With the regular season winding down, the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings are heading in opposite directions.
The Flyers look to continue their hot stretch Thursday when they visit the Red Wings, who are scuffling to the finish line.
Philadelphia (40-26-12, 92 points) has won nine of its last 12 games, helping the team rise into third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers have won three straight – matching a season high accomplished six times – and they enter Thursday’s matchup as one of the hottest teams in the NHL.
“It’s been great,” Flyers winger Owen Tippett said. “Obviously, we believed all year that we could be in this position, and the job’s not done yet. We’ve got to continue going. Like I said, we’re having a lot of fun.”
The Red Wings (40-29-9, 89 points) are on the other end of the roller coaster, having dropped seven of their last nine games. They also have lost five consecutive home contests (0-4-1), leaving them needing a late-season push to sneak into a wild-card spot.
“We know the situation we’re in and, obviously, points are at a premium,” Detroit defenseman Justin Faulk said.
Philadelphia is coming off a 5-1 victory at the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. Trevor Zegras had two goals and an assist, Tyson Foerster also scored twice and the Flyers’ defense allowed one goal for the third straight game.
“It feels like for almost a month now, we’ve been playing must-win games, so I’m definitely getting more comfortable and definitely settling in a little bit for sure,” Zegras said. “Personally for me, I haven’t played any games other than this season of this magnitude, and I think a lot of the other guys would say the same, so it’s been great.”
Zegras, who was acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks last summer, leads the Flyers in assists (40) and ranks second in points (65). He has never appeared in the postseason.
“Right from the beginning when Trevor came to us, he wanted to play meaningful games,” Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said.
He added: “I think he wants to prove a lot of people wrong. He played with a chip on his shoulder this year.”
Detroit dropped its third straight game Tuesday, absorbing a 4-3 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. John Gibson allowed a goal with 17 seconds left in regulation and then three more tallies in the shootout.
“That’s a disappointing finish to that game,” said Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, who had a goal and an assist. “We’re going to have to find something. I hope that’s not the one, and I hope the (recent loss to the Minnesota Wild) isn’t the one that’s the final nail in the coffin. I hope we get some help and we have something to play for to get in.”
Due to a scheduling quirk, Thursday marks the third matchup between the Flyers and Red Wings in the last two weeks after the teams did not meet in the first 5 ½ months of the season.
Philadelphia topped Detroit 5-3 on March 28 behind Tippett’s hat trick before the Red Wings exacted some revenge April 2 as Alex DeBrincat scored twice in a 4-2 triumph.
“There’s still points on the table,” Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. “We have to come back, have a good practice (Wednesday) and get ready to play Philly. We’re in must-win territory now, so we’re still there.”
