Flyers edge Penguins
- The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening game of their Stanley Cup playoff series. (cbsnews.com) - The game carried added narrative: Pittsburgh's first playoffs return since 2022 and rookie coach Dan Muse's first NHL playoff game. (cbsnews.com) - The early playoff slate produced quick bracket movement and highlight recaps as the postseason structure took shape. (bleacherreport.com)
Philadelphia opened the Battle of Pennsylvania with a 3-2 road win over Pittsburgh on Saturday, taking Game 1 of the first-round series. (nhl.com) Travis Sanheim scored the go-ahead goal in the third period at PPG Paints Arena, and rookie Porter Martone added an empty-net goal that stood up as the winner after Bryan Rust scored with 61 seconds left. (nhl.com) Jamie Drysdale also scored for Philadelphia, while Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh in front of an announced crowd of 18,346. The Flyers finished with a 20-17 edge in shots, and Rasmus Ristolainen had two assists. (espn.com) The result flipped home-ice pressure onto the Penguins immediately in a best-of-seven series that opened in Pittsburgh because the Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan Division and the Flyers finished third. (nhl.com) It was Pittsburgh’s first playoff game since 2022 and the first postseason game behind the Penguins bench for coach Dan Muse, who was hired in June 2025 after Mike Sullivan left for the New York Rangers. (cbsnews.com) The matchup is the first Flyers-Penguins playoff series since 2018 and the eighth postseason meeting between the in-state rivals. Philadelphia clinched its berth on April 13, and Pittsburgh locked up its spot on April 9. (nhl.com) Around the league, the opening day of the 2026 postseason also brought a Carolina win over Ottawa and a Minnesota win over Dallas, moving multiple first-round brackets into 1-0 starts by Saturday night. (bleacherreport.com) Game 2 is set for Monday, April 20, in Pittsburgh before the series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday, April 23. After one game, the Flyers have the lead and the Penguins have the chase. (sports.yahoo.com)
