Tonight’s overall outlook can vary depending upon how the East’s other wild card teams perform, but the Philadelphia Flyers held up their end of the bargain on Tuesday.
Even Radko Gudas’ loudest proponents would be surprised by his one-goal, two-assist night, which helped Philly handle the Buffalo Sabres by a score of 6-3.
The Flyers put themselves in a solid spot with 70 standings points, also wounding the Sabres’ thin playoff hopes in the process. Philly enjoyed scoring from a varied committee, from obvious choices (Claude Giroux with a goal, though those haven’t come easily for him lately) to surprises like Jordan Weal’s one-goal, one-assist offering.
"Gudas made the shot of his life. Good for him. I still want to have that." - Robin Lehner https://t.co/Rhb39M0pXd
— John Vogl (@BuffaloVogl) March 8, 2017
(Jack Eichel crossed the 100-point barrier on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough on Tuesday. More on the young star finishing at 101 with two goals and an assist here.)
With at least a point (3-0-1) in their last four games, the Flyers seem like they’re gathering steam heading into two big games as they visit the Maple Leafs on Thursday and the Bruins on Saturday.
Overall, it’s a tough road ahead - just three home games through March 26 - but we’ll see if they can fight through it for another strong finish.
Update: Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders won their respective games on Tuesday, so the Flyers didn’t climb, but they also did not slip.