Flyers face do-or-die stretch of games this weekend

The Flyers have a very important trio of games this weekend and Tuesday. Going up against division foes the Devils, Rangers and Devils again (with both teams ahead in the standings), Philly can really make headway in their effort to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Adversely, if they fall against the Devils at home Saturday (1 p.m. on CSN), Sunday at Madison Square Garden (at 7:30 p.m. on NBCSN) and Tuesdayin New Jersey (at 7 p.m. on CSN), they could very well find themselves deeply entrenched in a battle for draft position, not playoff position.

Recent games have been a mixed bag for the Flyers, with solid winning efforts mixed with a mini-losing streak low-lighted by a 4-1 loss to the Ducks at home back on Tuesday. The Flyers need to keep pushing forward.

“I think we have to be mature enough to be able to put those games behind us and move on,” Claude Giroux said.

Philadelphia has been much better against the east than the west, sporting a dreary 8-9-3 record (1-6-3 against the Pacific) this season. Luckily for them, not only can they control their own fate by taking care of business against Eastern Conference foes, they also play their next six games against teams in the East before hosting Minnesotaon February 25.

“I don’t think that has anything to do with it,” JakubVoracek said of the disparity between wins against the east and west. “We need to find a way to win against who we are playing.”