Nov 22, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) reacts after scoring a goal against the New Jersey Devils in the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
PHILADELPHIA -- Have you ever stopped to think about what you can accomplish in a mere 26 seconds?
Until Saturday night, I never had. But then I was inspired. And while it took me longer than 26 seconds to come up with this list, I'm pretty sure everything on this list can be done in that amount of time.
That last one probably wouldn't have been on top of mind before Saturday, but after the Flyers did it in the first period of a 6-3 win over the rival New Jersey Devils, it's now going to be on that list forever.
THE FLYERS SCORE THREE IN 26 SECONDS! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/eJQytbwnn0
One thing we learned from the calls is that quick math is not Jim Jackson's strong suit. Good thing he's much better at his day job.
It was a wild sequence. It was also the loudest the X has been all season as the Flyers had a sellout crowd - easily their largest and most enthusiastic group since the Cutter Gauthier game last January.
With the win, the Flyers improved to 11-6-3. After 20 games, the unofficial quarter poll of the season (It'll actually come during the first intermission of the next game), the Flyers are in a playoff spot.
I know what you're thinking, it's way too early to be talking about playoffs. And I agree, it is. In theory.
A lot can happen in the next 62 games that makes everything I'm about to write moot. But, with the team playing well and off to a great start and the debate raging on Flyers Twitter between the cranks and the die-hards about whether making the playoffs is a good thing or not, it's worth diving into just a little.
First of all the Eastern Conference is bonkers right now. There is only 10 points separating the best team (Carolina: 14-5-2, 30 points) and the worst team (Buffalo: 8-9-4, 20 points). The Flyers, who as I said are in the a playoff spot currently, are equidistant between the Hurricanes and Sabres, trailing one by five points and leading the other by five points.
Things are so close that on any given night it seems teams flop around the standings. There's not a lot of continuity. You have to check back every day to see the shuffle. That's certainly rare.
And because things are so close this season, maybe what I'm about to tell you is irrelevant. But, we are quickly careening toward an important benchmark in the NHL season - Thanksgiving.
It seems weird to say that, as the season isn't even two months old by the time you are going back for seconds on the turkey, but weirdly enough it's been a very telling time historically in the NHL.
That's because since the current playoff format, with two wild card teams in each conference (since 2013-14), teams in a playoff spot on Thanksgiving regularly make the actual playoffs in April. Crazy, right?
Here are the numbers:
Only counting full 82-game seasons, of the 144 teams in a playoff spot on Thanksgiving since 2013-14, 110 of them have actually made the postseason. That's 76.4 %. Teams in either first or second place in their division have an even greater percentage of making it (89.1%) while teams in the Wild Card spot, where the Flyers currently reside, have a more volatile percentage, at approximately 70%.
Now, there's no guarantee that the Flyers are in a playoff spot come time to decide between the homemade cranberry sauce and the sliced, canned option. They have two tough road games first to determine that - having to head south for games Monday and Wednesday in Tampa and Florida. But they've played the Panthers tough in two games so far this season, so there is hope.
And there is hope with the way Dan Vladar continues to play in net. He was the Flyers best player in each of the last two games, and entering play Sunday he is fourth in the NHL in both goals against average (2.42) and save percentage (.912) among goalies who have played it least 10 games (there are 36 of them).
DAN VLADAR!!! pic.twitter.com/l5fQRHGOi5
He can't play every game this week, as the Flyers play four in six days in four different cities, so Sam Ersson is getting at least one game - likely Friday in New York against the Islanders. The question is, does he have to make another start before that?
Vladar has started the last three Flyers games. Is coach Rick Tocchet willing to test him and see if he can make five straight starts? He certainly played well in both starts against Florida in October, so it's likely that he's in net for that game, but what about the game in Tampa? Are the Flyers treating this stretch of games with a little more importance than teams usually do in November? Do they look at this as an opportunity to catch good teams early enough in the season not on their A games as an opportunity to bank points in the standings? Do they want to get to Thanksgiving in a playoff spot and feel emboldened that their odds are vastly improved if they do?
Making the playoffs is important. Some fans might not think so, but it is. When you are trying to take that next step in a rebuild, playing games that matter and competing for a championship is part of the process. No one has any delusions that the Flyers can compete for a Stanley Cup this year. Not even in the deepest hearts of the organization. But that shouldn't be a deterrent to learning what the playoffs are all about. It's a different level and speed and intensity of the sport. You can hear people talk about it all you want, but until you actually experience it, it can't be truly known.
That's why getting there matters. And your odds of getting there are improved greatly if you are in a playoff spot while scarfing down some pumpkin pie and laughing at the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.
Which is why the way the Flyers played on Saturday - including their franchise record for fastest three goals - is likely what they are going to look to do all week against the Lightning, Panthers, and even after Thanksgiving against the Isles and Devils again.
And if they are still one of the top eight teams in the East on Thursday, than fans can start to think, is it really possible?
Because it will be. No guarantees, but it will be.
