The Philadelphia Flyers avoid the Penguins, draw the Capitals

The Philadelphia Flyers are heading into the Stanley Cup playoffs, but do the Capitals present a better matchup than the Penguins?

Currently, the Philadelphia Flyers sit in third place in the Metropolitan division, just two points ahead of the wild card-leading Columbus Blue Jackets, but due to a difficult stretch of games for the Flyers, the team is in danger of falling into the Wild Card and most likely having to play the one seed from the Metropolitan.

On the surface, this may appear to be a bad thing, but for the Flyers descending into the wild card may actually be the best thing for the club.

Now, it’s never good to limp into the postseason, as a Stanley Cup playoff series can be dictated by who’s hot at the right time. However, what’s even more important is matchups.

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As of now, the Flyers would play their competitive, in-state rival the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round and it’s no secret the Penguins have had the Flyers’ number recently.

Despite winning the last playoff series these two teams met in, recent history suggests this matchup could go very poorly for the Broad Street Bullies.

In their first three meetings this year, Pittsburgh has dominated, winning all three, with an impending final battle set for March 25. In fact, if you’d like to stretch it out, the Flyers have lost eight of the last eleven to their rival.

Sure, a playoff encounter between these two teams would be thrilling, but even though Flyers fans would never admit this, it’s probably the one matchup that the Philly would like to avoid.

But what’s the alternative? A clash with the Metropolitan leading Washington Capitals.

It’s worth noting that the Penguins sit just two points back of the Capitals for the division title so the Flyers may actually draw the Caps even if they do stay on course and finish third.

However, if the Capitals do win the division, the Flyers should want to play them.

Why would you want to play the higher seed?

Well, the Capitals have a bit of a reputation for being a great regular season team with little postseason success. They are the Toronto Raptors of the NHL. Sorry, Canada.

The Penguins, on the other hand, are the back to back Stanley Cup Champions. Postseason success is not something they lack.

Recall if you will the 2016 playoffs when the Flyers met the Caps in the first round. Despite being tremendously more talented, the Capitals struggled to close out the Flyers and the series went to a competitive six games.

Throughout their regular season showdowns, the Flyers defeated the Capitals in three out of four games, with their only loss coming on a six-day stretch without a game, in which the Flyers were understandably out of rhythm.

While the proud Flyers and their fans would obviously want to play the Penguins, common sense suggests they’re better suited for the Capitals. If nothing else, the Flyers want to win and the Capitals present a better chance at that.

As much as this is hard to admit, the Penguins are simply a better team than the Capitals. They have a Conn Smythe trophy candidate and he’s only their second best player. Their starting goaltender will be healthy and poised for another Stanley Cup run.

While I am not calling for the Flyers to tank the last nine games in order to draw a favorable matchup, I’m simply stating that it would not be the worst thing for the team if they continue to struggle and land in a wild card spot.

However, if the Flyers put it all together in the forthcoming weeks and have to play the Penguins, that’s fine too. I’ll take a hot team going into the postseason any day.

Next: Philadelphia Flyers: Alex Lyon provides hope moving forward

While only time will tell whom the Flyers end up facing off against in the 2018 NHL playoffs, the team could be in good shape even if they limp into the playoffs.

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