The six-year drought is over. With a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night, the Philadelphia Flyers have officially clinched a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The clinch also finalized the most anticipated matchup of the opening round, a best-of-seven series against their cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Flyers forward Tyson Foerster scored the shootout winner while goaltender Dan Vladar stopped all four Hurricanes skaters' sending Philly to the postseason.
🔶 FLYERS WIN 🔶
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 14, 2026
WE’RE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS!#CARvsPHI | @SNICKERS pic.twitter.com/GViOQkKDa4
The Flyers currently sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 42-27-12 record and 96 points with one game still to play in the 2025-26 regular season.
The Flyers' win serves as a dual-edged sword in the standings: it clinches their first postseason berth in six years while simultaneously eliminating both the Washington Capitals and the Columbus Blue Jackets from contention.
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have met up in the playoffs on seven prior occasions, with Philadelphia winning in 2012, 2000, 1997, and 1989. The last time the Flyers made the playoffs back in 2020, was under the leadership of head coach Alain Vigneault and captain Claude Giroux. They defeated the Canadiens in six games in the first round before losing to the New York Islanders in seven games.