Flyers Overcome Mind-Boggling Odds To Give Us A Must-See Showdown With Penguins To Open Playoffs

While the seeding could change, the sixteen NHL teams that will be part of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are locked in, and there is, without question, no team more shocking than the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Flyers locked up their first trip to the postseason since 2020 on Monday night with a 3-2 overtime win over a Carolina Hurricanes team that was without its biggest stars (but honestly, still looked scary good).

Tyson Foerster broke a scoreless tie in the fourth round of the shootout with an unreal release, which, I'm not going to lie, kept me awake last night in the best way.

Then Dan Vladar, who was named the Flyers' MVP recently during the team awards ceremony, did his best impression of Brian Boucher c. 2010 to send the Orange and Black to the postseason.

If you asked most people before the season, they'd probably say that the Flyers would be pretty safe booking trips to Cancun for late April.

Hell, I would have said that.

However, the Flyers started strong and looked to be in the playoff race over the holidays, giving many (*raises hand*) a sense of hope, but they faded around just before and just after the Olympic break.

In fact, in mid-March, before going on a tear over the last month of the season, the Flyers had just a 3.8% chance of making it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, per MoneyPuck.

Sure, it helped that the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, and Detroit Red Wings all collapsed down the stretch, but the Flyers showed some serious gumption to put themselves in position to make a run at the playoffs.

Then, I think it's safe to say they got another jolt from the addition of Porter Martone, who has been straight-up electrifying.

Now, better yet, the Flyers get their arch-rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the first round, in what is unquestionably the most intriguing matchup we're getting.

I mean, how can you not love the Battle of Pennsylvania, especially when both sides are playing well?

The Penguins are another team that was not expected to be in this position (it's their first playoff appearance in three years), and it could be the last ride for their longtime core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.

That said, they're pretty banged up, and that is going to make this series with the surging Flyers appointment viewing.