NEW YORK - Back in December, when they had a 10-game winning streak, it seemed inconceivable that the Flyers would not be playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
But three-plus months of inconsistent play caught up with them, and they were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday night with a 4-3 loss to the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
"We had our good pockets" of play, "but our bad pockets have been too long," general manager Ron Hextall said before the Flyers' four-game winning streak ended Sunday.
The Flyers are the first team in NHL history to miss the playoffs during a season in which they had a 10-game winning streak.