BOSTON _ Despite having to climb past at least three teams to get into the Eastern Conference's final wild-card spot, the Flyers keep saying they control their own destiny.
If that was the case, if they really believed that, they would have gone out and played the third period Saturday with bravado, with the intent of taking two points in their own personal house of horrors, TD Garden.
Instead, they sat back for much of the final 20 minutes and played not to lose.
So even though the way the game ended was downright shocking, it wasn't surprising that the Flyers were on the short end of the final score.
Bruins 2, Flyers 1.
Drew Stafford's long lob shot to the net deflected off defenseman Brandon Manning's stick and past stunned goalie Steve Mason with 5.6 seconds to go, giving the Bruins their sixth home win in seven games against the Flyers since 2012.
"We were pretty sloppy throughout," Stafford said, " ... but we'll take it."
Manning has played with grit this season _ witness how he stood up for teammate Shayne Gostisbehere after the defenseman was checked by Matt Beleskey, and fought the Boston winger early in Saturday's game _ but his late mistake was a brutal one.
It was a goal that conjured memories of Gerry Meehan's tally that jolted the Flyers 45 years ago. Meehan's long shot with four seconds left eluded Doug Favell and gave Buffalo a 3-2 win, knocking the Flyers out of a playoff spot on the final day of the 1971-72 regular season.
This goal didn't cost the Flyers a playoff spot, but it pushed them to the edge of the ledge and left little margin for error in their last 15 games.
It was reminiscent of the Flyers' 3-2 overtime loss in Boston two years ago. Brad Marchand tied that March 7 game with 14.1 seconds left in regulation and he scored the game-winner in overtime. That pushed the Flyers five points behind Boston for the final wild-card spot. They would have drawn within two points with a regulation win.
Fast-forward to Saturday. The Flyers outplayed the Bruins in the first two periods, but, inexplicably, they sat back in the final period while the game was tied at 1-1.
"There are going to be ebbs and flows," winger Jordan Weal said. "There's going to be changes in momentum ... and I think we held the fort well. We didn't give them too many Grade A" chances in the last period.
Then again, the Flyers never severely tested Boston goalie Tuukka Rask _ who was brilliant in the first two periods _ in the third.
"It's a 1-1 hockey game and their defense doesn't give you much room," winger Brayden Schenn said, "so there was no sense playing a run-and-style game against the Boston Bruins."
A run-and-gun offense wasn't necessary. An attacking style _ one that creates opportunities and keeps the Bruins on their heels _ is what the final period was missing from the Flyers' standpoint.
Coach Dave Hakstol said the Flyers didn't sit back in the game's latter stages, but his team didn't get a third-period shot until 7 minutes, 33 seconds remained, and they were outshot over the last 20 minutes, 12-4.
"Obviously it stings right now, but this group won't quit," Schenn said.
The outcome probably would have been different if Schenn's first-period goal had not been erased because of an odd referee's call.
Schenn jammed in a rebound, but it was ruled that the referee intended to blow his whistle before he scored.
"He was planning on blowing the whistle, and if he tells the league that, they can't call it a goal," Schenn said. "It is what it is. I guess it's a funny rule. They're trying to put more goals into the league so I don't know why they have a rule like that. At the end of the day, it's no goal and there's nothing you can really do about that."
The Bruins felt fortunate to escape with two points.
"We didn't have a great game, but we got a little lucky," Marchand said. " ... They definitely pushed a little harder than we did."
Except in the third period.
