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Flyers are in a ‘perfect scenario’ to push for a playoff spot

The Philadelphia Flyers’ recent run has put them in prime position to make the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Flyers are just two points behind the Red Wings and three points behind the Penguins for the final Wild Card spots in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers have a game in hand on both those teams.

The great thing about Philadelphia’s situation? They play Pittsburgh and Detroit a combined five times over their last 17 games of the season.

“It’s a perfect scenario for us,” forward Wayne Simmonds said, per TSN.ca. “We can talk as much as we want, but now it’s up to us to deliver on it.”

The Flyers are coming off a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday night. With his team trailing 1-0 in the game, rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere scored back-to-back goals in the second and third periods to give Philadelphia their first lead of the game. They never looked back.

The 22-year-old has been one of the key reasons for Philadelphia’s success in 2015-16. Since being recalled from the AHL in mid-November, he has 14 goals and 37 points in 47 games.

The Flyers took a gamble by hiring a head coach with no NHL experience, but the move seems to be paying off. Dave Hakstol’s new defensive approach has helped Philadelphia keep the puck out of the net.

“We’re not really that run-and-gun type team anymore, where we feel like we need to score five or six goals each night,” Sean Couturier told Frank Seravalli. “We’re pretty tight defensively, we don’t give up a whole lot. We’re getting pretty comfortable with tight games. We’re okay with it just coming down to little details.”