Flyers feeling good about themselves

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Flyers' surge up the Metropolitan Division standings happened quickly, which is why they know how rapidly things can head in the other direction.
That's what made their 3-2 shootout victory against the Washington Capitals at Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday so important.

Ten consecutive wins from Nov. 27 to Dec. 14 turned a mediocre 9-10-3 record into an impressive 19-10-3 mark that put the Flyers in the thick of the race in the highly competitive division. But after a 3-1 loss at the Dallas Stars on Saturday and a 2-1 shootout loss against the Nashville Predators at home Monday, the Flyers feared they might lose all the momentum they had built and fall back.
Even after its winning streak, Philadelphia was in fourth place in the division, one point ahead of Washington for the first wild card spot into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
"You go on a 10-game winning streak and you can't let it slide," goaltender Steve Mason said. "Unfortunately, we had two losses in a row there. One in [a shootout], you get one point out of it, but you can't let it slide and then we counteract everything we had done."

That gave the Flyers a feeling of urgency with the Capitals breathing down their necks. That this was the first game between them since Philadelphia lost to Washington in six games in the Eastern Conference First Round last season added to the playoff-like atmosphere in the building.
"You can ask any one of the guys; there was a different feeling for this game that it felt more like a playoff game," defenseman Shane Gostisbehere said. "It was definitely faster out there. I think we really pinched ourselves a little bit and got going."
The Flyers trailed 1-0 after the first period before Michael Raffl tied it with a wraparound goal 4:25 into the second period. After the Capitals went ahead again on Lars Eller's rebound goal at 9:53, the Flyers pulled even again when Claude Giroux capitalized on Evgeny Kuznetsov's turnover to score a 4-on-4 goal with 20.7 seconds remaining in the period.
The Flyers have overcome a deficit of at least one goal in 14 of their 20 wins, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
"There wasn't a lot of time left," Giroux said, "and to come back into the room and be able to have a tie game you feel a little bit more comfortable, and in the third that was our best period. We played the way we wanted to."
The Flyers also trailed 1-0 after the first round of the shootout before Mason stopped three consecutive Capitals shooters and Wayne Simmonds scored the deciding goal in the fourth round.

"That's happened a lot to us this season, and I think that's what makes us strong this year," Raffl said of Philadelphia's ability to come back. "We keep playing the same way no matter what the score is."
The Flyers have reason to feel good about themselves. With 44 points, they trail the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers by three points for the Metropolitan Division lead and first place in the Eastern Conference. As coach Dave Hakstol said, "We've played well for 20 games."
Still, the other top four teams in the division also have been playing well, so the margin for error is small. Even after the shootout loss Wednesday, the Capitals are 6-1-1 in their past eight games and have four games in hand on the Flyers.
The Penguins are 8-0-2 in their past 10 games and the Rangers 7-3-0, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, one point off the division and conference leads, have won a team-record 10 in a row and have five games in hand on Philadelphia.
So a bad week or even a mediocre one could be difficult to recover from.
On the other hand, the Flyers also have an opportunity to gain ground within the division. The shootout win over the Capitals began a stretch when the Flyers play eight out of 15 against Metropolitan Division opponents, including against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, TCN-PH, NHL.TV), Philadelphia's last game before the Christmas break.
The Flyers had played five of their first 34 games within the division, going 3-2-0.
"We want points whenever we can get them no matter how we get them," Gostisbehere said. "Whether it be a shootout win or an OT winner, we want to get points no matter what."

That showed in their effort against the Capitals. With rookie Ivan Provorov and Radko Gudas sharing the load defending against Alex Ovechkin, they held him to six attempted shots and two shots on goal -- one with three seconds remaining in regulation and the other with five seconds left in overtime.
"When you play against a team often, you find a way to have a little rivalry, and it's the best games to play in," Giroux said. "They're an especially talented team that we have to make sure we're on with our game."
It would have been better for the Flyers if they had won in regulation so the Capitals didn't get any points, but they weren't about to be picky this close to the holidays.
"We came off two losses there and we wanted to get that win no matter what," Raffl said. "Everybody stepped up, it was a hard-fought game and we came out on top."