The rebuilding Flyers are in playoff position at the All-Star break. Here’s how they’ve done it.

Everyone’s been thinking it since probably mid-November. But then Danny Brière said the quiet part out loud.

“Going into the season, I’d be lying if I told you that I expected us to be in a playoff spot 48 games in,” the Flyers general manager said last week at his midseason media availability.

Now 50 games into their season and at the All-Star break, the Flyers (25-19-6) are third in the Metropolitan Division based on points and point percentage. They are four points ahead of the New York Islanders and five points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins, New Jersey Devils, and Washington Capitals.

» READ MORE: Has Carter Hart played his last game for the Flyers?

Not too shabby for a team picked by most to finish near the bottom of the NHL. But that is not a ton of breathing room, especially given the Flyers lost five straight leading into the break. Plus, it’ll be tough sledding for a postseason berth thanks to the final 32 games being against a bunch of heavy hitters — multiple times.

Here are five reasons the Flyers have exceeded expectations to this point and a look at whether they can keep it up and claim a first playoff appearance in four seasons.

Coach John Tortorella knows his team’s game won’t be pretty every night. He’s OK with the mistakes made by his young group. But despite the risks that come with playing a high-octane transition game, the Flyers have been, well, flying this season.

“We’re trying to play a much more aggressive style and with risk in it to create offense,” Tortorella said on Nov. 30. “... That has been one of the biggest improvements of our team, is transition offense; stretching and making long passes, leaving the zone earlier ... we’re staying with that.”

Per Sportslogic, as of Jan. 19, the Flyers were first in the NHL in odd-man rushes, breakaways, rush chances, and goals scored within 10 seconds of forcing a turnover, and second in rush goals. It’s something the Flyers have prided themselves on — using speed and a quick transition from defense to offense.

Case in point: Owen Tippett. The speedy winger, who just signed an eight-year extension to stay in Philadelphia, not only has the fastest registered skating speed in the NHL this season at 24.2 mph, per NHL Edge, but as of Jan. 26, Sportslogic had him at No. 8 in rush chances and No. 5 in goals scored off the rush. And if you haven’t seen his two goal-of-the-year candidates yet, you’re missing out. Leading scorer Travis Konecny is another Flyer who has thrived in rush situations this season, including on the penalty kill. As of Jan. 23, he ranked fifth in the NHL with 55 rush chances created.

» READ MORE: Flyers bet big on Owen Tippett’s offensive potential with long-term contract

The guys between the pipes are a big reason the team is where it is.

Carter Hart posted a 12-9-3 record and .906 save percentage in 26 games before requesting a leave of absence on Jan. 23. On Jan. 30, lawyers confirmed Hart and four of his former Canadian World Junior teammates are facing sexual assault charges in London, Ontario, in connection with an alleged 2018 sexual assault. Commissioner Gary Bettman has yet to announce if or how the NHL will discipline the four NHL players charged, but the Flyers are moving forward without Hart in the interim.

The net belongs to Sam Ersson now — and that’s a good thing.

The 24-year-old Swede allowed 12 goals over his first two starts of the season. Yikes.

But since Nov. 1, when he stepped in after Hart suffered a back injury against Buffalo, Ersson has flipped the switch. He has a record of 12-8-2 in that span, including three shutouts, and is ranked No. 4 in the NHL in GAA (2.28) and 13th in save percentage (.910), among goalies with a minimum of 15 starts. And he’s the only rookie on that list. His mental fortitude and ability to put a bad game behind him quickly has impressed Tortorella and his teammates.

“He brings a quiet confidence to his game. He looks big in the net. Always makes the right save that you need at the right time,” center Scott Laughton said recently. “We have full trust in him and he’s a great guy, first off, and you want to play in front of a guy like that, that cares about his teammates and we care about him. So we’re excited for him. It’s a good opportunity for him.”

Ersson promises to shoulder a heavy load over the second half of the season but the Flyers will also need some help from Cal Petersen or Felix Sandström, which is a major question mark.

The return of Sean Couturier and Cam Atkinson have helped stabilize the Flyers lineup. Couturier missed almost two seasons because of multiple back surgeries and Atkinson missed all of 2022-23 after neck surgery.

Couturier has not missed a beat. A perennial Selke Trophy contender before his injury, he has immediately returned to form as one of the NHL’s best defensive forwards. He also has 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists in 46 games) and is plus-8.

» READ MORE: Inside Flyers star Sean Couturier’s 21-month journey to get back on the ice

“I wasn’t sure where he’d be,” Tortorella said in early January. “When I watched the first couple of weeks, I said, ‘Oh my God, is he that slow?’ And I keep on watching him and I don’t think he’s slow. I just have a different respect for him as I see him day in and day out.

“When you’re afar with another team and you watch a guy, you know he’s a good player but you really don’t see really what he is. I watch him every day. I watch the intangibles he brings, I’m very, very happy and a little bit surprised how quickly he’s gotten a lot of things back in his game. And there’s more there. I think Sean knows that, but I’m impressed how he’s handled himself.”

Atkinson is a guy Tortorella has watched up close for years; the two worked together for six seasons as members of the Columbus Blue Jackets. So Tortorella knows when the 34-year-old is on his game and when he is not. Thanks to an up-and-down start to his season, including a 26-game goal drought, the bench boss healthy-scratched the forward Jan. 4 against the Blue Jackets.

It seemed to spark the veteran, who soon racked up 10 points amid a six-game tear. And when Atkinson is on his game, he helps set the tone. He isn’t afraid to crash the net and go to the hard areas, and his swagger and energy have been contagious.

“Honestly, probably my favorite thing is seeing that big smile again. I think everyone likes to see that, and when he’s on, he’s such an effective player and makes so many smart reads,” new linemate Morgan Frost said after Atkinson tallied a goal and two assists against the Colorado Avalanche on Jan. 20.

The Flyers penalty kill has been outstanding and ranks No. 2 in the NHL at an 85.9% efficiency. They have given up the second-fewest power-play goals (22) in the league while scoring the second-most short-handed goals (10). The Konecny-Laughton duo has been especially deadly, with Konecny tied for the league lead with five shorthanded goals and Laughton ranking second with four assists on the penalty kill.

It has become a true “power kill.” The way the units — regardless of who is out there — stack the blue line while using a 1-3 system and cut off opponents’ ability to enter the zone effectively has been a thing of beauty. The four guys out there, when having to set up defensively, also move effortlessly between the box and diamond patterns against teams that give them multiple power-play looks, which shows just how much Brad Shaw has his penalty killers on the same page.

The penalty kill has been a little iffy at times lately, as the Flyers have faced teams with star-ladenpower plays; they allowed two power-play goals against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan. 23, for instance. But the PK remains one of the strongest aspects of the Flyers’ game and should come in handy down the stretch.

Fiery. Cantankerous. Brash. However, you want to describe Tortorella, the bench boss has gotten his guys to buy in.

He’s 65 years old, so you would think he would be set in his ways after almost 30 years at the helm.

You’d be wrong.

Don’t worry, he still has a tough-love approach. Atkinson, Frost, Bobby Brink, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Egor Zamula can all attest to that as healthy scratches this season. Joel Farabee knows too, having watched all but 56 seconds of a game from the bench after he made an offensive zone mistake on Nov. 30.

But Tortorella has said he used to be a guy who crossed T’s and dotted I’s back in the day when talking to his group. Now he gives his guys room to breathe a bit while also not filling them with every minute detail. Atkinson says he’s seen Tortorella’s coaching style evolve, even noting that he has become slightly more lenient on the youngsters making mistakes.

“I’ve had a lot of coaches, and he’s been the most honest, upfront. His door is always open for conversation, if you have an issue, or vice versa, if you don’t like your ice time, or whatever it may be. He’s always open for conversation,” Atkinson said in late December. “And he’s one of the few coaches that tells you where you lie in the lineup and what you need to do to improve and that sort of thing. He holds everyone accountable”

Accountability is still required and it has led to a room that several players say is the tightest they have ever been a part of. His hard-nosed tactics have made the Flyers one of the toughest teams to play against, too, thanks in part to their shot-blocking. Seeing everyone, led by the league’s No. 2 shot-blocker Nick Seeler, put their bodies on the line shows just how far the players are willing to go and sacrifice for each other to win games.

According to MoneyPuck.com, the Flyers have a 61.1% chance of making the postseason. They even have a slim slice to win the Stanley Cup (insert eye emoji).

Sure, the four teams chasing them are teams in turmoil. The Islanders have brought in a new coach in Patrick Roy; the Penguins and Devils are not meeting expectations; and Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin has not looked like Alexander Ovechkin. But it’s still a small spread and the Flyers have games against each team — with each team having games in hand.

The good news? Of the Flyers’ remaining 32 games, they have 11 games against teams below them in the Eastern Conference standings, including a game each against the two worst teams, the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens. They also face the Western Conference’s worst teams in the Chicago Blackhawks (twice) and San Jose Sharks (once). These are games the Flyers need to win if they want to make the postseason.

» READ MORE: Examining which Flyers could be moved before the trade deadline

Now the bad news. The Flyers also play the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs three times apiece, the Boston Bruins twice, and the Winnipeg Jets and Lightning once. Those are all make-or-break games.

The question is will the Flyers be in a good enough position for those games to matter? The team has played well but has struggled as of late. When you ask the players, they all agree the break came at the right time for a reset. Now the question is, did it work?