![\"Philadelphia](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Flyers-Celebrate-5-1200x800.jpg\")
Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York, forward Garnet Hathaway, forward Carl Grundstrom and forward Nikita Grebenkin celebrate Grundstrom\u2019s goal against the Vancouver Canucks (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll play their final road game of the regular season on Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets, who have surged their way back into the playoff race. That won\u2019t be an easy game to win, although if it\u2019s tied late, both sides should be more than fine with securing a point by reaching overtime.<\/p>\n
But the difficulty of opponents ramps up significantly from there. The Flyers close their season with two games at home, but it\u2019s a back-to-back with the formidable Carolina Hurricanes and Canadiens. Both teams have already clinched playoff spots, and Carolina should have the Metropolitan Division wrapped up by then.<\/p>\n
However, both may have seeding to play for still, especially the Canadiens in a crowded top-three in the Atlantic Division. Carolina currently holds just a two-point lead for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, too. Even if that isn\u2019t a factor, teams can\u2019t rest all or most of their starters like in the NBA or NFL for a meaningless late-season game. A few players could come out for both teams to rest, but not enough to render them unimposing.<\/p>\n
Long-Term Outlook<\/p>\n
When the Flyers brass was doing their media rounds before the start of the 2025-26 season, they had a clear emphasis on what they expected from the on-ice product. They certainly didn\u2019t want to be at the bottom of the Eastern Conference like they were in 2024-25. But it wasn\u2019t playoffs or bust.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no pressure from me in my role or from an ownership perspective beyond me to say we need to do something drastic, dramatic because we need to have a better shot at the playoffs,\u201d said Flyers governor Dan Hilferty<\/a> in September. \u201cThis is about that steady growth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand people want to talk playoffs and all these variables,\u201d said head coach Rick Tocchet<\/a> shortly before starting his first season as head coach. \u201cI don\u2019t know. But for me and my staff, we\u2019re going to be judged, for me, on how we\u2019ve got to get guys to maximize their talent.<\/p>\n With Porter Martone<\/a> officially a pro and Tyson Foerster<\/a> back from injury, a lot of the high-end talent currently in the organization is on the NHL roster. Many of the players who will likely be most responsible for determining whether the Flyers can return to Stanley Cup contention in the near future are already here and will reap the rewards of however far the team progresses.<\/p>\n Some of those young players and veterans alike are still around from the 2023-24 season, when the Flyers were in almost the exact same position<\/a> \u2013 one point on the right side of the cut line with five games to go. The main difference was that those Flyers were seven games into what ballooned to a nine-game losing streak. The current team\u2019s vibes couldn\u2019t be higher after Martone scored his first NHL goal for Sunday\u2019s overtime winner.<\/p>\n Related: Flyers\u2019 Youth Is Facilitating a Playoff Push<\/a><\/p>\n Eleven of the 20 players who suited up for Game 82 two years ago \u2013 which saw the Flyers eliminated not when they lost but when the Red Wings scored a buzzer beater in Montr\u00e9al \u2013 are still with the team. They certainly remember the sting that came with that agonizing ending.<\/p>\n It should also serve as a lesson for today\u2019s team to heed. While the Flyers had some memorable playoff clinches right at the end of their season throughout the 2010s, leaving things up to chance until the 11th hour doesn\u2019t always end well. Philadelphia could stumble a bit this week and still make the playoffs. But they\u2019d be better served taking care of business sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, that\u2019s a learning lesson, right?\u201d Tocchet said<\/a> after Sunday\u2019s win. \u201cWhen you\u2019re chasing somebody, it\u2019s still hard, but when you\u2019re getting hunted, it\u2019s harder. So we\u2019re gonna have to learn that.\u201d<\/p>\n Scouting the Scene<\/p>\n There are six teams still in the mix for the final two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals are easily in the worst spot, holding both the fewest points (87) and most games played (78). They\u2019ve started April with lopsided losses to non-playoff teams in the Devils and New York Rangers, although they did beat the Buffalo Sabres handily in between. Three of their final four games are on the road, including a season-ending showdown with the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 14.<\/p>\n Speaking of the Blue Jackets, they\u2019ve got a massive meeting with the Red Wings tonight. The teams are dead even in points (88) and games played (77), with Detroit holding a slight edge in regulation wins. The Flyers will be happy if either team wins in regulation. On one hand, only Columbus can challenge them for a divisional playoff spot. But the Flyers also have a say in how the Red Wings finish with their game on Thursday. The other three teams Columbus finishes with are all in playoff position.<\/p>\n The Red Wings are in the midst of a four-game homestand right now that also includes the Devils. They\u2019ve got one of the easiest last games of the bubble teams (at the Florida Panthers), but they do face the Tampa Bay Lightning right before. The Senators play the Florida teams in their next two games, followed by a huge game with the Islanders before finishing with two non-playoff opponents in New Jersey and the Toronto Maple Leafs.<\/p>\n As for the Islanders and new head coach Peter DeBoer<\/a>, they\u2019re at home for each of their last four contests. They have virtually a must-win game on Thursday against the Maple Leafs before the aforementioned Senators showdown. Like the Flyers, they also finish with the Canadiens and Hurricanes, getting Montr\u00e9al in the first half of their back-to-back that ends in Philadelphia and Carolina on the second half of a back-to-back that starts there, too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a>![\"SUBSCRIBE](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Flyers_Banner-1200x122.jpg\")
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