from Tom Gulitti of NHL.com,

The difference has shown in the results for Flyers, who are 15-12-7. Since losing 10 in a row (five after regulation) from Nov. 11 to Dec. 2, they've won seven of their past eight. They've jumped from eight points back to within two of the Islanders for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

That doesn't seem nearly as daunting.

"There's a lot of hockey left to play. We know that," said Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who had three assists Wednesday. "So we can't be looking at the standings [and] be like, 'We've got to win the next one.' It's about building your game. When we were six or eight points off a playoff spot, we just went game by game and just focused on how we can build and keep getting better as a team."

The Flyers were 8-11-7 following a 3-0 loss at the Boston Bruins on Dec. 2 that pushed the losing streak to 10. During a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Nov. 28, Wells Fargo Center was filled with chants of "Fire Hakstol!"

But general manager Ron Hextall stood by his coach, stating firmly during an interview on NBC Sports Philadelphia's "Philly Sports Talk" on Nov. 29, "Dave Hakstol is our coach and he's going to remain our coach."

The Flyers players were well aware of the changes that can come from a losing streak like the one they were going through, but they took some confidence in the belief Hextall showed in their coach and in them.

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