PHILADELPHIA _ The Flyers' disappointing season ended Sunday night with a 4-3 shootout loss to Carolina that may have been meaningless to many of the participants.
Carolina's Bryan Bickell wasn't one of them. Neither was Robert Hagg, a defenseman who made his NHL debut for the Flyers.
Bickell scored in the shootout to help spark the win, which ended on Brock McGinn's goal.
It was the final game for Bickell, a 31-year-old left winger who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in November and recently decided to retire after this season.
As a tribute video of Bickell was shown during a break in the first period, players from both teams tapped their sticks in appreciation and the Wells Fargo Center fans gave him a long standing ovation.
Bickell skated around center ice and waved to the crowd. The cheers grew louder.
Dale Weise, who scored six of his eight goals in the last 14 games, tallied twice for the Flyers, and Wayne Simmonds contributed his 31st goal.
McGinn had two goals (and the shootout tally) for Carolina, which tied it at 3 on Sebastian Aho's power-play goal with 5:10 left in regulation.
Anthony Stolarz made 32 saves, while Carolina's Eddie Lack had 41 stops.
Hagg put five shots on goal and delivered four hits in an impressive debut.
The Flyers finished 39-33-10 for 88 points and missed the playoffs for the third time in the last five seasons. Several players' production dropped this season, including Claude Giroux (22 goals to 14) and Shayne Gostisbehere (17 goals to seven).
The Flyers finished with eight fewer points than last season, when they went 41-27-14 (96 points) and made the playoffs in Dave Hakstol's first season as coach.
By collecting a point, the Flyers will likely select 13th in the June 23 draft in Chicago, assuming they don't win the lottery. They have a 2.2 percent chance of winning it.
They could have dropped to the 10th pick with a regulation loss, coupled with a Los Angeles win on Sunday. That would have given them a 4.5 percent chance of winning the draft lottery.
As for Bickel, he decided to retire after talking it over with his family a few days ago.
"The biggest thing is my health, and I don't want to take any risks," he told reporters after Saturday's 5-4 shootout loss to visiting St. Louis. "It's tough to leave, but I'm excited about life after hockey, and I want to be healthy. To watch my kids grow will be important."
Bickell, who spent parts of nine seasons with Chicago and was a member of three Stanley Cup championship teams, played seven games with the Hurricanes before being diagnosed with MS. He rejoined the Hurricanes Tuesday in Minnesota.
On Saturday, Bickell participated in a multiple sclerosis walk outside PNC Arena in Raleigh to benefit MS research. His teammates, wearing "Bickel Brave" T-shirts, surprised him by showing up at the event before their morning skate.
