The Philadelphia Flyers have been one of the league's biggest surprises this season, but Scott Laughton believes his team needs to pick up the pace to secure its first playoff berth since 2020.
"At this time of year, you've got to be ready to play," the forward told reporters following the Flyers' 6-2 shakedown at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs. "You can't just go out there and put your stick on the ice and hope for the best. The last three games haven't been good enough. ... Everyone's got to look in the mirror here and figure out what we need to do collectively as a group here to get better."
Thursday's resounding defeat marked Philadelphia's second loss in three games since the March 8 trade deadline. The Flyers lost 7-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and narrowly beat the basement-dwelling San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Tuesday.
"It's hard at this time of year. It's hard to win hockey games," Laughton said. "Everyone's trying to get (into the playoffs), everyone's trying to solidify their spot. We've gotta realize in this room, we've gotta make a push here."
It's been tough sledding for the Flyers of late. With one eye on the future, general manager Danny Briere dealt pending unrestricted free-agent rearguard Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche before the deadline and didn't spend major assets to bolster his squad. The team is also trying to make do with a battered blue line, with Rasmus Ristolainen, Jamie Drysdale, and Nick Seeler all sidelined with injuries.
Philadelphia is still third in the Metropolitan Division at 34-25-8 with an 82.7% chance of making the postseason, per MoneyPuck. However, the New York Islanders are four points behind with two games in hand.
Further complicating things for the Flyers is their upcoming schedule. Their next six opponents are all playoff contenders, including the Maple Leafs in another clash Tuesday.
Associate coach Brad Shaw - who's filling in for the suspended John Tortorella - hopes Thursday's loss can serve as "a good lesson."
"Toronto's got a battle-hardened group there that's been through some hard knocks. ... We've got a lot of guys that still have to learn all that," he said. "They have to recognize how hard you have to play to have any chance at this time of year."
