Flyers clinch playoff spot with win over Penguins

Detroit and Boston lost in regulation earlier Saturday, opening the door for the Flyers to clinch a playoff spot with a win.

Thanks to sizzling right winger Wayne Simmonds, they did just that.

Simmonds scored two goals as the Flyers outlasted Pittsburgh's 'B' team, 3-1, at the electric Wells Fargo Center and earned the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

"When you work so hard to get to this point in the year, I thought we deserved it," said Simmonds, who has 32 goals, including seven in the last seven games. "Obviously it's only one step, but it's a huge step for us."

The Flyers will play the NHL's best team, Washington, in a best-of-seven series that will start at the Verizon Center at a to-be-announced date.

The Flyers won two of four games against the Capitals this season, splitting at home and on the road.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare iced the win with an empty-net goal.

"I started slashing the boards," Simmonds said about his bench reaction to Bellemare's goal with 58 seconds left. "I think that's probably my new celebration when we win. It felt unbelievable."

With 17 minutes, 32 seconds left, Tom Sestito gave his former team a five-minute power play, but the Flyers could not pad their lead. Later, they went into a defensive shell to protect the lead.

"Today wasn't the prettiest win, to be honest with you, but we clinched, and that's what it's all about," said Jake Voracek, who set up Simmonds' game-tying first goal.

Shayne Gostisbehere's point drive deflected off Simmonds' right hip and past emergency goalie Jeff Zatkoff to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead with 3:02 remaining in the second period.

About four minutes earlier, Claude Giroux went in alone and was stopped by Zatkoff as Eric Fehr threw his stick at the Flyers' center. A penalty shot should have been awarded, according to former NHL referee Kerry Fraser. But it wasn't. Giroux protested to the refs, but to no avail.

The Flyers gave the Penguins - who rested superstars Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang because they didn't want to risk an injury in a game that was meaningless to them - too many quality chances in the first period and were fortunate to be in a 1-1 tie.

Simmonds tied it with 1:03 left in the first, knocking in a slick left-wing feed from Voracek. Giroux jump-started the play by stealing the puck just outside the offensive blue line and banking a deft pass off the boards to Voracek.

It was the first shot seen by Zatkoff, who was thrust into action about 11/2 minutes earlier when Matt Murray collided with Brayden Schenn as he made a save on the doorstep.

Murray was playing because Marc-Andre Fleury has been sidelined by a concussion.

Fehr nearly made it 2-1, but his shot hit the crossbar with 15.5 seconds left in the first period.

Fifteen seconds before Simmonds' initial goal, the Penguins almost made it 2-0, but Steve Mason made a sprawling glove save on Kael Mouillierat's point-blank shot.

"Mase was keeping us in the game that period," Simmonds said.

Simmonds said the Flyers were "a little bit too nervous that first period. We were fumbling the puck a little bit more" than usual.

But the Flyers regrouped and dominated the final two periods.

"I said it before the season and after that tough stretch that we were too good of a team not to make the playoffs two years in a row - and it showed," Voracek said. "A lot of character. A lot of guys stepped in."

scarchidi@phillynews.com

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