For Philadelphia Flyers fans, this is probably all still a little shocking. It wasn't that long ago that NHL pundits were discussing the chances of shrewd, seemingly magic-tinged Flyers GM Ron Hextall becoming a seller ahead of the trade deadline, due in large part to what seemed at that time to be the Flyers' almost non-existent chances of reaching the NHL playoffs.
Oh, how things have changed in the intervening weeks for the Broadstreet Battlers.
Buoyed by another strong effort from rookie phenom Shayne Gostibehere and captain Claude Giroux, and aided by some surprisingly effective play by bruising defenseman Radko Gudas, and despite the continued absence of Jakub Voracek, the Flyers not only kept their playoff hopes alive on Wednesday night against the defending Stanley Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks, they improved them - markedly.
When the dust finally settled on the manic ending to the tight 3-2 affair, the Flyers suddenly, for the first time all season, held sole possession of one of the Eastern Conference's two wild card spots and the Blackhawks were faced, not just for the first time this season, but perhaps in several seasons, with their own mortality.
After a pummeling at the hands of last season's Cup combatant, the Tampa Bay Lightning, by a score of 5-0 on Monday followed by their unexpected loss to Philly on Wednesday, the Blackhawks are now winless in their last four contests and losers of five of their last six games.
For the Flyers though, the win over Chicago was further proof that new head coach Dave Hakstol's steady hand and oftentimes neutral zone-choking system are not just effective, but perfectly suited for the Flyers' talent, at the same time as it was yet another step toward an outcome no one would have predicted to start this season.
Flyers goalie Michal Neuvirth has been a big reason for the Flyers' sudden turnaround and his play on Wednesday night only solidified the notion that Steve Mason may not be Philly's unquestioned starter going forward. Neuvirth saw 26 Chicago shots, stopping 24 of them, including a pair of pad saves on Blackhawks star Patrick Kane late in the third with the Flyers clinging to a one-goal lead that kept the game from heading to overtime and gave Neuvrith his 17th win of the season.
The Flyers, surprisingly, had Gudas of all people to thank for that one-goal lead. Gudas, a guy known for physical, line-stepping play, scored unassisted midway through the third when his slapper from the point caromed off Blackhawks defenseman Christian Ehrhoff and past Scott Darling.
To that point, the game had been incredibly even, which, considering how far the Flyers had come, was a big statement in and of itself. But the Flyers, who had managed to keep pace with the defending champs behind goals from Ryan White and the suddenly blossoming Brayden Schenn (career-high 24 goals), clearly weren't content with that.
And while it took surviving a late surge from the Blackhawks, who poured it on in the last three minutes and had a couple of quality chances, highlighted by a Kane opportunity down low off a shot that bounced back in front of Neuvirth off the endboards, the Flyers managed to walk out of the United Center with a win and a wild card playoff spot.
Their march to the postseason though, has only just begun, as they still have four games left against the Detroit Red Wings, who they knocked out of that final playoff spot on Wednesday, and the Pittsburgh Penguins, who now hold a tenuous two-point lead for the first wild card spot in the East.
It won't be easy and there's nothing certain at this point, especially when guys like Andrew MacDonald and Nick Schultz are still suiting up on a nightly basis, but the Flyers, behind the efforts of their stalwart captain, Gostisbehere, Schenn and Neuvirth - and, oh man, that seemingly unstoppable fourth line of Chris VandeVelde, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and White - seem to be peaking at exactly the right moment.
A playoff spot may not be assured and really, even if it is, few in Philly are probably thinking Stanley Cup.
But with the NHL talent pipeline fully stocked thanks to Hextall's recent trades and draft maneuvering and guys like Ivan Provorov, Michael Del Zotto and maybe even Travis Sanheim or Sam Morin likely - in Del Zotto's case, definitely - to be on the Flyers next season, there's simply no denying that the future of hockey in Philadelphia is bright.
