Flyers Clinch First Playoff Spot Since 2020, Set for Penguins Rivalry Clash
What happened
The Philadelphia Flyers are going back to the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Philadelphia clinched a postseason berth with a 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday, April 13, sending fans into an emotional celebration at the Wells Fargo Center.
Tyson Foerster scored the only goal of the shootout, and goaltender Dan Vladar stopped Carolina's final attempt to seal it.
It was a comeback win. The Flyers fell behind 2-0 early after Bradly Nadeau scored on Carolina's second shot of the game and Nikolaj Ehlers added a power-play goal late in the first period. Matvei Michkov got one back with his 19th goal of the season, and Trevor Zegras tied it on a power-play goal in the second — pushing the game to overtime and then a shootout. Zegras has 13 points in his last 13 games.
The Hurricanes rested several key players for the game, including Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis and Jordan Staal, having already locked up the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
After the final horn, Flyers players raised their sticks at center ice in front of a packed crowd that hadn't seen a home playoff series since 2018.
Philadelphia will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, setting up a rivalry matchup featuring Sidney Crosby on the other side.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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