TORONTO -- It won't be easy going into Boston now.
Not after Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs (see story) that put the Flyers in a deeper hole in their attempt to earn a wild-card playoff spot.
In other words, Saturday's matinee at TD Garden is a "must" win even more than it was 24 hours ago.
"Absolutely," said Shayne Gostisbehere. "Obviously, [Thursday] was a must-win for us. And going into Boston, it's going to be huge for us.
"It's going to be a playoff-like atmosphere for us. We're going to need two points."
The Leafs moved into the second wild-card spot in the East with 74 points and the Islanders kept pace as the wild-card leader by virtue of an OT win in Vancouver late Thursday night. So the Isles (75 points) now have a five-point cushion on the Flyers in the wild-card chase. The Lightning (71 points) jumped the Flyers thanks to a 4-1 win over Minnesota on Thursday.
Regardless, the Flyers lost a golden chance to gain ground.
Ironically, the Flyers went into Boston right around the same time -- March -- back in 2015.
They were 15 seconds from winning a game in regulation play and ended up losing to the Bruins, 3-2, in overtime.
It was a crushing defeat that left Craig Berube's club emotionally drained. So much so, they went into New Jersey the next day and got slammed 5-2, ending their playoff hopes.
The Flyers don't want to see this turn into another lost weekend like that one did.
"In the past, when there was pressure, guys elevated their game," said Flyers captain Claude Giroux. "We can't be pouting. We have to put this behind us and be ready for Boston."
They need to take two points from the Bruins in regulation play. They still have to surpass the Leafs, directly in front of them.
"It's not that much, we're just four points behind [Toronto] and we got games left," countered Sean Couturier.
"Doesn't matter. It's still tight. We got to take it one game at a time and win. Still games left."
