Are Flyers playoff contenders or pretenders? Next week should tell, and Carter Hart will start the stretch

The Flyers’ next five games – including three with Boston – will probably determine whether they are pretenders or contenders in the East Division playoff race.

Based on their 6-10-1 March, things don’t look promising.

Entering Saturday’s game on Long Island against the Isles, the Flyers are tied with the Rangers for fifth place, three points behind Boston for the fourth and final East Division playoff spot. The Bruins have two games in hand.

Goalie Carter Hart, coming off a miserable month, will get his first start in the last four games Saturday and try to help the Flyers put March behind them. Hart was 2-6 with a 5.04 goals-against average and .815 save percentage in March.

Hart is searching for his first win since March 18, a 4-3 victory over the host Islanders.

» READ MORE: March Badness: The Flyers’ season-crushing month | Sam Carchidi

After facing the Islanders on Saturday, the Flyers play a home-and-home series with the Bruins – Monday in Boston, Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center. They then play at the Islanders on Thursday and host the Bruins next Saturday – two days before the April 12 trade deadline.

By then, general manager Chuck Fletcher will know if he plans to be a buyer or seller, though the flat cap has made it more difficult for GMs to be in either mode.

Saturday starts a six-games-in-nine-days stretch. First up is the Islanders, who are coming off a wild 8-4 win Thursday over Washington. Mathew Barzal had a hat trick and five points for the Isles. He has been a Flyers killer in his career, collecting seven goals and 21 points in 16 regular-season games against them.

The Flyers, who had a rare two days off between games, are 3-1-1 against the Islanders this season, and 0-3-2 against Boston.

This stretch, winger Joel Farabee said, is critical.

”We have 21 games remaining,” Farabee, who leads the Flyers with 14 goals, said after Friday’s fast-paced practice in Voorhees, “so we have to turn it around now. These are big points, especially trying to chase down Boston here.”

Alain Vigneault was undecided on whether Tanner Laczynski would make his NHL debut Saturday. He practiced with the team Friday and centered Michael Raffl and Nic Aube-Kubel. Vigneault said he liked Laczynski’s versatility -- he can play all three forward positions -- and that reports say he plays hard as both ends of the ice... Defenseman Robert Hagg, who has missed the last eight games because of a shoulder injury, practiced with the team. ... ... Based on practice, it appears Shayne Gostisbehere will return to the lineup and be paired with Samuel Morin. Gostisbehere cleared waivers earlier in the week and was a healthy scratch in Wednesday’s 6-1 loss in Buffalo.