The Flyers worked their butts off to get to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Against all odds they went 18-6-1 down the stretch to qualify for the post-season for the first time since 2020. The journey seemed like the mission and when the Flyers clinched in the shootout win against Carolina it felt like mission accomplished. Actually it was just the beginning. The long road led to this golden opportunity to compete against the best teams in the NHL in the quest for the Stanley Cup.
Philly vs Pittsburgh
This was the 8th time these two teams have met up in a playoff series over their long and storied history. This series features a mature and experienced Penguins roster vs a young re-building Philadelphia Flyers squad. In fact Game 1 was the Stanley Cup Playoff debut for 10 players in the Flyers line-up.
The Flyers sent out their 4th line consisting of Sean Couturier, Garnet Hathaway, and Luke Glendening for the opening face-off against the Penguins top line centered by Sidney Crosby.
The Flyers and Penguins were pretty evenly matched up during the regular season. Both teams ended with 98 points. They split their season series at two games apiece. The biggest difference is Pittsburgh’s power-play was ranked 7th as opposed to the Flyers which was ranked worst.
So the Flyers started by taking a penalty less than two minutes into this opening game. It wasn’t actually their fault. The Penguins were whistled for an offsides. Elmer Soderblom did not react to the whistle and continued to move the puck up the side boards.
Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen put a clean hit on the gigantic 6′-8″ winger taking him down to the ice. Ristolainen who claimed he did not hear the whistle was given a minor penalty for roughing. It seemed questionable to throw Risto in the box when neither player seemed to hear or react to the whistle. Just sayin’.
This gave us a look at the Flyers penalty kill which was effective. They were aggressive and gave the Penguins little opportunity to capitalize.
Moments later we got a look at the Flyers power-play. Tyson Foerster drew a tripping call with a determined individual effort driving to the net. The Flyers appeared to score 18 seconds into the power-play. Christian Dvorak fired a shot from in close but he also followed the puck into the net making contact with Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner.
The goal was immediately waved off. With the way that Skinner reacted to Dvorak’s contact with his pad it appears the netminder was lucky to have survived the incident.
Moments later Jamie Drysdal made a nice stick check on Sidney Crosby as he was entering the Flyers zone. Crosby responded but pulling Drysdale’s helmet off his head. The two players remained in close proximity until the whistle was blown. Crosby was called for roughing. Somehow Drysdale was also given a penalty for interference. Head coach Rick Tochett had a discussion with an official to no avail. The officiating turned out not to have a huge impact on this game but it sure was baffling.
The Flyers were doing lots of things right. They weren’t playing overly cautious. They were aggressively pinching at the points keeping the play in the Penguins zone. They were also doing a great job of policing the area in front of their own net.
2nd Period
The Penguins were creating more chances in the middle period. They were showing spurts of streaky energy. Their attack was not consistent but it was quite dangerous at times. There was a sudden urgency from both teams to get on the board before the midway point of the game. The Penguins were swarming in the Flyers zone. Owen Tippett went coast to coast before getting stoned by Skinner on a breakaway.
At 10:41 with Denver Barkey screening in front. Trevor Zegras passed to Jamie Drysdale who fired the puck between the legs of the Pittsburgh goaltender from the right dot. The Flyers were on the board and all three of these young players had just notched their first ever NHL playoff points.
The 1st period ended with the Flyers outshooting the Penguins 9-5 and the score tied at zero. It was a solid start.
Flyers stand out penalty-kill
With 9:22 left in the 2nd period Travis Sanheim was called for interfering with Sidney Crosby. The Flyers ensuing penalty kill was a thing of beauty. They were aggressive. They were fore-checking and standing the Pens up at the blue line. During the two minute man advantage the Penguins had three offsides infractions and zero shot attempts. This particular Flyers PK was stellar.
With 4:09 left in the period and the Flyers in desperate need of a line change Evgeni Malkin put a puck between Dan Vladar’s legs to tie the score at one.
Anthony Mantha cross-checked Ristolainen’s helmet off his head to end the period and leave a bit of power-play time waiting for the Flyers to start the final period.
3rd Period
The Flyers power-play came and went. They got another opportunity when Porter Martone took a stick to the face. The Flyers overhandled the puck for two minutes. Philadelphia went 0-for-3 on the power-play and, as many had predicted, it was their weak spot once again. If they could get a handle on that aspect of their game their lives would be so much easier. It’s amazing what they have achieved without an effective man advantage strategy.
Speed
As the night wore on it became apparent that the Flyers are a quicker skating team than the Penguins. To see players like Foerster, Tippett, and Barkey just pull away from the pack with the puck you realize that speed may become an issue for the Penguins in this series. The Flyers can watch the tapes and work on strategy. The Penguins can watch the tapes as well but it’s not going to make them skate any faster.
The Flyers did so many things right in this game. Seeing the way they protected the area in front of their net was impressive. Nick Seeler had a strong game and he’s someone you never want to run into as an opposing player. He doesn’t get enough credit for his clean yet very physical style. His willingness to sacrifice himself blocking shots is over the top as well.
Midway through the final period Ristonlainen passed the puck point to point to Travis Sanheim. Sanheim skated a semi-circle through a collection of yellow jerseys before unleashing a wrist shot that beat Skinner glove side to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead.
With just 2:39 left in regulation is was Porter Martone going bar-down from the dot over Skinner’s glove that proved to be the eventual game winning goal. Martone has entered this line-up like a seasoned pro. It’s truly been quite impressive. 3-1 Flyers.
Sid loses it
The Penguins pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. Sidney Crosby got into a cross-checking stick fight with Travis Sanheim along the side boards in the Flyers zone. That should not have been the focus of the veteran captain with the goalie pulled, two goals down, and just over two minutes on the clock. It’s safe to say that the Flyers had Crosby rattled.
Sid lost his composure and the whistle was finally blown when he took a two handed swing at the Flyers defenseman. Sanheim was sent to the box with him so it was 4-on-4 for the rest of the game. With the goalie still pulled Malkin fired a shot that was gloved by Cam York but it went right to Bryan Rust who fired a quick shot past Vladar’s glove to bring the Penguins within one goal with 1:01 left in regulation.
Many fans had already left the arena. Sidney Crosby lost his cool and had essentially benched himself for the duration. Dan Vladar made a spectacular save with only seconds left to seal the deal. The Flyers won Game 1 in Pittsburgh by the final score of 3-2.
Flyers
The Flyers did so many things right in this game. Nobody froze under the spotlight with all the added attention and pressure. Dan Vladar allowed only two goals (one of which he would probably like to have back). The Flyers negated Pittsburgh’s home ice advantage. They kept Sidney Crosby off the score-sheet.
This was a very successful night for the Philadelphia Flyers. They can’t sit back. The Penguins are going to reflect and adjust. The Flyers are going to have to work just as hard or most likely harder in the next game. Everyone needs to keep their composure, stay smart, stay diligent, and continue to play the fundamentally sound style of hockey that got them here.
Up Next: Flyers vs Penguins Game 2 in Pittsburgh Monday April 20th 7:00 PM.
…One more thing, and I’m not being a stickler, this is a valid question. It’s not great form to focus on the officiating but it would be a darn shame to see it devolve further and become a major issue in this series over time.
Sanheim and Crosby were involved in a prolonged cross-checking battle. It went on for a while before it escalated. It had to come to an end after Crosby took a two handed swing at Sanhiem. Not sure why it was allowed to go on as long as it did.
Sanheim was given a penalty for cross-checking which he rightly earned. Crosby was called for slashing. Why was Crosby given a pass for all the cross-checking? Physical playoff hockey is the fantastic. Dirty stick work does not fall into that category and it should not be allowed to escalate.
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