Flyers Fall Ass Backwards Back Into A Playoff Spot
Flyers 2, Blue Jackets 3 (SO) | (35-34-13)
The Flyers gave up 51 shots on net against the Columbus Fucking Blue Jackets last night. The Flyers still managed to hold a 2-0 lead on the Columbus Fucking Blue Jackets until the final minute of the game last night. The Flyers then proceeded to watch that 2-0 lead against the Columbus Fucking Blue Jackets deteriorate in the final 64 seconds of the game. The Flyers ended up going to overtime with the Columbus Fucking Blue Jackets. And then the Flyers went on to lose the game in a shootout in horrendous fashion against the Columbus Fucking Blue Jackets. And yet some how, some way, this team still ended up with the 2nd Wild Card spot in the East after Detroit got shelled 6-2 against Tampa last night. So here’s a look at what we’re working with here.
Again, they were just 64 seconds away from holding that 2nd wild card spots with points AND games in hand. But it’s officially March Madness and I guess the Flyers were huge UNI fans. That collapse at the end was atrocious. The whole game was miserable to watch outside of a few bright spots. And I get it. Trust me, I do. The Flyers have been forced to play playoff hockey for the past 15 games. They’ve had a bunch of back-to-back games and they still have 3 more left to close out the season. They’ve been stringing together plenty of great games lately and eventually that’ll start to catch up to you. That collapse in the last 64 seconds doesn’t happen due to a lack of skill or anything like that. It’s mental at that point. When your body gets tired, so does your mind. So unlike that game against Chicago last week, the Flyers just didn’t have the mental toughness last night to sack up for that final minute of the game and put Columbus away. Which isn’t a great sign for a team that could very possibly be in the playoffs in just a few shorts weeks.
Steve Mason Deserves Better
Mason isn’t completely blameless here for that loss last night but he threw together an incredible 60 minutes against the Islanders two nights ago and then an incredible 59 minutes last night. He should never have to see 51 shots against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a night. The Flyers could have easily risked going with Stolarz last night but I have to imagine that Mason put an ax on that idea. Which I fucking love. He’s the #1, it’s his team and he wants to will them into the playoffs. And he almost came away with 4 points on 2 nights last night. He deserved to come away with 4 points on 2 nights. He played out of his mind but like I said earlier, there are still 3 more back-to-backs left on the schedule. It’ll be interesting to see who gets the go tomorrow against Colorado. I think Mason ends up back between the pipes and they save Stolarz for Saturday against Arizona. But outside of Mason, nobody looked like a playoff hockey player last night.
Phillies CF Shayne Gostisbehere
If Simmonds was able to lift that puck over Bob, this might have gone down as the best Shayne Gostisbehere play of the season. Just a ridiculous effort there and imagine what the Flyers blueline is going to look like when there are multiple kids up there that can make these types of plays. I know that last night’s game sucked but just keep thinking; Provorov, Sanheim, Morin, Hagg, Myers. Life is bullshit right now, but it’ll finally have meaning again soon.
Brayden Schenn Continues To Up His Value
First off, if that video looks like it was filmed with a potato it’s because it pretty much was. I’m out of town but still grinding away on a playoff push of my own. No need to thank me or anything. I do it for the kids (also being out of town is why these recaps suck, or maybe they just suck all the time but whatever). Anyway, Brayden Schenn may need to cool it down at some point because the way that he’s been playing lately may work himself out of the Flyers price range in the summer when he becomes an RFA. If these idiots somehow find a way to hold onto this wild card spot and have the Caps in the 1st round, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Baby Schenn become a heartbreak kid. I’m already having flashbacks of Joffrey Lupul’s game 7 overtime winner in 2008 against the Caps and just face swapping King Joffrey with Baby Schenn. Imagine how great Nate’s tears would taste after that.
The Other Guys
– Ryan White is a double-digit goal scorer in the year 2016. Not a sentence I thought I’d write at the beginning of the season yet here we are.
– The Flyers continue to be absolute cheeks in the shootout. Here’s a quick summary of how it went.
Cousins, no. Gagner, no. Giroux, no. Schenn, no. Couturier, no. Just tough to watch and thank god there are no shootouts in the playoffs.
– That’s about it. I don’t even want to think about that game anymore because it’ll just make me sad. Good news for the Flyers is that they’ve been able to bounce back right away after losses recently. And even better news is that the Red Wings are equally, if not more, incompetent than the Flyers at the moment. 10 more games. Let’s get this money.