Are the Philadelphia Flyers serious threats in the Metropolitan Division?

With a 5-2 victory over the division-leading Washington Capitals, the Philadelphia Flyers have now won seven straight contests. In second place and only a point behind the Caps, Philadelphia is making a serious push in the Metro.

It is no secret that the Metropolitan Division is one of, if not the most, competitive divisions in the NHL this season. It has become even more crowded at the top in the last week or two as the Philadelphia Flyers have surged into contention.

With seven straight victories, and eight wins in their last ten games, the Flyers have climbed to second place in the Metro, one point behind the Washington Capitals, who they just beat 5-2.

A seven-game winning streak will go a long way in surging up the standings, but the Flyers have also been assisted by the fact that the only other Metro teams with a winning record in their last ten games are the New York Rangers (6-4) and New Jersey Devils (5-3-2).

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Still, this division houses some of the top teams in the league and will be difficult to win. Philadelphia, though, will be able to compete for the top spot as the playoff push intensifies.

This is a team with a core group of players that have excelled for years. Players like Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Sean Couturier have all been key cogs for the Flyers since at least the 2011-12 season.

The issue in Philly has been a lack of support around these players, but that seems to be improving this season. The best example of this is Travis Konecny, who has 61 points on the season, good for a career-best and team-high.

In addition, guys like James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Hayes have each chipped in at least 40 points each upfront, while Ivan Provorov and Matt Niskanen have added 35 points and 33 points respectively from the back end.

Looking deeper into the Flyers’ depth, 21 players have racked up double-digit points this season, proving that depth scoring is there more so than it has been in the past.

It also has helped to have Carter Hart step into a larger role this season. With a record of 22-12-3, a goals against average of 2.51, and a .909 save percentage, Hart is not putting up elite numbers, but he is providing consistency at the goaltender position, which has been lacking in Philadelphia for a long time.

As a team, Philadelphia has scored the second-most goals of any Metropolitan division team this season and has allowed fewer shots per game than any other team in the NHL (28.5), which bodes very well for a team in the defense-heavy Metropolitan division.

In the Eastern Conference, look for five Metro teams to qualify for the postseason. Washington and Pittsburgh are usual suspects, while the Islanders and Hurricanes look poised to return to the playoffs.

The Devils are long out of contention, the Rangers have a more realistic chance of qualifying next season, and the Blue Jackets have played between two and four games more than every other team in the division.

Who is left to claim a spot in the playoffs? The Philadelphia Flyers. With additional depth and unmatched momentum (at least in the Metro), the Flyers should be viewed as threats to, at the very least, qualify for the playoffs.