The Philadelphia Flyers have a chance to close things out on home ice tonight.
After taking a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Flyers are one win away from being one of the first teams to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With momentum firmly on their side, and the energy of the Philadelphia crowd behind them, they will look to finish the job and avoid giving the Penguins any life in the series.
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena; Philadelphia, PA
When: 04/25/2026; 8pm/ET
TV Broadcast: TBS, HBO Max, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Series: 3-0 PHI
Game 1: 3-2 W
Game 2: 3-0 W
Game 3: 5-2 W
Tonight’s Numbers
The Flyers’ penalty kill was perfect through the first two games, successfully shutting down all seven Penguins power plays, and even adding a shorthanded goal from Garnet Hathaway in Game 2. That streak ended early in Game 3, when Pittsburgh converted on the Flyers’ first penalty of the night. Both Penguins goals in that game came on the power play, though Philadelphia still managed to kill off three additional penalties. Through three games, the Flyers penalty kill sits at 83.3%, tied for sixth among playoff teams.
On the flip side, the Flyers’ power play, an area of struggle during the regular season, has started to show signs of life. After finishing the year last in the league at 15.7%, they have improved to 20% in the postseason, with both goals coming in Game 3.
That said, discipline will be key tonight. With the Penguins facing elimination, expect them to push the pace physically and try to draw penalties. Staying composed could make all the difference in closing out the series.
Philadelphia Flyers
Offense has come from everywhere for the Flyers in this series.
They are averaging 3.66 goals per game, well above their regular season average of 2.92, and the production has been spread throughout the lineup. Ten different players have accounted for the team’s 11 goals, with rookie Porter Martone standing as the only Flyer with multiple tallies so far. Even players who have not found the back of the net, like Sean Couturier, have made meaningful contributions offensively.
In net, Dan Vladař has continued to prove why he was named the team’s regular season MVP. He has allowed just four goals through three games, highlighted by a 27-save shutout in Game 2, his first of the season and his first in the postseason.
Vladař was shaken up during an awkward collision late in Game 3 but stayed in and finished the game strong. Luckily, after two days of rest, he is confirmed to start in net tonight.
If needed, however, Sam Ersson is waiting in the wings. While he has yet to see playoff action in his career, he finished the regular season on a strong note following the Olympic break, going 6-1-0 in his final seven starts. With the Lehigh Valley Phantoms missing the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Flyers also have additional depth available in Aleksei Kolosov and Carson Bjarnason for support in practices.
Elsewhere, the Flyers appear to be managing workloads as the series progresses. Cam York and Owen Tippett were both absent from practice yesterday, but those were simply maintenance days. Emil Andrae remains day-to-day with an upper-body injury and will not play tonight, though he did skate with extras this morning.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Facing elimination, the Penguins will need more from their core, and so far, the Flyers have done a strong job of keeping their biggest names in check.
Sidney Crosby has been largely contained through three games. He has yet to find the back of the net and has just one assist, despite averaging a little over 21 minutes per game. He does, however, lead the team in shots with 10, showing he is still generating chances even if the results have not followed.
Evgeni Malkin has been the most productive Penguin in the series, posting two goals and an assist while averaging just over 19 minutes per game.
Kris Letang, who is averaging 21:24 per game, the highest among the core three, has yet to record a point and enters tonight with a -5 rating.
Bryan Rust, meanwhile, has been a constant agitator in this series, especially in Game 3. He got into it with Travis Konecny early in the second period, continuing the rough stuff after the whistle and taking an extra minor for it. When Konecny challenged him, though, Rust backed off. He was also involved in the collision with Vladař later in the third. With tensions only expected to rise tonight, the Flyers will need to stay composed and not get pulled into that kind of game from Rust.
The Penguins held an optional morning skate at Xfinity Mobile Arena earlier today, with six forwards and six defensemen participating, four of those being the consistent scratches throughout the series, along with Stuart Skinner.
Skinner’s presence at the optional skate was notable, as he typically does not take part if he is expected to start. That pointed toward Artūrs Šilovs getting the nod in net for the first time this series, which was later confirmed by Penguins head coach Dan Muse.
Šilovs posted a 19-12-8 record during the regular season, along with a 3.07 GAA and a .888 SV%. He faced the Flyers once this season back in October, a 3-2 Flyers win in a shootout, where he stopped 32 of 34 shots. Bobby Brink and Konecny scored in regulation, while Matvei Michkov and Brink again found the back of the net in the shootout.
He has one additional game of experience against the Flyers, a 6-2 win during the 2022-23 season when he was with the Vancouver Canucks.
Šilovs also brings prior playoff experience, having appeared in 10 postseason games for Vancouver during the 2023-24 playoffs. He went 5-5 in those appearances, recording one shutout along with a 2.91 GAA and a .898 SV%.
Injury Report: Philadelphia Flyers
- Emil Andrae (Day-to-day, Upper-body)
- 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 – #47 Noah Juulsen
#80 Dan Vladař
(#33 Sam Ersson)
Scratched: Aleksei Kolosov, Alex Bump, Carl Grundström, Carson Bjarnason, David Jiříček, Garrett Wilson, Helge Grans, Hunter McDonald, Jacob Gaucher, Oliver Bonk, Oscar Eklind
Projected Lineup: Pittsburgh Penguins
#67 Rickard Rakell – #87 Sidney Crosby – #17 Bryan Rust
#59 Egor Chinakhov – #18 Tommy Novak – #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 – #7 Ilya Solovyov
#37 Artūrs Šilovs
(#74 Stuart Skinner)
Scratched: Justin Brazeau, Connor Clifton, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Jack St. Ivany
