Flyers

Ron Hextall was fired as Flyers GM over a year ago in late November of 2018 and yet his fingerprints remain all over this roster. In an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark, Hextall expressed his feelings for the current team and the young players experiencing some success.

In the end, the Flyers 2000 Eastern Conference Final appearance against the Devils marked the turning of a page and end of an era and another crushing defeat in the Flyers pursuit to end a Stanley Cup drought that has spanned another 20 years since this series.

Tuukka Rask stole the show, making 36 saves in a shutout to snap the Flyers winning streak at nine games in a 2-0 Bruins win.

The Flyers could have a chance to move into first place in the Metropolitan Division, depending on Saturday's afternoon's game between the Capitals and Penguins, when they take on the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

The Flyers win against the division-leading Capitals on a national stage with a very strong final 40 minutes certainly qualifies as a statement. That statement: this team is for real, and people are really starting to see it.

The Flyers have closed the gap in the Metropolitan Division to three points and are challenging the Capitals for the division lead. They get a chance to close the gap further with one final matchup in the 2019-20 regular season.

It's fitting that the Flyers next opponent is Washington, given how a 3-2 regulation win on Jan. 8 against the then-NHL-best Capitals was the start of something that is becoming a magical run for the Orange and Black.

The Flyers next opponent is one they defeated just days ago. The Flyers took care of the Florida Panthers in a 4-1 win on Monday night. Now the two teams meet again in Florida on Thursday night.

The Flyers get back on the ice on Tuesday night, starting a brief two-game road trip. They face the Florida Panthers, who have won three of their last four games and bring a high-power offensive attack.

Perhaps the Islanders slept through the first shift of the game, giving up the puck on a turnover and the glorious chance for Voracek to put the Flyers in front. From there, nothing was easy for the Flyers offensively and the Islanders gave them a taste of their own medicine with physical play and a tenacious forecheck.