Flyers Fall From First Place

Let's flash back for a second to January 25, 2011. The Flyers had just beaten the Montreal Canadiens, by a final of 5-2 and went into the All-Star break with an NHL best 33 wins and 71 points. They had a comfortable 5 point lead over the Penguins for the division, and a very solid 8 point lead over the Washington Capitals. It seemed like the Flyers were a lock to capture the number 1 overall seed.

Directly after the All-Star break they continued to play strong going 5-2 in their first 7 games after the break. But after February 18th's 3-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Flyers season took a drastic turn for the worst. Since February 18th, the Flyers have gone a dismal 8-15, picking up just 22 points.

The Flyers now find themselves in the midst of a 4 game losing streak, and 4 points behind the Washington Capitals for the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. With 2 games remaining, the Flyers are clinging to a 1 point lead over the Penguins for the division. If the Flyers somehow lose the division race to the Penguins, they would fall all the way to the 4th seed and end up playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Flyers want nothing to do with Tampa, as the Flyers went 1-3 against the Lightning this year.

It is truly amazing how the Flyers have fallen from first place. On January 25th they were sitting pretty atop the entire NHL. But now on April 7th, the Flyers are struggling just to win the division. The Flyers will close out the season this weekend when they travel to Buffalo tomorrow to take on the Sabres, and host the Islanders on Saturday.