Philadelphia – The Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Islanders 7-4, to end their season on a high note and they clinched the Atlantic Division.

The Flyers went up 5-4 at 18:29 of the second period when Scott Hartnell fired one past the Rick DiPietro. He fought hard for that in the crease and that put a rubber stamp on the Flyers regular season.

“We had that fight all season long. There’s been a lot of chances, a lot of times during the season we could have hung our heads and quit and said oh well, look forward to next year with this resilient group and I am proud to be a part of it,” the Islanders goaltender stated.

Hartnell’s goal was something that had been missing from the Flyers repertoire lately but now you could tell after the game that the switch had been flipped. Hartnell had his division championship hat on and he was grinning from ear to ear.

“To be really honest I can’t remember our last regulation win so it’s nice to get that winning feeling back in here, the smiles and the laughs. It couldn’t happen better here at home too. Games one and two coming here at home are going to be a battle.”

Last night there was a strange dynamic. Flyers fans were rooting for Carolina and Islanders fans were rooting for Carolina, hoping they would beat Tampa and eliminate the Rangers, and then when it seemed like Tampa was going to win Ranger fans were rooting for the Islanders just to give the Flyers a loss heading into the playoffs. It was a wild night of hockey but the play of the game came from Islanders phenom John Tavares.

When P.A. Parenteau took a rebound and one-timed it high past Boucher 53 seconds into the second it gave the Isles a 4-3 lead. Tavares passed it hunched over, back turned and the pass went over Brian Boucher’s stick to Parenteau. It was a highlight moment and after the game the Islanders forward was hoping for a better end to his season.

“Yeah, a little unfortunate to not win. We haven’t won here in a long time. We just kind of ran out of steam at the end. They’re a deep hockey team, they don’t make many mistakes. We got ourselves back in it, but it was unfortunate we couldn’t pull it off.”

The playoffs are now set in the East. Here are the matchups:
Flyers-Sabres
Rangers-Capitals
Habs-Bruins
Penguins-Lightning

It should be a great Stanley Cup run for one of these teams. The Flyers are waiting for Chris Pronger’s return but Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled from this game and he’s the starting playoff goaltender. Michael Leighton was walking around in a suit but one has to believe that he will get into the mix at some point, that’s not to say the Russian goalie will do badly, it’s more of a historical reference regarding the Flyers. Their goaltending never seems to be set this time of the year.

Before the game against the Isles the Flyers gave away their team awards:

Bobby Clarke Trophy (Most Valuable Player) – Claude Giroux

This season’s Bobby Clarke Trophy was awarded to C/RW Claude Giroux as selected by a panel of sportscasters and sportswriters. Giroux is wrapping up a breakout season that has seen him record 25 goals and 51 assists for 76 points while appearing in all 81 games so far. He leads the team in assists and points, is tied for the lead in power play goals (8) and shorthanded goals (3), and is second in shooting percentage (15.1) entering tonight’s game. His 51 assists are the most for a Flyer since Peter Forsberg recorded 56 in 2005-06, and he is one of just six Flyers (along with Forsberg, Mike Richards, Mark Recchi, Eric Lindros and Rod Brind’Amour) to record 50 or more assists in a season in the last 20 years. Giroux’s numbers are up from his previous career high of 16 goals and 31 assists for 47 points last year.

Barry Ashbee Trophy (Outstanding Defenseman) – Andrej Meszaros

In his first year with the Flyers, Andrej Meszaros was selected as the team’s outstanding defenseman by a panel of sportscasters and sportswriters. Meszaros was acquired from Tampa Bay last July 1 in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick in 2012. He enjoyed a resurgence this season, posting six goals and 22 assists for 28 points – his highest total in three years – while appearing in all but one game. His plus-28 rating leads the Flyers headed into the final game of the year, and represents a 42-point turnaround from his minus-14 rating a year ago. Meszaros averaged 21:09 in ice time per game this year, which is fourth-highest on the roster.

Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy (Most Improved Player) – Andreas Nodl

Right wing Andreas Nodl was voted by his teammates as the most improved player from the previous season. Nodl spent his first full season with the Flyers this year, appearing in 66 games so far and posting 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. During the 2009-10 season, Nodl appeared in 10 games for the Flyers (0-1-1) and 65 games for the Phantoms (14-20-34) during the regular season, and played in 10 games during the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His previous career high for NHL games in a season was in 2008-09, when he posted a goal and three assists in 38 games with the Flyers.

Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award – Brian Boucher

The Philadelphia chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) selected goaltender Brian Boucher as this year’s recipient of the Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award. This award is presented annually to the Flyer who best illustrates character, dignity and respect for the sport both on and off the ice.

The award honors the memory of Yanick Dupre, who died on August 16, 1997 at the age of 24 after a 16-month battle with leukemia. Dupre played parts of three seasons with the Flyers (1991-92, 1994-95 and 1995-96), recording two goals and 16 penalty minutes in 35 games. He was originally drafted by the Flyers in the third round (50th overall) of the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.

Gene Hart Memorial Award – Claude Giroux

The Philadelphia Flyers Fan Club selected RW/C Claude Giroux as the winner of the Gene Hart Memorial Award. This award is given to the player who demonstrated the most “Heart” during the season as voted on by members of the Fan Club at their monthly meetings.

The award honors the memory of longtime Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart. For 28 years, Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart called the organization’s most thrilling moments, and in the process, helped spawn generations of devoted fans. Hart’s contributions to the sport were recognized with his induction into the Flyers Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1997.

Presenting the award to Giroux was Flyers Fan Club president Joe Fisher and Fan Club member Joe Bustard. The Flyers Fan Club will also donate $1,500 to the charity of Giroux’s choice.

Toyota Cup – Danny Briere

Flyers C/RW Danny Briere has won this season’s Toyota Cup as the Flyer who accumulated the most points associated with being selected as a “Star of the Game.” Briere was named First Star eight times, Second Star six times and Third Star four times for a total of 62 points. Five points were awarded for being selected First Star, three points were awarded for a Second Star performance and one point was awarded for a Third Star selection.

Presenting Briere with the award was Paul Muller, representing the Tri-State Toyota Dealers. In addition, the Tri-State Toyota Dealers will make a $5,000 donation to the charity of Briere’s choice.
Briere has posted a career-high 33 goals entering tonight’s season finale, which is second-highest on the team. He has also added 32 assists for a total of 65 points in 76 games this season. It’s his highest point total since he recorded 72 (31G, 41A) in 2007-08 and it ties for the third-highest point total in his career.

The Flyers will start the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs next week when they host Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Date, time and opponent are yet to be determined.