Flyers Weekly Observations: Deadline deals and livened playoff hopes

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This week of Flyers hockey felt a little different, didn't it?
 
In a change of pace, the Flyers were able to string consecutive wins together for the first time in over a month when they shutout the hapless Colorado Avalanche, 4-0, Tuesday and nipped the Florida Panthers, 2-1, in a shootout Thursday night. The week ended on a bit of a sour note with a 2-1 OT loss to the scorching-hot Washington Capitals, but those five points earned this week were crucial because they livened the Flyers’ pulse in the playoff chase from the start of the week.
 
And, of course, the NHL trade deadline was sandwiched in there Wednesday, when the Flyers acquired Valterri Filppula from Tampa in exchange for Mark Streit and draft picks before the Lightning flipped Streit to Pittsburgh. Also on Wednesday, the Flyers inked Michal Neuvirth, a pending unrestricted free agent to a two-year extension.
 
So it was certainly a busy week.
 
Let's take a look back and start with the events of deadline day.
 
• I find the Filppula-Streit trade to be curious for a handful of reasons. Obviously, Streit, a 39-year-old pending UFA, was a prime target to be moved as the Flyers need space to start filling in their prized prospects sooner rather than later. But acquiring Filppula, a 32-year-old center with a near identical cap hit north of $5 million for another year and a no-movement clause, meaning he can't be exposed to Vegas in the expansion draft, raised some eyebrows. 

The fact that Ron Hextall felt the need to go out and get a second-line center says Brayden Schenn is a winger from now on. As he should be. Though Schenn is a natural center, he's just produced more on the wing with the Flyers. Remember last year when he went on a tear at the end of the season next to Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds? He’s just a better fit on the wing here and the new second line of Schenn, Filppula and Jake Voracek scored the Flyers' only goal Thursday and will only continue to mesh as they play more together in the coming weeks. 

But I think it's particularly interesting what the move doesn't say about Sean Couturier. The Flyers gave him that fresh six-year extension two summers ago to be a scoring center on the second line. With 10 goals and eight assists this season in 48 games this season, Couturier hasn't lived up to the Flyers' production expectations to the point Hextall felt the need to go out and get a second-line center with a big cap hit.

• The extension for Neuvirth is curious, too. My honest first thought was the deal was made for expansion draft purposes. The Flyers need a goalie under contract to expose to Vegas in that draft. Before Neuvirth’s extension, Anthony Stolarz would have had to been exposed because Steve Mason is a pending UFA and Neuvirth was set to be one, but pending UFAs are ineligible. It's not in Hextall's playbook to even risk losing a talented 23-year-old prospect like Stolarz for nothing. Plus, Vegas general manager George McPhee drafted Neuvirth in Washington in 2006. 

There are risks that come with committing to Neuvirth, especially his injury history. So many times in his career when Neuvirth has had a chance to be a legitimate No. 1 netminder, the injury bug has bitten him. But the other side of this is the talented goalie prospects the Flyers have in system -- Stolarz, Carter Hart, Alex Lyon and Felix Sandstrom. Those guys are going to be ready sooner rather than later. 

While I feel Mason is the better goalie in the current tandem, maybe the Flyers feel Neuvirth is the more sensible option for a stop-gap guy. But Hextall said this week that signing Mason after the year still isn't out of the question. And Mason played this week like he had something to prove. This is going to be interesting going forward.

• Speaking of Mason, he was spectacular against the Caps on Saturday night in D.C. and kept the Flyers in the game when Washington was firing on all cylinders. He made 22 saves on 24 Washington offerings, but none was more impressive than his sprawling stop with his mask on T.J. Oshie’s rocket in OT. The Flyers wouldn't have that critical point in the standings if not for Mason. The extra point would have no doubt been nice, but coming out of Verizon Center against the Caps with a point is big either way.

• Great game Thursday between the Flyers and Panthers, and an important one, too, as both teams are fighting for their wild-card lives. The 2-1 shootout final wasn’t indicative of how the game was played as there were great chances up and down the ice. The final shot total was 49-40 in favor of the Flyers after OT ended. Mason was great again, especially with the glove-hand robbery of Aleksander Barkov as time wound down in the third. And good for Filppula getting on the board as he admitted afterward he was pretty much freelancing on the ice as he only had a few hours of video to take in. I really like the dynamics of the Schenn-Filppula-Voracek line.

• The Flyers' power play has run hot and cold all season long. It will look unstoppable for a stretch before hitting a frustrating dry spell. It's in one of those frustrating dry spells again, as evidenced by the goose-egg it put up on six opportunities Saturday in D.C. The Flyers put just seven shots on Braden Holtby in six power-play chances. One of those power-play opportunities was a golden one with just over three minutes left and the score tied 1-1, but the Flyers could do nothing with it. The Flyers' PP is now 0 for its last 10. Gotta get that fixed ASAP if this run to a wild-card spot is going happen.

• Three massive games coming up on the road for the Flyers this week as they head to Buffalo, Toronto and Boston, all clubs who, like the Flyers, are scrapping for their playoff lives. As of early Sunday afternoon, the Flyers are three points behind the Islanders for the final playoff berth. The Sabres are two points behind the Flyers. The Maple Leafs are a point back of the Isles and two points ahead of the Flyers. The Bruins are in third in the Atlantic, but just four points away from dropping out of the playoff picture completely. Make-or-break week? Certainly could be.
 
Coming up this week: Tuesday at Buffalo (7 p.m./CSN), Thursday at Toronto (7:30 p.m./CSN), Saturday at Boston (1 p.m./CSN).

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