The Philadelphia Flyers (2-0) swept the first two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins (0-2) at the PPG Paints Arena. Tonight, the 2026 NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals continue at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Every bit of momentum rides with the Flyers. They were painted as the underdogs in the 2026 NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. National media outlets, such as ESPN, predicted a sweep in favor of the Penguins. Philadelphia must’ve caught wind, because they’re fueled by the belief that resides in their locker room. It’s them against everyone, and Rick Tocchet wouldn’t have it any other way.
When the puck drops at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, it’ll be a culmination of eight long seasons since the last NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game on Broad Street. If you recall, the last time the Flyers appeared in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, it was ‘bubble hockey’ during the COVID-19 pandemic. You would have to recall the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, where Philadelphia battled Pittsburgh. The Penguins won that series in 2018, 4-2.
“We know the city [Philadelphia] and what’s going on. We’re excited for playoff hockey [to be] back, but we’ve got to be careful we’re not over-exuberant. What happens is you run around, pinch at the wrong time, the F3 [third forward] goes flying in there, undisciplined, piles, and you punch a guy. These are the things that you got to be careful of. But, I don’t want to take the aggressiveness and using the crowd for our advantage away. This is where experience comes in. We’re going to have to play our game, which is a smart game, but we can’t be over-exuberant.” – Rick Tocchet; 4/22/2026
Times change. It’s 2026, and things are a lot different from when Dave Hakstol was the head coach. The Flyers must continue to throttle Pittsburgh.
In Philadelphia, the Flyers can put the Penguins against the ropes.
Tale of the Tape
- Power Play: 0% (10th) Philadelphia Flyers
- Power Play: 0% (10th) Pittsburgh Penguins
- Penalty Kill: 100% (1st) Philadelphia Flyers
- Penalty Kill: 100% (1st) Pittsburgh Penguins
- Faceoff: 50% (8th) Philadelphia Flyers
- Faceoff: 50% (8th) Pittsburgh Penguins
- Goals For: 3 (4th) Philadelphia Flyers
- Goals For: 1 (14th) Pittsburgh Penguins
- Goals Against: 1 (1st) Philadelphia Flyers
- Goals Against: 3 (8th) Pittsburgh Penguins
Injury Report: Pittsburgh Penguins
Injury Report: Philadelphia Flyers
When: 7pm/ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena; Philadelphia, PA
Watch: TNT, TruTV, HBO Max, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Series: 2-0, Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Stuart Skinner (0-2, 2.56GAA, 88.4%SV) will start. In Game 1, Skinner was beaten below the glove and above the glove, which is textbook to his scouting report. In Game 2, Philadelphia had him out of position on the two goals he surrendered. Yet, Dan Muse continues to start Skinner over Artūrs Šilovs.
Anthony Mantha (-2, 14PIM, 1SOG, 13:11ATOI, 9HIT, 1GV) accounted for a high-danger scoring chance in Game 2. Something that he’ll continue to do is play a physical brand of hockey. Mantha and Nick Seeler (+1, 12PIM, 14:45ATOI, 5BLK, 7HIT, 2TK, 1GV) are worth keeping an eye on, considering that they both received a game misconduct in the remaining couple of minutes in Game 2.
Samuel Girard (-2, 2SOG, 17:49ATOI, 2BLK, 2HIT, 3TK, 1GV) has been steady defensively. Girard could play to his strength this series by forcing a takeaway, which would be doing his part in the defensive or neutral zones.
“There’s a number of things that could be better in terms of the way we could navigate it. The timing of it; the puck support, the willingness there to take what the game gives you. What they’re [Philadelphia Flyers] doing isn’t a surprise. There were some moments there last night [Game 2] where I thought we played a little bit better in terms of how we managed that [the neutral zone]. We got to continue to elevate.” – Dan Muse; 4/21/2026
Philadelphia Flyers
Dan Vladař (2-0, 1SO, 1GAA, 95.6%SV) will start. He’s the hot hand. In Game 2, Vladař earned his first career postseason shutout, denying Pittsburgh 27 consecutive times. It’s no surprise Tocchet continues to ride Vladař in Game 3.
Porter Martone (2G, +3, 7SOG, 15:07TOI, 1BLK, 5HIT, 1TK, 3GV) serves as the boogeyman for the Penguins. If you’re a Pittsburgh fan, what you’re witnessing is a passing of the torch from Sidney Crosby to Martone in this latest chapter of the ‘Battle of Pennsylvania.’ If you’re a Flyers fan, you’re watching Martone put down ‘Old Yeller’ on a nightly basis, especially with consecutive game-winning goals.
“We know he’s [Porter Martone] nineteen years old, but he doesn’t act like it. He’s really an unflappable kid. He’s mixed in with the guys, the veterans. He’s at dinner with all the guys. His personality is great. That’s what I love. The city [Philadelphia] loves him. He’s scoring goals, but he’s pretty even-keeled. His head’s not too big. He knows there’s another big game coming up, and he’s back. It’s not like I’ve had to tone him down. Basically, he seems like a veteran to me, and he’s still learning, which is great.” – Rick Tocchet; 4/22/2026
Jamie Drysdale (1G, +1, 2PIM, 1SOG, 20:29ATOI, 4BLK, 2HIT, 5GV) is primed to become the next top-pair defenseman alongside Travis Sanheim (1G, +3, 4PIM, 3SOG, 24:43ATOI, 2BLK, 3HIT, 2TK, 4GV) once Philadelphia considers moving on from Rasmus Ristolainen (2A, +1, 14PIM, 4SOG, 24:55ATOI, 2BLK, 6HIT, 3GV). In front of Vladař, the defense has been wonderful, particularly on the penalty kill. They’re sticking up for teammates after the whistle when the Penguins are baiting. It’s hard to ask for much more from the Flyers. Defense is bringing the team a long way, which correlates tightly with the terrific goaltending.
“As much as our PK [penalty kill] structure has been good, I think our [ability to] get in lanes, sticks, blocking shots; that could be the separator with penalty kills. We’ve done a nice job there. This year, it’s been a mixed bag with our PK. We’ve gone stretches in a month where things are really good, and then it could go the other way. We like what we’re doing: being aggressive. I’m sure they’re [Pittsburgh Penguins] going to make some adjustments. So, we’re going to have to make some adjustments on the fly, but so far, it’s been helping us.” – Rick Tocchet; 4/22/2026
Projected Lineup: Pittsburgh Penguins
Richard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Anthony Mantha – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Egor Chinakhov – Ben Kindel – Justin Brazeau
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon – Erik Karlsson
Samuel Girard – Kris Letang
Ryan Shea – Connor Clifton
Stuart Skinner
(Artūrs Šilovs)
Projected Lineup: Philadelphia Flyers
Tyson Foerster – Trevor Zegras – Owen Tippett
Travis Konecny – Christian Dvorak – Porter Martone
Denver Barkey – Noah Cates – Matvei Michkov
Luke Glendening – Sean Couturier – Garnet Hathaway
Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York – Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler – Noah Juulsen
Dan Vladař
(Samuel Ersson)
