With just eight games left in the regular season, the Flyers are starting to heat up. And at the same time, the seemingly invincible New Jersey Devils are falling apart.
After dwindling in the distance, 11 points behind the Devils for the Atlantic Division lead, the Flyers have closed the gap to just six points with a game in hand. The Flyers have won four of their last five games, including a big win over Jersey. The Devils are headed in a different direction, losing four in a row and making it possible, that if they can’t turn their situation around quickly, they might just get caught.
“We’ve lost four in a row now and we’ve won one of our last six, so I’d say it’s a big game,” said Devils coach Brent Sutter about his team’s upcoming game against the rival Rangers. “The reality of it all is that at this time of year every game is a big game. Every game is a desperate game because you know your opposition is going to be fighting for something. We’re still fighting for something. Philly wins tonight and they’re six points behind us with a game in hand.”
With Jersey looking for answers and off tonight, the Flyers have a golden opportunity to gain further ground when they host Eastern Conference leader Boston tonight at 7 p.m.
“I think the most important thing is taking each game individually and try and improve our point total,” said Flyers coach John Stevens, when asked about catching the Devils. “We want to get our team game together and if we’re playing well and winning a good share of games we’ll get where we need to go.”
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