This afternoon Martin Biron posted his second consecutive shutout as the Flyers finished the regular season on a high note, beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-0.  Biron had 20 saves and Mike Knuble led the offense with a goal and an assist.

Even though the Flyers clinched the playoffs on Friday night today’s outcome did matter as it finalized what seed the Flyers would be in for the playoffs.  Had the Flyers lost, they would have finished in the eighth seed, and had to face the Penguins in a best-of-seven series.  With the victory, the Flyers moved into the sixth position and drew a more favorable match up against the third seed Washington Capitals.

 The Capitals finished the season with 94 points.  Although they finished with less points then the Flyers (94 to the Flyers 95), the Capitals won the Southeast Division, guaranteeing them a top three seed.

Just because the Capitals finished with less points then the Flyers doesn’t mean they’re going to laydown and let the Flyers advance to the next round.  Led by the NHL’s leading scored Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals are the hottest team in the NHL.  Their road to the playoffs finished with a seven-game winning streak, where they’ve outscored their opponents 26-14. 

The Flyers and the Capitals split their season series 2-2, but that was before February 26th. 

On February 26th, the Capitals made two separate deals that impacted their playoff push.  The first was acquiring the ageless Sergei Federov from the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman Ted Ruth.  The second, acquiring goalie Cristobal Huet from the Montreal Canadiens for a second round draft pick. Since those trades the Caps have gone 14-4 , and Federov (2 goals 11 assists), and Huet (11-2 1.63 GAA), have made their presence known.

The best-of-seven series against the Caps will be a tough, but there is some good news.  Danny Briere, who missed his second consecutive game while resting a sore knee will be fitted for a brace and available for the playoffs, as will defenseman Darien Hatcher.  Hatcher has been out of the lineup since March 15th with a broken leg.  Hatcher’s physical presence has been missed in the Flyers lineup, and while it’s tough to know how strong his leg will be until he begins to practice more, him returning will give the Flyers a needed lift.