Matt Read

The Flyers went into Boston needing to get two points. They left with one, and they should be lucky to have gotten that much.

The Bruins managed to hold off a Flyers comeback for a 3-2 win in the shootout, and more importantly, a much needed two points in the Eastern Conference standings.

Outplayed for much of the game, Philadelphia did manage to get a couple goals past Boston goalie Tim Thomas in the second and third periods but other than that, they were out-muscled by Boston's pressure for much of the game's 60 minutes.

For starters, luck wasn't on the Flyers side early, especially for goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov.

With the trade deadline in their review mirrors, the Philadelphia Flyers (34-20-7) close out a four game road trip tonight when they face the San Jose Sharks (32-22-7).

The Flyers were quiet on trade deadline day this season but have not been quiet the last two weeks, adding Nick Grossman and Pavel Kubina to shore up their defense for this season's playoff run.

The Flyers are considered to be buyers in the coming weeks as the trade deadline rolls near.

Players like Nashville’s Ryan Suter and Shea Weber as well as Toronto’s Luke Schenn have been mentioned in numerous possible trade situations and rumors. But in the end, will it all matter for the Flyers?

Before this turns into a column writing off the Flyers, take a step back and look at the situation the team is in. They are currently eight points behind the Rangers for the Atlantic Division lead while resting with the fourth seed.

But on the other side of the Flyers, they are only eight points ahead of the ninth place Capitals. The Flyers could very easily be in the bottom half of the playoff tree when April rolls around and their possible match ups could spell doom.

It’s not hard to see.

Even the most casual of fans can tell you that Wayne Simmonds is the classic example of the kind of athlete that Philadelphia fans love to call their own.

Hardworking, physical and largely underappreciated away from Philly, Simmonds is the kind player that doesn’t always come to the forefront of your mind when discussing skills, but is always number one when you talk about heart.

However, that doesn’t mean that Simmonds doesn’t have skills.

Although it may not be his forte, it’s ill advised to underestimate the 23-year old’s ability to contribute to the offensive phase of the game.

This was made evident on Thursday night when the gritty forward scored two goals against the Nashville Predators.