Scott Gordon half-heartedly joked recently that he's been watching games simultaneously on his computer, his TV, and his phone.
Right now, the Flyers interim coach just needs one device, or perhaps none at all.
"I'm done watching," coach Scott Gordon said. "I'll just check the scores, but watching the games doesn't work."
The one game Gordon and the Flyers will be refreshing on their phones as it pertains to the playoff chase involves the Montreal Canadiens in Anaheim Friday night to face the Ducks - A 10 p.m. ET start at the Honda Center.
If the Canadiens come up short, losing in regulation, the Flyers could creep to within three points of Montreal for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
To get there, the Flyers simply need to win Saturday against the Islanders and follow that up with another victory Monday at home against the Ottawa Senators - the worst team in the East - and hope the Blue Jackets fail to gain more than two points in games against the Penguins Saturday and the Islanders Monday.
It would be the closest the Flyers have been within striking distance of a playoff spot since Nov. 15, the same day Brian Elliott got hurt against the Devils and proceeded to miss the next three months.
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"I don't really think there's a psychological boost (if that happens)," defenseman Radko Gudas said. "We know we can beat the Islanders. We were there last weekend. 15 games left and every game pretty much means everything."
That wasn't the only sense of optimism at Friday's early practice as right winger Jake Voracek joined teammates on the ice for the first time since Sunday's 4-1 victory at Nassau Coliseum.
Teammates gave Voracek the stick tap as he stepped onto the practice rink Friday morning after missing the previous two games. The Flyers right winger took a puck in an awkward spot in last Friday's game in New Jersey.
"I'm good to go right now," Voracek said. "I needed that timeframe to get back to where I was before, or at least 80 percent. Those days off helped."
Voracek has been an offensive catalyst with nine points during his current four-game point streak that has seen the Flyers go 3-0-1.
"For me, I've felt pretty good physically which is more important to me than the points," Voracek said. "I was pretty good in Columbus. Then in Jersey, I wasn't very good. I didn't feel really good. I go the way I feel. Hopefully, I'll be at the same level as I was before."
Voracek may not need the points, but the Flyers do, and in order to earn those much-needed points is to have a healthy Voracek, or something close to it.
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