Flyers (31-28-8) vs. Blue Jackets (43-18-6)
7 p.m. on CSN/CSNPhilly.com and NBC Sports App; Pregame Live at 6:30
The Flyers return home Monday night after a three-game road trip that all but put a dagger in their playoff hopes. They'll host the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Wells Fargo Center.
Let's take a closer look at Monday's matchup between Metropolitan Division foes.
1. Playoffs a pipe dream
They said all the right things beforehand. They knew how big of a game it was. They knew they needed two points. And they were just 5.6 seconds away from securing at least one.
Saturday afternoon's 2-1 loss to the Boston Bruins came on an "unfortunate mistake." A bad bounce, some bad luck. Much like it has been the case for the Flyers this season.
Brandon Manning's intention wasn't to redirect a puck between the legs of Steve Mason, costing the Flyers two much-needed points. It was to block a shot. Still, that was the result.
With 15 games left beginning Monday against Columbus, the Flyers have 30 points up for grabs. They squeaked into the playoffs last season with 96 points. To reach that total again this season, they would have to earn 26 out of the 30 points -- extremely unlikely.
NHL
The Flyers enter Monday six points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs -- who they lost to last Thursday in a four-point game -- for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. To make the playoffs, the Flyers will likely have to get to at least 93 points. They're at 70 now.
It would require a minor miracle for the Flyers to make the playoffs at this rate.
2. Money Mase
It was another strong performance in net from Mason on Saturday, one that earned him another start on Monday night in a definite must-win situation.
Mason stopped 25 shots in the 2-1 loss in Boston, stringing together several big saves that kept a rather lackluster team that should have been in desperation mode in the game. It has been clear that Mason has been the better goalie between himself and Michal Neuvirth for a while now and the numbers back it up. In his last 10 games -- nine starts, 510 minutes -- Mason has a 2.00 goals-against average and .936 save percentage with two shutouts dating back to Jan. 21. Mason played just two games in February; Neuvirth played nine (2-6-1).
Let's compare that to Neuvirth's last 10 games. Dating back to Feb. 2, Neuvirth has a 2.61 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage, which is consistent with his overall production this season of .888, last in the NHL among qualified goalies. He is stopping a significantly lower percentage of shots than Mason and has faced, on average, about two shots fewer per game -- 24.1 to Mason's 26.5. In a tight playoff chase, the Flyers have to ride the hot hand.
That has been Mason. Dave Hakstol went with Neuvirth in Toronto last Thursday, and while the team in front of Neuvirth wasn't nearly desperate enough, Neuvirth yielded three goals, two of which were soft goals and the other could be argued as a bad one to give up too.
Mason will be between the pipes Monday, which makes sense given the magnitude of every game left on the schedule. He should be the goalie until cracks begin to show.
3. Stanley Cup dreaming
From a top-three draft pick last season to the top three of the Eastern Conference this year, the Blue Jackets have seen an enormous turnaround under the tutelage of John Tortorella.
The Blue Jackets were pegged as a surprise Stanley Cup contender last season, but injuries and another bad start doomed Columbus. Head coach Todd Richards was fired after seven games and Tortorella replaced Richards behind the bench.
In his first full season in Columbus this year, Tortorella has the Jackets running like a fine-tuned machine.
Columbus has excellent goaltending, plays tight defense and scores -- a lethal combination that qualifies it as a legitimate contender. The Jackets score 3.2 goals per game (fifth in the NHL), allow 2.3 goals per game (second best in the NHL), have a 21.6 power-play percentage (sixth) and an 82.6 penalty-kill percentage (10th best).
The Jackets have scoring depth, with three players with 20 or more goals and nine with 10 or more tallies. Three more have nine goals. Cam Atkinson is a 30-goal scorer. Former Flyer Sam Gagner has enjoyed a career resurgence under Tortorella, scoring 17 goals and 43 points in 66 games. He's six points shy of his career high of 49, set in his rookie year.
4. Keep an eye on ...
Flyers: Travis Konecny found himself off of the fourth line Saturday for the first time since returning from a left knee and ankle sprain on March 4. Konecny didn't score against Boston but seemed to click well with Valtteri Filppula and Jakub Voracek. He's looked stronger with each game since his return, so Monday could be another strong step forward (see story).
Blue Jackets: Look no further than the goal crease for Columbus, a familiar face and former Flyer, Sergei Bobrovsky. After an injury-ridden 2015-16 season, Bobrovsky is healthy and has himself in the conversation for his second Vezina Trophy since being traded to Columbus. Bobrovsky ranks in the top three in all of the four major goalie statistics -- second in save percentage (.930), second in goals-against average (2.07), third in shutouts (six) and tied for the league lead with Devan Dubnyk with 36 wins. Those 36 wins are a career high and a Columbus franchise record for Bobrovsky. Yeah, the Flyers let that one get away. Hi, Ilya Bryzgalov.
5. This and that
• Jordan Weal has three goals and one assist in his last six games. Two of those goals were challenged for offsides and both were upheld.
• Claude Giroux enters Monday on a three-game point streak after picking up an assist on Weal's goal Saturday in Boston.
• Ivan Provorov, the No. 7 overall pick in 2015, played a career-high 25:18 against the Bruins, registering five hits and two blocked shots. He'll face off Monday with the No. 8 pick from 2015, defenseman Zach Werenski.
• Columbus defenseman Ryan Murray suffered a broken right hand and will likely be out for the rest of the regular season, according to The Columbus Dispatch.