Flyers aim to eliminate Penguins in Game 4 at Xfinity Mobile Arena
- The Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, April 25, with a 3-0 first-round series lead and a chance to finish the Battle of Pennsylvania at Xfinity Mobile Arena. - Philadelphia carried a 5-2 Game 3 win into the clincher, after Trevor Zegras, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler scored second-period goals and Dan Vladar stopped 28 shots. - The Flyers are in their first playoff appearance since 2020 and first home postseason games in Philadelphia since 2018. (nhl.com)
Philadelphia took a 3-0 series lead into Game 4 against Pittsburgh on Saturday night, one win from ending the Penguins’ season at Xfinity Mobile Arena. (nhl.com 1) (nhl.com 2) The Flyers opened the series with a 3-2 win in Pittsburgh on April 18, then shut out the Penguins 3-0 on April 20 to seize home-ice control before returning to Philadelphia. (nhl.com) (espn.com) Game 3 on April 22 pushed the Penguins to the brink. Philadelphia won 5-2 after Trevor Zegras, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick Seeler scored three second-period goals on four shots. (espn.com) (nbcsports.com) Dan Vladar stopped 28 shots in that Game 3 win, while Noah Cates added a power-play goal and Owen Tippett scored into an empty net. Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson had Pittsburgh’s goals. (espn.com) The matchup also revived the nastier side of the Flyers-Penguins rivalry. A second-period scrum in Game 3 sent all 10 skaters on the ice to the penalty box after a clash involving Travis Konecny and Bryan Rust. (espn.com) Sidney Crosby called that stretch “a circus,” and Rust said the game turned into “a WWE match,” while Penguins coach Dan Muse said the officials’ handling of the melee changed momentum. Konecny said he did not remember trying to kick Rust during the pileup. (espn.com) For Philadelphia, the series is tied to a longer climb back into relevance. The Flyers are in the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 bubble postseason and hosted a playoff game in the city for the first time since 2018 on April 22. (nhl.com) (espn.com) The schedule underscored how close the Penguins were to elimination. Game 5 in Pittsburgh on Monday, April 27, and Game 6 in Philadelphia on Wednesday, April 29, were listed only if necessary. (nhl.com) (espn.com) Saturday’s opener at Xfinity Mobile Arena was set for 8 p.m. Eastern on TBS, truTV and HBO Max, with local coverage on NBC Sports Philadelphia and radio on 97.5 The Fanatic. (nhl.com) If the Flyers finished the sweep, they would move on from a series that has already delivered shutout goaltending, special-teams swings and one full-line brawl’s worth of bad blood. (nhl.com) (espn.com)
