Previewing the Flyers Post All-Star Break: By the Numbers

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The Philadelphia Flyers return to the ice Tuesday night in Carolina against the Hurricanes. The first game back after a layoff has traditionally been a struggle for the Flyers (see the 4-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils after their NHL mandated bye week). But February is an important month for the Flyers leading up to the deadline.  Here’s a look inside the numbers.
 
32:
Remaining games for the Flyers..and all but nine of those games are against Eastern Conference opponents. The saying you will hear a lot over the next few weeks is…”these are four point games.”  And for good reason, because they are.
 
16:
Games against Metropolitan Division rivals, and it starts tomorrow against the Hurricanes. Carolina is 15-6-1 at home while the Flyers are 10-12-3 on the road.
 
3/4/4:
Tying into the Flyers struggle on the road is that they have a three game Pacific Division road trip against Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver in February and two separate four game road trips in March. First in Washington, Buffalo, Toronto and Boston. The second against Winnipeg, Minnesota, Columbus and Pittsburgh. How they fare on these trips will be vital to the teams success.
 
155:
The number of goals against the Flyers have given up this year in their first 50 games. Part of it is the defense, part of it is the goaltending. Bottom line is, the Flyers have to tighten up this area for them to have a chance. They simply do not have the offensive talent to win high scoring games.
-1:
The Flyers leader in plus/minus. Not one member of the Flyers have a plus rating. Pierre Edouard Bellemare, Nick Schultz and Roman Lyubimov are tied for the team lead at -1. Shayne Gostisbehere sits at a team low -17 with All Star Wayne Simmonds coming in second at -15.  The team has to be more responsible defensively.  
 
91:
The Flyers current projected point total with 56 points in 50 games. As of today, they  hold down the eighth and final playoff spot in the ultra-strong Eastern Conference. 
It’s make or break time for the Flyers. With 23 games remaining against Eastern Conference opponents, they cannot afford to take a night off.  They catch a break as they are home for five in a row after the game tomorrow. Unfortunately, their five home games are against the Canadiens, Kings, Blues, Islanders and Sharks. All but the Islanders currently hold a playoff position.  Building off the three game winning streak that started before the break with be critical to the team’s success.
 Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports