PITTSBURGH – There were several reasons why the Flyers were able to hang a slightly surprising 3-2 defeat on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their playoff series Saturday night:
• They held the high-powered home team to just 17 shots by blocking a bunch and jamming up passing lanes to neutralize the setup wizardry of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
• Philadelphia delivered a whopping 40 hits, including a message-sending 18 in the first period alone.
• The Flyers kept the Penguins’ vaunted power play off the scoreboard and only allowed them two opportunities with the man advantage.
• And they got significant contributions from their young players, including rookie Porter Martone, whose first NHL playoff goal with 2:37 to play turned out to be the difference in this tightly contested game.
This figured to be a tight-checking series but who could have imagined as low a scoring game as the Flyers and Penguins staged at PPG Paints Arena?
Both teams held their cards close to their chest through two periods. Only two goals were scored in the first 40 minutes.
It took a goal by Travis Sanheim at 10:00 of the third period to break the 1-1 tie. The best-of-seven series resumes here on Monday,
Coach Rick Tocchet could find virtually no negatives to this team effort.
“I liked our play without the puck,” he began. “We’ve really been good the last six weeks. We tried to stay in our identity. We knew they were going to come but everybody liked our play without the puck tonight.”
Players such as Sanheim and Sean Couturier set the physical tone from the Flyers’ side of things.
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) checks Flyers’ Sean Couturier off his skates during the second period of Game 1 in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Pittsburgh, Saturday. The Flyers won 3-2 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
“I think ‘Sanny’ set the tone,” Tocchet agreed. “In these playoff games you have to play uncomfortable. You have to do some stuff you don’t normally do. He played a ton of minutes (23:20). And then to play physical like that is hard. To try to supply offense and kill penalties. It was a tough night and he really led the physicality for us. And obvious a hell of a goal.”
Tocchet himself was a physical player so you don’t have to convince him about the merits of playing a physical style.“When you play a team like that, the players they have, you got to be a physical team,” the coach said. “The one thing is you can’t run around. The team that can do it (checking) over and over again is usually the successful one.”
Jamie Drysdale broke a scoreless tie at 9:19 of the second. Trevor Zegras got the puck to Drysdale in the right circle and his low shot found its way past goalie Stuart Skinner.
“I think we just came in with real high intensity in that first period,” Drysdale said. “ ‘Coots’ (Couturier) led the way. I think everyone kind of built off of that. We have confidence in this room. We’re going to keep going the next game.”Couturier thought the Flyers’ physicality made the difference.
Penguins’ Kris Letang skates with the puck against Flyers’ Trevor Zegras in the second period of Game 1 of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on Saturday in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
“It’s playoffs, everyone kind of steps up their intensity,” he said. “I just tried to have an impact any way I could early on. Physically I felt good. We were ready for the start.”
That edge held up until Flyers goalie Dan Vladar had trouble controlling the rebound of a Thomas Novak shot. Evgeni Malkin picked up the rebound and sent a shot past Vladar before he could recover at 15:51.
The first period did not see any scoring but there was no shortage of physical contact. In fact, the Flyers were credited with 17 hits, which is well above average. Sean Couturier alone had five of them.
What appeared to be a Christian Dvorak goal was waved off by officials after it was ruled he ran into Skinner, causing the puck to cross the line.
The Flyers held a 10-5 edge in shots and appeared to have the majority of good scoring chances. Dvorak rattled a shot off a post in the first couple minutes but that’s as close at the Flyers would get.
Close rivalry
This is the eighth time the Flyers and Penguins have met in the postseason with Philadelphia holding a 4-3 edge.Here’s the year-by-year breakdown:
• 1989: Division finals – Flyers, 4-3.
• 1997: Conferencer quarterfinals – Flyers, 4-1.
• 2000: Conference semifinals – Flyers, 4-2.
• 2008: Conference finals – Penguins, 4-1.
• 2009: Conference quarterfinals – Penguins, 4-2.
• 2012: Conference quarterfinals – Flyers, 4-2.
• 2018: Conference quarterfinals – Penguins, 4-2.
Prior to Saturday night’s game, the Flyers were 11-10 vs. the Penguins in Pittsburgh and 10-10 in Philadelphia.
Lots of first-timers
A total of 13 players were eligible for their first playoff action with the Flyers on Saturday night.
The list includes forwards Alex Bump, Noah Cates, Nikita Grebenkin, Matvei Michkov, Trevor Zegras, Denver Barkey, Tyson Foerster and Porter Martone; defensemen Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Emil Andrae and Rasmuc Ristolainen; goaltender Sam Ersson.
Wayne Fish is a freelance writer. www.flyingfishhockey.com