3 reasons why the Flyers will make the playoffs

There's hope in the City of Brotherly Love.

With a win over Tampa Bay on Monday, the Philadelphia Flyers moved to within two points of Detroit for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

A recent 7-2-1 run has greatly increased their chances of qualifying for the playoffs, something that seemed like a pipe dream as the calendar turned to 2016.

(Courtesy: Sports Club Stats)

Now within striking distance of both Detroit and Pittsburgh with 17 games remaining for each club, here's three reasons why the Flyers will indeed be one of the final 16 teams left standing at the end of the regular season.

Ghost Bear, Gudas & Co.

The big story, of course, has been the one they call "The Ghost Bear," who's been nothing short of spectacular since being called up in mid-November. Through 47 games, 22-year-old Shayne Gostisbehere has recorded 14 goals and 23 assists, and only Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Brent Burns, and John Klingberg are averaging more points per game among defensemen.

While Gostisbehere is rightfully being lauded for helping right the Flyers' offensive ship with his breakout performance on the blue line, the emergence of Radko Gudas as a stellar defenseman is also going a long way towards propelling Philadelphia's upward climb.

Sure, his recent four-point night was an anomaly, and he's known more for questionable hits than pushing the puck up the ice, but possession-wise, Gudas is actually playing at a high level.

Among defensemen with at least 750 minutes of ice time at five-on-five, Gudas ranks 20th with a Corsi rating of 53.7, while beginning only 31.6 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone.

Defense wasn't expected to be an area of strength for the Flyers, but six of the eight players who have dressed this season sit at or above 50 in terms of five-on-five Corsi.

Top line on fire

Jakub Voracek's lower-body injury could not have come at a worse time, and while he's expected to miss a couple more games, the Flyers' top line has been smoking hot in his absence.

Here's what the trio of Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn, and Wayne Simmonds has done in the five game since Voracek was bit by the injury bug.

Voracek's expected return should only give the Flyers a more balanced offense, making the team difficult to handle down the stretch.

Their team shooting percentage sits at 7.05 at five-on-five, good for 18th in the league. Even a slight uptick will give the Flyers that much more of a boost down the stretch.

Finally, some solid goaltending

Philadelphia's quest for anything resembling competent play in net has been lengthy and well documented, but general manager Ron Hextall may have finally unlocked that particular achievement.

Once thought to be a lost cause in Columbus, Steve Mason has quietly rejuvenated his career with the Flyers, while the addition of Michal Neuvirth has given head coach Dave Hakstol reason to believe he has a 1A-1B tandem on his hands.

In five-on-five play, the Flyers' .936 save percentage ranks second only to the New York Rangers, meaning the goalies can't be blamed this time around if the Flyers don't end up advancing to the postseason.

With three games remaining against Pittsburgh and two versus the Red Wings, all of the above will be key in terms of passing one or both en route to a playoff berth.