The future is pretty simple for the Philadelphia Flyers if they get one point when they host the New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon.

They are in the playoffs.

Should they lose — depending on what else happens on Saturday and possibly Sunday — the Flyers could actually find themselves playing an extra game against the Florida Panthers Tuesday to see which team moves forward.

“It’s a great feeling Chad Thomas Jersey ,” Flyers forward Michael Raffl told NHL.com Friday. “The fact that it comes down to the last game is even better. Stays exciting.”

Coming off Thursday’s 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the Flyers (41-26-14) occupy the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. They are one point behind the New Jersey Devils, who hold the first wild card, and the Columbus Blue Jackets, who sit third in the Metropolitan Division.

The Panthers are four points behind the Flyers, but have two games remaining, against the Sabres and Bruins. It is conceivable that by Sunday night, the Flyers and Panthers could be knotted up even with the tiebreakers, thus forcing a playoff.

“Obviously you would have liked to have clinched by now, but if we win (Saturday) or get a point, we’re in DaeSean Hamilton Jersey ,” defenseman Andrew MacDonald told PhilyNews.com. “We control everything. Obviously, we have to go out and get the job done. … The boys are looking forward to the opportunity.”

Goalie Brian Elliott, who got the win Thursday in his first game back from core-muscle surgery, will start against the Rangers. Elliott made 19 saves in his first game since Feb. 10.

“I thought he did a real good job,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. “It was good for him to get that game under his belt. I thought he played hard for his teammates and vice versa, and we got the good result.”

Sizzling Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist and has 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) during a nine-game point streak

Henrik Lundqvist will start Saturday for the Rangers (34-38-9), who will close out a season that saw a perennial playoff team slump badly before being broken up near the trade deadline.

The Rangers lost to the Islanders 2-1 on Thursday night and are 1-4-1 in their last six games, though they are a surprising 7-8-3 since the Feb. 26 trade deadline passed.

Ironically, the Rangers traveled to Philadelphia needing a win in the final regular-season game in 2010 to make the playoffs and lost in a shootout after Lundqvist made 46 saves in regulation.

“For us who were there, I think going into (Saturday) Christian Covington Jersey , we want to play a really strong game, for ourselves and also for that reason,” Lundqvist told the New York Post. “They got a big win at a crucial time that time. We’re going to play a desperate and a really good team (Saturday).”

For coach Alain Vigneault, whose future is in question along with many of the players, Saturday is about finishing on a high note.

“At the end of the day, we’ve talked about doing our jobs right down to the end, since we’ve been eliminated, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Vigneault told the Post. “We’re going to go to Philly and try to win a game.”

Browns receiver Josh Gordon entered the NFL via the supplemental draft more than six years ago. But he has yet to qualify for restricted free agency. Now, he’s only two days away from not qualifying for restricted free agency, again.

Because he’s on the reserve/did not report list Jake Butt Jersey , a failure by Gordon to report by August 7 will keep him from earning a year of credit toward free agency. Which will continue to keep him at only two years of credit toward free agency. And that will tie him to the Browns at least through 2019.

Gordon secured his two years of credit toward free agency in 2012 and 2013, his first two NFL seasons. In 2014, the NFL suspended Gordon 10 games under the substance-abuse policy. Then, the team suspended him for one game at the end of the season. That kept him at five games for the year, which kept him at two years of credit toward free agency.

Then came Gordon’s extended suspension, wiping out 2015. In 2016, Gordon entered rehab on the brink of a reinstatement that would have become effective in early October. Gordon eventually was reinstated during the 2017 season, but (coincidentally and perhaps conveniently) he played in only five games, keeping him once again at two years of credit.

In 2018, the number of games he plays won’t matter if he fails to report by Tuesday, August 7 Tarik Cohen Jersey , 30 days before the launch of the regular season. Per Article 8, Section 1(b) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, “A player shall not receive an Accrued Season for any League Year in which the player is under contract to a Club and in which he failed to report to such Club at least thirty days prior to the first regular season game of that season.”

The Browns originally announced that Gordon would be placed on the non-football illness list. Then the team reversed course, opting for reserve/did not report list. Which means he failed to report. Which means that if he doesn’t report at least 30 days before the September 6 regular-season opener between the Falcons and Eagles, he’ll once again be stuck at two years of service, even if he appears in all 16 regular-season games in 2018.

Which means that the Browns will be able to keep him in 2019, with no opportunity for Gordon to leave via restricted or unrestricted free agency.

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