Thanks to his parents and Oskar Lindblom, Flyers center Kevin Hayes puts rough season in perspective

When Kevin Hayes is going through a rough patch of the season – like he and the Flyers are currently experiencing – the 28-year-old center looks at teammate Oskar Lindblom and his parents and it puts things in perspective.

All are cancer survivors.

On Sunday, the Flyers saluted Lindblom on Hockey Fights Cancer Night at the Wells Fargo Center as they all wore his No. 23 with his name on the back of their purple “fight cancer” jerseys during warmups.

“Osky has battled through a lot,” Hayes said after practice Wednesday in Voorhees. “The whole topic of cancer is a brutal topic; it’s a horrible disease in our world. Everyone has been affected by it in some way, and to see how far Oskar has come… To see him last year when he was sick, to see him now, it’s truly amazing.

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“I mean, winning games is great. Losing [stinks]. Having good seasons, having bad seasons. Playing the right minutes, not playing the right minutes. Stuff you think is a problem in our world and our personal lives is nothing when you get to the rink and you see a bunch of purple jerseys with ‘Lindblom’ and ’23′ on the back,” Hayes said. “It makes you realize that people’s problems are a lot worse than yours. There’s some serious stuff going on in the world today, and cancer is one of the worst things. I mean, I’ve been affected by it by my parents.”

His father, Kevin Sr., battled throat cancer, and his mother, Shelagh, fought colon cancer. Both are now healthy.

“Just being able to go through warmups with [Lindblom] on the ice and how far he’s come, I’m sure it was an incredible moment for him because it was an incredible moment for us,” Hayes said. “It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Hayes has no goals in the last 11 games, and just two scores in the last 22 games, during which the Flyers have gone 7-11-4.

After scoring 23 goals in 69 games in his first year with the Flyers, Hayes has 11 goals in 45 games this season.

“I would say I’ve had an average year,” he said. “I want to help the team every single night, and I feel I haven’t done that as much this year.”

The Flyers (20-18-7) have been average, too.

“We’re professional athletes and we all kind of look ourselves in the mirror and have an inner conversation with how we think we’re doing,” Hayes said. “Obviously the offensive numbers aren’t there compared to last year. I think the work ethic of everyone on this team, myself included, is always there. ... I think everyone wants to do the right thing. Everyone tries their hardest every night. We’ve had some unlucky bounces and some tough stretches.”

The Flyers have lost four of their last five and have virtually fallen out of the playoff race unless the Boston Bruins do a 1964 Phillies imitation.

The Bruins hold the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division — 11 points ahead of the sixth-place Flyers, who have 11 games left. The Rangers are in fifth place, five points ahead of the Flyers.

“As a team, I think we just need to stick to the system more … and it’s kind of a cliché [because] we’ve been saying it all year: Be consistent and play a full 60 [minutes] every night,” Hayes said. “Not doing that every night has kind of bit us in the [butt] here, and it’s something that needs to change.”

In the last game, Hayes centered youngsters Joel Farabee and Wade Allison, and they are expected to be together again Thursday against the host Rangers.

Hayes enjoys being their mentor.

“It’s easy to be around those guys, easy to come to the rink every day, especially when the season isn’t going as well as you want,” Hayes said.

Hayes said Farabee, 21, “works as hard as he can every night. He wants to be better every single day. I love the guy off the ice. He’s a great young kid. He gets it. He really wants to be the best player he can be, and it’s nice to see that in a young kid. He has respect for everyone, determination, and hard work, and he’s an elite player. It’s a blast playing with him.”

Hayes feels the same way about Allison, 23, who has played three NHL games.

“Wade’s awesome,” said Hayes, who set up Allison’s first career goal Saturday against Washington. “He comes from a town of 30 people; he says there’s 29 now since he’s left. He works really hard. … He’s an energy guy who goes to the net, and he’s a funny kid. I don’t think he even means to be funny, but the stuff he says is just hilarious. Some of the stuff he says, you just shake your head at.

“So far, he’s fit in and has been a great addition.”

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