and not afraid to throw a hit. They took one of the Stars’ biggest strengths and beat them at their own game.

The Stars’ shot total was kept low at 18, and they really werent winning many puck battles. Philly really took it to them all game.

Dragging the Flyers into the fight

A lot has been made during this push about Owen Tippett dragging the Flyers into the fight with his individual efforts. You can say that about a handful of players, especially after Sunday’s game.

Goaltending has been crucial to the late-season push. Dan Vladar has been a rock for the Flyers, and so has Ersson. Ersson proved that on Sunday.

Travis Konecny is one of the players who has been dragging the team into the fight. His individual efforts have been phenomenal all throughout this season, but especially during the playoff push. You can tell how badly he wants it. On Sunday, he scored the game-opener, had five shots on goal, and two hits. He led two breakaways and drew a penalty for the Flyers as well.

Trevor Zegras had a great game as well. Things have not been going Zegras’ way lately. He had not scored since March 11th, and had only had two goals since the Olympic break prior to Sunday. He had missed opportunities and an ill-timed penalty. Did he hang his head? No. He let it roll off his back, kept his focus, and scored the game-winner for his team.

Owen Tippett did his thing once again. Denver Barkey made a handful of great plays. I even though Carl Grundstrom had one of his better games of this recent stretch. The Flyers are in this fight, and players keep stepping up to keep this run alive.

Flyers “Us against the world” mentality

So, let’s tie things back to the opening thought. The Flyers have the “us against the world” mentality. We heard it from the coach pre-game. The captain talked about it after the game.

“All year we’ve been proving people wrong over expectations,” said Flyers captain Sean Couturier. “We beleive in our group, we like the way we play, and we’ve beaten some of the best teams in the league. On any night, we feel confident about our group.”

Alternate captain Travis Konecney says that mentality is just playing for each other. “We’re not going to feed into anything. We just keep playing hard for each other.”

The Flyers have been counted out of the playoff race by many people at various points in the season. That includes me. Not long after the Olympic break, I thought it was time to sell.

Instead of giving in to the narratives, instead of falling down and letting themselves slip out of the race, the Flyers keep going. They have fought their way into the playoff picture and now sit two points out.

The Philadelphia Flyers’ playoff push is still alive and very much well.

Read More: Flyers Sign Top Prospect to Entry-Level Contract

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