Bruins Officially Eliminated From Playoff Contention As Flyers Beat Penguins

The Boston Bruins’ 2015-16 season officially is over.

The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 on Saturday afternoon to clinch the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot and send the Bruins, who lost 6-1 to the Ottawa Senators earlier in the day, home empty-handed.

After falling to the Senators in their regular-season finale, the Bruins needed the Flyers to lose each of their final two games — with at least one of those losses coming in regulation — to avoid a second consecutive postseason no-show. That did not happen, and Philadelphia now will move on to face the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Bruins, who owned the top spot in the Atlantic Division less than a month ago, finished the season with losses in nine of their final 12 games.

Thumbnail photo via Derik Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports Images