Foerster ends Flyers drought

Philadelphia is back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after Tyson Foerster scored the only goal in a four-round shootout and Dan Vladar made the last stop. (nhl.com) The clincher came Monday, April 13, in a 3-2 home win over the Carolina Hurricanes, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers erased a 2-0 deficit before Foerster beat Carolina in the shootout. (nhl.com) The berth ended Philadelphia’s five-season playoff drought and sent the Flyers into the postseason for the first time since the 2020 bubble tournament. It also brought playoff hockey back to Philadelphia for the first time since 2018. (nhl.com) Philadelphia locked up third place in the Metropolitan Division and drew the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round. The Flyers had 96 points at the time they clinched, while Pittsburgh had 98 and Carolina led the division with 110. (nhl.com) (espn.com) The turnaround was steep. The Flyers improved by 20 points from last season’s 76-point finish and reached 90 points for the first time since 2017-18. (nhl.com) Rick Tocchet did it in his first season behind Philadelphia’s bench. General manager Daniel Briere’s roster got 28 wins from Vladar and 68 points from Travis Konecny, with Trevor Zegras adding 66 and Foerster scoring 13 goals in 27 games. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) The first-round matchup revives one of the National Hockey League’s most familiar state rivalries. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have met seven times in the playoffs, with the Flyers winning four of those series. (nhl.com) Tickets for Flyers home games in the first round went on sale April 14, and the club said the series schedule would be announced in the following days. After six years without a home playoff date, the building in South Philadelphia is getting one again. (nhl.com)