The Philadelphia Flyers, The right team in the right place at the wrong time

For far too long the Flyers have just been there. Never a problem making the playoffs, But always a problem making noise once they are there. The Flyers finished 41-21 this year with 89 points and had strong confidence behind young star goalie Carter Hart. The coronavirus pandemic gave the NHL an alternate situation in their resumption of the league as they announced Qualifying Rounds and a Round Robbin tournament. The Flyers annihilated the Round Robin tournament blasting the Eastern Conference on a 4-0 record. This put them in a position to “in theory” play the worst remaining team to win the Qualifying Round which happened to be the Montreal Canadians. Outside of a game 2 slip up the Habs never really belonged against the Flyers as (Philly) punched their ticket to the second round in 6 games. Then at that moment, they were really tested. An Islanders team that finished much lower in the seeding caught fire at the right time and sometimes that’s all it takes. While in theory the series (the Flyers) were sent packing went 7 games it felt New York was far ahead of Philly almost every minute. Through 4 games The Islanders were dominating with a 3-1 lead. It seemed every goal the Flyers made the Islanders matched and for the first time, Carter Hart and the Flyers looked vulnerable. The Flyers fought with their life and won back to back games in overtime to nod the series up and force a series-deciding game 7. In the most important game of the season, the Flyers failed to show up. From puck drop to the final horn the Islanders controlled all aspects of the game and won 4-0. In all honesty, it’s easy for Flyers fans to be upset but I believe exactly what most do, The Islanders are on a warpath and unfortunately, this very good Flyers team was standing like a deer in headlights on the tracks. Just remember the right team, right place, wrong time.

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