Flyers' Last Home Stand: A Playoff Miss Amidst a Sea of Rising NBA Hopefuls

A Missed Chance on Home Ice: The Flyers Fall Flat in Final Home Stand

In a night where the atmosphere at the Wells Fargo Center buzzed with a mix of anticipation and melancholy, the Flyers failed to deliver the playoff push that fans were hoping for. It was their home finale, an evening dotted with tribute videos and moments to savor, yet in gameplay, it became another chapter penned with ink of disappointment. The Flyers were shut out against the Blue Jackets, leaving everyone, from the die-hard fans to the players themselves, grappling with a stark reminder of what could have been. It was clear from the lack of finish on their chances, the zero for three power play, and the palpable frustration post-game, this team was not clicking when it counted. And after the final whistle, the reality settled in like the finality of the Swinging Bridge’s closure—another shutout, another season slipping away.

Despite all efforts to ignite the passion of the fans and create a playoff atmosphere, the boys in orange couldn’t bring the energy and flair to the ice to match the occasion. Their performance was lackluster, offering Columbus the opportunity to keep their playoff dreams alive while putting a dent in Philadelphia’s. Looking back on the game, it was a stark contrast to Shaw’s earlier success with the team, where they seemed to have regained some of their missing mojo.

With only one game left in the season, the Flyers find themselves in a peculiar limbo, not just in the standings with the sixth-best lottery odds, which could climb to fourth with a regulation loss, but also in team morale. Players like Samuel Ersson and Sean Couturier expressed the sting of the playoff miss, a sentiment echoed in the stands and reverberating through the dressing room. While the season has been one of learning and development, the bitter taste of not participating in the postseason acts as a stark motivator for next year’s off-season grind.

As the Flyers gear up for one more road game to close out

The Flyers were unable to play spoiler Tuesday night as they lost to the Blue Jackets, 3-0, in their home finale.

They were shut out for the eighth time this season and a fifth time at the Wells Fargo Center.

The club’s power play went 0 for 3.

With one game to go, the Flyers (33-38-10) are 5-2-1 under Brad Shaw. Tuesday night was the first time they scored one or fewer goals with the interim head coach in charge.

“I thought we were a little easier to play against than what we have been recently,” Shaw said. “It’s too bad because the first eight, 10 minutes, I thought we were going to be in a real good hockey game. It just didn’t sort of finish that way for us.”

The Blue Jackets (39-33-9) needed a regulation win to keep their playoff push going and they got it. They’re two points back of the Canadiens, who hold the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot. Both teams have one game left.

“Obviously it’s very disappointing for us, we want to be in the playoffs, that’s the situation we want to be in,” Samuel Ersson said. “That’s why you work so hard in the summer and why you put in all the work during the year, you want to be in the playoffs.

“It stings not being there, I think we have some lessons to learn from this year, myself included in that. I think you have to remember how much this sucks and use that as fuel and let it motivate you to work even harder to get to the playoffs.”

• Ersson made 31 saves on 34 shots.

Dante Fabbro broke the ice 2:32 minutes into the second period with an absolute blast. Columbus added to its lead with 2:59 minutes left in the middle stanza as Kent Johnson scored on the power play.

Adam Fantilli provided third-period insurance when a pass went off his skate like a redirection.

Blue Jackets netminder Jet Greaves came in 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .968 save percentage over his previous three starts. He continued his torrid stretch by stopping all 29 of the Flyers’ shots.

“I think we had some chances, just didn’t finish,” Sean Couturier said. “But I think we’re trying to play a little too skilled, also. We’re a lot of one-and-dones, we get pucks there, but there’s not really much traffic or we’re trying to be on the outside and everyone trying to make plays. Sometimes we’ve just got to simplify it and get some dirty goals; we can’t always expect to make highlight-reel goals.”

• Tuesday night was a busy one for the pecking order of the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Along with the Flyers, the Kraken, Bruins, Sabres and Ducks were all in action.

The Flyers ended the night with the sixth-best odds. If they lose in regulation Thursday night, they’ll have the fourth-best odds. But with a regulation win, they’ll finish ahead of the Kraken and Sabres for the seventh-best odds.

More: The latest NHL standings

The Flyers suffered a 3-0 loss to the Blue Jackets in their home finale Tuesday night.

• Travis Konecny and Tyson Foerster combined for 11 shots but couldn’t find the back of the net.

Heading into Game 82, Konecny, Foerster and Matvei Michkov are tied for the team lead in goals with 24 apiece.

• College prospects Alex Bump and Devin Kaplan signed their entry-level contracts Tuesday. More on Bump here and Kaplan here.

• The Flyers wrap up the season Thursday when they visit the Sabres (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).