Fresh off a Game 1 win, the Philadelphia Flyers have a chance to extend their control of the first-round series as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 tonight. With momentum on their side but plenty to clean up, the Flyers will look to tighten things up and push the Penguins’ buttons before the series comes to Philadelphia.
Where: PPG Paints Arena; Pittsburgh, PA
When: 04/20/2026; 7pm/ET
TV Broadcast: ESPN, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Series: 1-0 PHI
Game 1
Philadelphia opened the series with a strong showing, getting goals from Jamie Drysdale, Travis Sanheim, and Porter Martone, while Pittsburgh had goals from Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust.
In net, Dan Vladař turned aside 15 of 17 shots to earn the win, while Stuart Skinner made 17 saves on 20 shots in the loss.
One of the biggest storylines from Game 1 was the Flyers’ top line of Travis Konecny, Christian Dvorak, and Martone, who all finished at +2. Owen Tippett led the Flyers with three shots on goal, while Sean Couturier (7 hits) and Garnet Hathaway (6 hits) set the physical tone.
The physicality was nearly identical, Pittsburgh recorded 41 hits to Philadelphia’s 40, but the Flyers had the edge in blocked shots (14–9) and giveaways (11–15). The Penguins, however, controlled the faceoff dot, winning 29 of 49 draws. Special teams were quiet on both sides, with the Flyers going 0-for-3 on the power play and the Penguins 0-for-2.
Tonight’s Numbers
On paper, Pittsburgh holds the advantage in several key areas. The Penguins finished the regular season with the league’s 7th-ranked power play (24.7%) and penalty kill (81.4%), while the Flyers ranked last on the power play (15.7%) and 21st on the penalty kill (77.6%).
Pittsburgh also had the edge offensively, finishing 3rd in goals per game (3.54), compared to Philadelphia’s 21st-ranked 2.93. Defensively, the Penguins again come out ahead, allowing 2.91 goals per game (9th), while the Flyers allowed 3.15 (24th).
Both teams played below their usual shot totals in Game 1, Philadelphia recorded 20 shots and Pittsburgh 17, well under their regular season averages of 25.5 and 28.6, respectively.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers added some depth this morning, recalling defensemen Oliver Bonk and David Jiříček from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms following the end of their AHL season. Both rookies made their Flyers debuts in the regular season finale on April 14 against the Montréal Canadiens, with Bonk picking up his first NHL goal and two points in his NHL debut in an impressive showing.
While neither is expected to enter the lineup immediately, their presence provides important insurance as the Flyers continue to battle through the physical toll of playoff hockey.
Something to monitor: Tippett and Emil Andrae were not on the ice at yesterday’s practice. There has been no official injury designation, but their status is worth keeping an eye on throughout the series.
Philadelphia is expected to roll out the same lineup tonight, with Vladař getting the nod once again. This will mark just the second playoff start of his career. He posted a 29-14-7 record in the regular season, along with a .906 SV% and 2.42 GAA.
Pittsburgh Penguins
For Pittsburgh, the spotlight once again falls on Sidney Crosby, who will be playing in his 25th career playoff game against the Flyers. In the previous 24, Crosby has recorded 15 goals and 21 assists. Game 1 was a quiet one for him, can be a bit nerve-wracking.
Malkin continues to be just as dangerous in this matchup. Game 2 will mark his 24th playoff appearance against Philadelphia, and he enters with 14 goals and 15 assists in the previous 23 games, including a goal and an assist in Game 1.
Kris Letang will also skate in his 24th playoff game against the Flyers, bringing 13 assists to go along with two goals in the matchups.
Skinner is expected to start again for Pittsburgh. Across the regular season split between the Edmonton Oilers and Penguins, he went 23-17-9 with a .888 save percentage and 2.92 goals-against average. Since joining Pittsburgh, he had posted a 12-9-5 record. Skinner also brings significant playoff experience, having appeared in 50 postseason games with Edmonton.
Injury Report: Philadelphia Flyers
- Nikita Grebenkin (Upper-body)
- Rodrigo Ābols (Ankle)
Injury Report: Pittsburgh Penguins
Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers
#71 Tyson Foerster – #46 Trevor Zegras – #74 Owen Tippett
#11 Travis Konecny – #22 Christian Dvorak – #94 Porter Martone
#52 Denver Barkey – #27 Noah Cates – #39 Matvei Michkov
#41 Luke Glendening – #14 Sean Couturier – #19 Garnet Hathaway
#6 Travis Sanheim – #55 Rasmus Ristolainen
#8 Cam York – #9 Jamie Drysdale
#24 Nick Seeler – #36 Emil Andrae
#80 Dan Vladař
(#33 Sam Ersson)
Scratched: Alex Bump, Carl Grundström, David Jiříček, Garrett Wilson, Oliver Bonk, Noah Juulsen, Aleksei Kolosov
Projected Lineup: Pittsburgh Penguins
#59 Egor Chinakhov – #87 Sidney Crosby – #17 Bryan Rust
#18 Tommy Novak – #67 Rickard Rakell – #71 Evgeni Malkin
#25 Elmer Söderblom – #81 Ben Kindel – #39 Anthony Mantha
#19 Connor Dewar – #46 Blake Lizotte – #55 Noel Acciari
#28 Parker Wotherspoon – #65 Erik Karlsson
#49 Samuel Girard – #58 Kris Letang
#5 Ryan Shea – #75 Connor Clifton
#74 Stuart Skinner
(#37 Artūrs Šilovs)
Scratched: Justin Brazeau, Ilya Solovyov, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Jack St. Ivany
