Flyers need point against Rangers to clinch playoff berth

VOORHEES, N.J. -- The Philadelphia Flyers go into their final regular-season game against the New York Rangers at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday (3 p.m. ET, NBC, NHL.TV) needing one point to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"It's a great feeling," Flyers forward Michael Raffl said Friday. "The fact that it comes down to the last game is even better. Stays exciting."
Philadelphia holds the second wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference, one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets, in third place in the Metropolitan Diviison, and the New Jersey Devils, who hold the first wild card. The Flyers lead the Florida Panthers by four points; Florida has a game in hand. If the Flyers and Panthers finish tied through the three NHL standings tiebreakers,
they will play Tuesday for the final playoff spot
.

Philadelphia is 2-1-0 against New York this season, including a 4-3 win at Wells Fargo Center on March 22, when Travis Konecny scored twice and Claude Giroux had three assists.
Goaltender Brian Elliott will start for the Flyers; he made 19 saves in a 4-3 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, his first game since Feb. 10. He had surgery Feb. 13 to repair a core muscle injury.
"I thought he was good last night," Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol said. "One puck slid underneath him (center Jordan Staal's third-period goal). Beyond that, you guys step away from what you do for 7-1/2 weeks and try to come back without a hiccup or two. I thought he did a real good job, two or three real good saves that were real timely for us."

The Flyers entered a game against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 4 having lost 10 straight games (0-5-5) and 29th in the NHL standings. They're 33-15-7 in 55 games since then; the 73 points are the fifth-most in the NHL.
"Looking back at it, we were in a tough spot then," defenseman Brandon Manning said. "But just goes to prove what this group is made of and how far we've come."
Giroux had a a goal and an assist Thursday and is second in the NHL with 99 points (31 goals, 68 assists), seven points behind Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid. Giroux is one point from becoming the sixth Flyers player with 100 points, and the first since Eric Lindros had 115 in 1995-96.
But the only points Giroux wants are for the team.
"It's close to 100, but I think the priority is to win the game tomorrow," he said.
A playoff-deciding last-day game against the Rangers is a familiar spot for Giroux. The Flyers went into the final day of the 2009-10 season needing a win at home against the Rangers to reach the postseason. The game went to a shootout, and Giroux scored against Henrik Lundqvist for the game-deciding goal in the third round. Philadelphia went on to lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final.
"That was a pretty exciting time," Giroux said. "It was fun to play those games."
The day before that final-day game in 2009-10, the Flyers had a full practice that included coach Peter Laviolette telling Giroux and forwards Daniel Briere, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne to practice their shootout moves, just in case. On Friday, they held an optional practice.
"I think the focus is where it needs to be right now," Giroux said. "We're focused on our game, how we have to play. … We're in control here. We've just got to go out there and play the game hard and have fun."