Saturday, April 9, 2016

Philadelphia Flyers clinch final Wild Card spot in Eastern Conference

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The Philadelphia Flyers had lost three straight games in their attempt to get the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. 

However, they had a simple path to the playoffs when they took on the hated Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. 

After the Boston Bruins lost to the Ottawa Senators, 6-1, the Flyers simply had to get two points in two games. 

The Flyers weren’t going to wait as they clinched the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot, with a 3-1 win over the Penguins. 

The Flyers will be the eighth seed, and they will play the Washington Capitals in the first round. The Flyers were given a couple of gifts today, one the Bruins losing at home to Ottawa, and the Pens resting Sidney Crosby among others. 

The win knocked the Bruins out of the playoffs for a second straight year. This was shocking since Boston was leading the Atlantic Division just a month ago. The Flyers are back in the playoffs after missing out last season. 

After missing out on the playoffs, the Flyers turned to former North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol to be their next head coach. But things didn’t start out so smoothly. The team started 5-6-3, but they finished winning 13 of 18 to secure a playoff berth. 

While the Flyers don’t seem to have a chance against the Capitals, this team has erased doubters in the past. They came back from down 3-0 in a series against the Boston Bruins in 2010. 

With Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds and Shane Gostisbehere, this team has a lot of talent and they are catching fire at the right time. The NHL Playoffs will begin on Wednesday.

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