Flyers beat East top seed Hurricanes 3-2 in SO and secure their first playoff berth since 2020

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyson Foerster scored the only goal in the shootout to send the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 win over the Eastern Conference top seed Carolina Hurricanes on Monday night and into the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Flyerss goalie Dan Vladar stopped Carolina’s fourth shootout attempt and set off a wild celebration at the next. The Flyers skated to center ice and raised their sticks toward a packed and rowdy crowd that hasn't enjoyed a home playoff series since 2018.

Up next, a postseason series with Pittsburgh.

The Hurricanes got the point they needed to secure the top seed in the East.

The Hurricanes reached the Eastern Conference final last season, where they were eliminated by eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida. Carolina was the No. 1 seed in the East in 2006, when it won the Stanley Cup.

The Flyers, who entered the game tied for fifth in the NHL with 21 comeback victories, woke up in the second period and played like a team with a playoff berth at stake.

Flyers fans came to life when Denver Barkey used a perfect cross-ice pass and found Matvei Michkov at the left circle. Michkov beat Brandon Bussi and scored his 19th goal to cut it to 2-1.

Trevor Zegras, sensational in his first season with the Flyers, scored on a power play later in the period, tying the game at 2. Zegras' goal gave him 13 points in the last 13 games and 26 goals overall this season.

With a chance to clinch the top seed in the East, the Hurricanes made most of their key players healthy scratches.

Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis — three of their top four scorers — sat out, as did top-scoring defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Jaccob Slavin, one of the NHL's top defensemen, and team captain Jordan Staal also got the night off.

The makeshift lines were an instant hit for the Hurricanes, who silenced a Flyers crowd that came pumped for a playoff berth celebration.

Bradly Nadeau scored from the slot on a one-timer on Carolina's second shot of the game and Nikolaj Ehlers scored his 25th of the season — 250th of his career — on the power play late in the first for a 2-0 lead.

Flyers: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.

Hurricanes: At the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Philadelphia Flyers center Trevor Zegras, right, scores against Carolina Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi, center top, during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Flyers center Trevor Zegras, left, celebrates with defenseman Jamie Drysdale, center, and left winger Noah Cates, right, after his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Carolina Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi reacts to the collision with Philadelphia Flyers right winger Owen Tippett during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Flyers right winger Matvei Michkov, center, celebrates after his goal with defenseman Jamie Drysdale, left, and center Denver Barkey, right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Carolina Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi, left, makes the glove save in front of Philadelphia Flyers right winger Owen Tippett, right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans still think their taxes are too high, according to recent polls, even after last year’s tax law fulfilled several of President Donald Trump’s tax-related campaign promises.

In fact, a new Fox News poll indicates people are more upset about taxes than they were last year. The findings from the survey, which was conducted in late March, are another sign that Americans are on edge about their personal finances as the U.S. experiences a spike in inflation and sluggish economic growth. Other polling finds that frustration goes beyond personal tax obligations, with many believing that wealthy people and corporations are not paying their fair share, while others worry about government waste.

The surveys come after Trump and Republicans passed a massive tax and spending cut bill last year. The legislation enacted a range of tax breaks, including a boosted child tax credit and new tax deductions for tips and overtime. Tax refunds are up this season, and many households are expected to see more income from the Republicans' tax legislation, but the Congressional Budget Office estimated it will ultimately give the largest benefits to the richest Americans.

Republicans have touted the law as evidence that they are making life more affordable for working families. But polling shows that many Americans may not be feeling the benefits, especially as their tax refunds get eaten up by higher prices.

About 7 in 10 registered voters say the taxes they pay are “too high,” according to the Fox News poll. That’s up from about 6 in 10 last year. The poll shows heightened concern among very liberal voters and Democratic men, but there has also been a sizable increase among groups that Republicans want to court ahead of the midterm elections, such as moderates, rural voters and white voters without a college degree.

Discontent about taxes has been rising for the past few years. Recent polling from Gallup, conducted in March, found about 6 in 10 U.S. adults say the amount of federal income tax they have to pay is “too high,” a finding that’s been largely consistent in the annual poll since 2023. That’s approaching the level of unhappiness found in Gallup’s polling from the 1980s through the 1990s, before President George W. Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.

Now, about half of Democrats and about 6 in 10 Republicans say their federal income taxes are too high. Republicans tend to view their tax bill more negatively than Democrats, but Gallup’s polling shows that this gap often shrinks when a Republican is president.

Most Americans are troubled by the belief that some wealthy people and corporations don’t pay their fair share of taxes, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted in January. About 6 in 10 Americans said each of those notions bothers them “a lot,” a measure that is largely unchanged in recent years.

By contrast, only about 4 in 10 U.S. adults in that poll said the amount they personally pay in taxes bothers them a lot.

About 8 in 10 Democrats are bothered “a lot” by the feeling that some corporations and rich people aren’t paying their fair share, the Pew survey found, compared to about 4 in 10 Republicans. Government spending is a bigger issue for Republicans, according to the Fox News poll, which found that 75% of registered voters — and a similar share of Republican voters — say “almost all” or “a great deal” of government funding is wasteful and inefficient.

That points to a perception problem for many Americans. Even if their own tax bill is manageable, the idea that the wealthy are underpaying — or that the government is wasting their dollars — bothers many. About half of Americans, 49%, in the Gallup poll say the income tax they will pay this year is “not fair,” which is in line with the record high from 2023.

Americans’ tax frustration was rising before Trump re-entered the White House, but it’s still a problem for the president's party — especially if Americans are not feeling the relief that he promised.

The Fox News poll found that about 6 in 10 registered voters, 64%, say they disapprove of how Trump is handling taxes, up from 53% last April. Disapproval has risen most sharply among independents, but also among Democrats and Republicans.

This aligns with a broader feeling that Trump isn’t doing enough to address inflation. Most Americans said Trump had hurt the cost of living “a lot” or “a little” in his second term, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in January. Roughly 9 in 10 Democrats and about 6 in 10 independents said Trump has had a negative impact on the cost of living.

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This story has been updated to correct that less than half of Republicans, 43%, said Trump has helped the cost of living, while 33% said he hasn't made a difference and only 23% said he has hurt it.

The Fox News poll was conducted among 1,001 registered voters from March 20-23. The Gallup poll was conducted among 1,000 U.S. adults from March 2-18. The Pew Research Center poll was conducted among 8,512 U.S. adults from Jan. 20-26. The AP-NORC Poll was conducted among 1,203 U.S. adults from Jan 8-11.

FILE - President Donald Trump speaks about the economy during an event at the Circa Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)