Flyers on pace for top-5 pick with 5 games remaining

The Flyers can secure a top-five pick in the coming weeks.

The Philadelphia Flyers saw their three-game winning streak come to an end this weekend, much to the delight of Team Tank. A loss in Montreal on Saturday night, coupled with a few noteworthy results over the weekend, has put the Flyers in a pretty good position in terms of their NHL Draft Lottery odds.

Through play on Sunday, April 6, the Flyers have the fifth-fewest points in the league with 71 in 77 games. The Boston Bruins also have 71 points but in one more game, giving them the edge in lottery odds.

The Flyers may be at the fifth slot right now, and five games may not seem like a lot, but there is still some wiggle room for Philadelphia’s first round pick.

The dreams of the Flyers tanking all the way into a top-three pick are dead — unless they win a lottery for one of the top two picks. The San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks secured the two worst records quite some time ago.

The Nashville Predators have also come back down to Earth recently with their sixth straight loss on Sunday, so they’re pretty much locked into the third-worst record.

But the fourth slot and downward are still wide open.

Only three points separate the Bruins with the fourth-worst record and the Ducks with the ninth-worst. Sure, there are some games in hand in there, but nothing is guaranteed with these teams.

First, let’s take a look at where the Flyers stand and their remaining schedule.

Philadelphia Flyers – 71 points in 77 games

If you’re reading this blog, you probably know how the Flyers have been playing. They had a long losing streak, fired John Tortorella, and won three of their next four under interim head coach Brad Shaw.

The Flyers have a few days off before a matchup against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden before hosting the New York Islanders on Saturday. They then head up to Ottawa, host Columbus, and finish the season in Buffalo.

The Rangers are still trying to keep their playoff hopes alive despite the Canadiens having a good grip on the second Wild Card spot. The Islanders and Blue Jackets are also still alive, but only barely. Beating a New York team is always nice, and the Flyers may pull out a win plus an overtime loss, but you can’t expect more than that.

Claude Giroux has the Senators ready for the playoffs and will be happy to take down the Orange and Black. The season finale in Buffalo could ultimately be huge for draft position, as the Sabres are currently three points ahead of the Flyers.

Conservatively, the Flyers should get at least two or three points in their final five games. Aggressively? Maybe four or five.

So, who do the Flyers have to be worried about the most?

Boston Bruins – 71 points in 78 games

The Bruins fought for two wins after the trade deadline over the Lightning and Panthers before going on to lose their next 10 games, only earning a loser point in one of them. They got a surprising win against Carolina on Saturday before falling flat in Buffalo on Sunday.

Boston has just four games left. The Bs end their quick two-game road trip in New Jersey on Tuesday, then alternate home and road games against the Blackhawks, Penguins, and Devils.

The only game out of those four that the Bruins should win is at home against Chicago. The Penguins game is a toss-up, and the Devils are a playoff team on a three-game winning streak.

To project it out, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Bruins only earned two or three points in their final four games. Anything else would be gravy.

Seattle Kraken – 72 points in 77 games

The Kraken are in the midst of a long road trip. They’ve already won in Vancouver and San Jose but finish out the trip in Los Angeles, Utah, and Vegas. Seattle then hosts the Blues and Kings to close out the season.

Seattle went 1-4-1 prior to those two wins, and none of its remaining games bode well for the Kraken. It doesn’t help that the games in LA and Utah are back to back.

The Kraken could very well go winless in their final five games. Maybe they get two points. And that’s not great for the Flyers’ draft position with Seattle just one point ahead of Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh Penguins – 74 points in 78 games

You might have to hold your nose and root for the Penguins if you want the draft position to improve, Flyers fans. Pittsburgh lost in Chicago on Sunday and host the Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

The Pens then play in New Jersey before hosting the Bruins and Capitals to close out the season.

The only positive in that schedule is that the Bruins or Penguins are guaranteed to get two points out of that matchup. An overtime game would be fantastic.

But still, the Penguins are three points ahead of the Flyers, who may not earn that many the rest of the way.

Buffalo Sabres & Anaheim Ducks – 74 points in 77 games

The Sabres and Ducks are also worth keeping an eye one.

Buffalo took down Boston on Sunday for its fourth straight win and is now 7-1-0 in its last eight games. The Sabres’ remaining schedule is tough with games against Carolina, Columbus, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Toronto before hosting the Flyers in that season finale.

Anaheim has now lost two straight games following a 3-1-0 stretch. The Ducks have six games remaining against five playoff teams (Edmonton, Los Angeles, Colorado, Minnesota, Winnipeg) and Calgary.

But once again, as stated above, the Flyers may only reach 74 points this season.

So, with the Flyers entering their final five games of the season, a top-five pick does seem very possible.

MoneyPuck has the Flyers projected to finish with 75.5 points for the fifth slot, with Boston (74.8) and Seattle (76.9) sandwiching them.

All in all, given how the top of the upcoming draft class looks, the Flyers should have a few skilled prospects to choose from with their first selection — if they don’t trade it, that is.