Flyers
The Flyers are getting a tough draw in the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in the first round, but the Battle of Pennsylvania is always entertaining and should make for a great series. Game 1 opens in Pittsburgh, as the Penguins quest for a three-peat begins.
The Flyers get a tough draw in the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions in the Pittsburgh Penguins, but in the playoffs, anything can happen. Here is an overall preview of the series and keys to how both sides can come out on top.
Meeting in the postseason for the first time since the fabled 2012 quarterfinal series, both teams have changed immensely. Philadelphia is in the playoffs for the first time in two years, while Pittsburgh has as many Stanley Cup championships in that span.
Flyers captain Claude Giroux led the way as the Flyers closed out the season with a big 5-0 win over the Rangers and locked up a spot in the playoffs. For that, Giroux was honored as the third star of the week by the NHL.
In a year that was going to be defined by the usage of young players and their own individual growth, the Flyers have been rewarded for their dedication to building through prospects with a playoff berth.
It was apparent from the drop of the puck on Saturday afternoon. Claude Giroux had that look in his eye. Giroux scored a hat trick, the first of his career in the regular season. He capped off a 34-goal, 102-point season with a game that should solidify his place as a Hart Trophy finalist.
Game 1 of the Flyers-Penguins playoff series will be on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The rest of the schedule will be determined by the result of Boston-Florida on Sunday night.
Relive some of the best moments and highlights from the Flyers clinching win over the New York Rangers through the camera lens of photographer Kate Frese. Check out her Frese Frame gallery here.
The New Jersey Devils lost to the Washington Capitals, 5-3, and the Columbus Blue Jackets lost to the Nashville Predators, 3-0, which means the Flyers will finish in third place in the Metropolitan Division and face the Pittsburgh Penguins, the defending back-to-back Stanley Cup champions, in the first round of the playoffs.
With a dominant 5-0 win over the New York Rangers, the Flyers are going to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Once again, it was an effort that was led by their captain, who has continued to be on top of his game and right in the middle of some of the biggest moments of the Flyers season.
