3 Takeaways From Flyers' Win vs. Rangers

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The Philadelphia Flyers rolled into Madison Square Garden with something to prove—that they had not quit. A 4-1 win over the New York Rangers was more than enough to show that they weren’t, and really never had, given up on this season, as many people were beginning to claim.

The final two games of the regular season will no doubt be nail-biters, but the Flyers were able to gain a ton of momentum from this win, and learned another new tidbit about how they, as a group, respond to adversity.

The Kids Show Out

Once again, the young Flyers showed up to put their stamp on the game, and show the league exactly why the front office is planning to rebuild this team around them. Cam York got that first goal of the game that has eluded the Flyers for many games, while additional scoring by Bobby Brink, Travis Konecny, and Noah Cates sealed the deal, helped along by some magnificent goaltending from Sam Ersson.

It can’t be overstated how impressive it is that these young players, many of whom have never experienced any kind of playoff push like this before, have been able to assume so many responsibilities after the Flyers were hit with a barrage of absences from the team due to injuries, trades, and legal issues. It’s been a baptism by fire for this young core, but they’ve shown in many ways that they prefer to bask in the heat instead of running from it.

Hungry (Under) Dogs Run Faster

There were plenty of accusations that the Flyers had simply thrown in the towel as the regular season began wrapping up. Claims that they didn’t care, that they were just hanging their heads quitting, that John Tortorella had lost the room…it was all over the Flyers’ corners of social media. Alternate captain Travis Konecny already stated that the team was blocking out the outside noise going into this Rangers game, but they couldn’t have put together a better testament to their resiliency than this win over one of the best teams in the league.

If anything, being in a position where they’re being doubted is cozily familiar territory for the Flyers.

“We’re back to being the underdogs, kind of where people thought we were at are counting us out, back to kind of where we feel comfortable,” Noah Cates said. “Playing against one of the top teams in the league, everyone’s doubting us and we stepped up and had a great effort.”

Scoreboard Watching

A lot of different scenarios have to happen with the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Detroit Red Wings for the Flyers to snag the WC2 spot. It’s not impossible by any means, but it will require a bit of luck and a lot of praying to the hockey gods to have this work out in the Flyers’ favor. However, with how topsy-turvy this entire season has been, and with how this team has never failed to surprise its fanbase, we literally just don’t know what’s going to happen. Things could go swimmingly, and the Flyers somehow make it into the postseason. This win could be the second you spend at the top of a rollercoaster before plummeting full speed downhill. One thing is for certain, though—this will not be a boring conclusion to the season.

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