2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Flyers vs. Penguins Eastern 1st Round preview

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features 16 teams in eight best-of-7 series, which start Saturday. Today, NHL.com previews the Eastern Conference First Round between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

(M3) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins

Flyers: 43-27-12, 98 points

Penguins: 41-25-16, 98 points

Season series: PHI 2-2-0; PIT: 2-0-2

Game 1: Saturday at Pittsburgh (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS)

The Keystone State rivalry returns for the first time since 2018 when the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins face off in the Eastern Conference First Round.

It will be the eighth time the teams have played in the postseason, and the fifth since Penguins captain Sidney Crosby entered the NHL in 2005-06.

"Obviously, 'Battle of Pennsylvania,' a little history there," Penguins defenseman Connor Clifton said. "... I think it's a good matchup for us. I'm sure Sid's licking his chops."

Crosby has more goals (60) against the Flyers than any other NHL team. That includes at least one goal in every building the teams have played since he entered the NHL -- Mellon Arena (13 in 16 games) and PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh (17 in 29 games), and Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia (28 in 44 games). He also scored against them at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in the 2017 Stadium Series and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in the 2019 Stadium Series.

But the Penguins, who are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2022, are more than just one player. Though Crosby led them with 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists) in 68 games, they had seven skaters with at least 40 points and five who scored at least 19 goals, topped by an NHL career-best 33 by Anthony Mantha.

The forward signed a one-year contract July 2 after he was limited to 13 games with the Calgary Flames last season because of a torn right ACL sustained Nov. 5, 2024, but coach Dan Muse told Mantha during the offseason that he felt 30 goals was possible for the 31-year-old, who never had scored more than 25 in his first 10 seasons.

"I'm just really happy for him," Muse said. "When someone comes into the year, especially coming off an injury like that, and the work that goes into the summer, with goals in mind and wanting to really just come in and attack the opportunity and attack the season, and to see him do it, it's great."

While the Penguins were led by their veterans, the Flyers are led by a younger group, including six forwards 25 and younger playing key roles.

Atop that list are Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone. Michkov, 21, led the Flyers with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 26 games after the 2026 Winter Olympics. Martone, a 19-year-old selected with the No. 6 pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, made his NHL debut March 31 after his season ended at Michigan State and had 10 points (four goals, six assists) in nine games.

The Flyers averaged 3.67 goals per game with Martone in the lineup, well above their season average of 2.93. They also got a boost from forward Tyson Foerster, who returned April 2 after having surgery Dec. 15 for a right arm injury. He wasn't expected back this season, but the 24-year-old had four points (three goals, one assist) in eight games after returning, plus the shootout winner against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 13 that clinched the Flyers a playoff berth.

"It's a positive situation," Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. "All those kids are really developing, and they're playing in some tough situations. Obviously it's a good future."

That future begins now for both teams.

"Couldn't have drawn it up any better, Battle of Pennsylvania, and it's going to be a good one," Flyers forward Owen Tippett said. "We're excited."

Game breakers

Flyers: Trevor Zegras set personal NHL bests in goals (26) and points (67) in 81 games in his first season with Philadelphia after being acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on June 23. The Flyers hoped he could develop into a No. 1 center, and after flipping between wing and the middle during the first half of the season, he's settled into a top-line role. His chemistry with Tippett has helped both players; of Tippett's team-high 28 goals, Zegras assisted on eight. And when Foerster was added to their line, it became an offensive driver, with Zegras contributing seven points (three goals, four assists) in seven games.

Penguins: Crosby remains at the top of his game at 38 years old, including extending his NHL record to a 21st season of averaging at least 1.00 points per game. The three-time Stanley Cup winner (2009, 2016, 2017) has been hungry to get back in the playoffs after missing the past three seasons and enjoys playing against the Flyers. His 139 points in 93 regular-season games and 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in 23 playoff games are more than anyone in NHL history. The Penguins have won three of their four playoff series against the Flyers during the Crosby era (2008, 2009, 2018), losing only in the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Goaltending

Flyers: Dan Vladar arguably was Philadelphia's most valuable player this season. The 28-year-old signed a two-year contract July 1 to compete with Samuel Ersson for the No. 1 job, but it became clear early that Vladar was a player the Flyers could ride. He set NHL career bests in games (52), wins (29) and GAA (2.42), and his .906 save percentage matched his best. He had a .923 even-strength save percentage that was tied for second among NHL goalies to play at least 30 games and allowed two goals or fewer in 34 of his 51 starts. Ersson had an .870 save percentage in 33 games (29 starts) but was much better after the Olympic break with a .912 save percentage in nine games (seven starts).

Penguins: Stuart Skinner and rookie Arturs Silovs have similar numbers while essentially splitting starts since Skinner was acquired in the trade that sent goalie Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 12. He's 12-9-5 with a 2.99 goals-against average and .885 save percentage in 27 games with the Penguins, and Silovs is 15-8-3 with a 3.11 GAA, .882 save percentage and one shutout in 26 games (25 starts). Skinner has more playoff experience, starting 38 games the past two postseasons (21-16, 2.66 GAA, .896 save percentage, four shutouts) in consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final with Edmonton. Silovs has 10 games of playoff experience (5-5, 2.91 GAA, .898 save percentage, one shutout) from 2024 with the Vancouver Canucks, who were coached by Tocchet.

Numbers to know

Flyers: After 820 games in 13 seasons, Rasmus Ristolainen will play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time. The 31-year-old defenseman has played more games than any active player without skating in a postseason game, but that will change when he takes his spot on the right side of the top defense pair for Game 1. After missing the first 31 games of the season recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured right triceps tendon, Ristolainen had 14 points (one goal, 13 assists), was a plus-11 and averaged 21:23 of ice time in 44 games and saw time on the power play and penalty kill. ... The power play finished last in the League (15.7 percent) for the fourth time in five seasons.

Penguins: Crosby (201 in 180 games) and Evgeni Malkin (180 in 177 games) are first and second, respectively, among active players in playoff points, and Kris Letang (90 in 149 games) is second among active defensemen behind Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning (120 in 170 games). ... Pittsburgh's 290 goals were their most in a season during the Crosby era (since 2005-06).

They said it

"I won a couple of Cups with Crosby, Malkin, Letang. These guys, they don't die. These guys are just warriors." -- Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, a Penguins assistant from 2014-17

"For us, I think the effort level and the belief up and down the lineup, you've been seeing it all year. It doesn't matter what night it is, we've got guys making huge plays. Whether it's goals, assists, blocked shots, huge saves, we've had all sorts of guys doing that throughout the year." -- Penguins forward Bryan Rust

Will win if …

Flyers: They keep the game at 5-on-5. The Flyers allowed nine short-handed goals, tied for fourth-most in the League, and were 22nd on the penalty kill (77.6 percent). At 5-on-5, they outscored teams 161-149, and 51-35 since the Olympics.

Penguins: They get enough saves from Skinner and Silovs, who each might see action in the series. The Penguins should have the advantage offensively, averaging 3.54 goals per game, compared to 2.93 for the Flyers, with a balanced attack featuring 12 players who scored at least 13 goals. The Flyers appear to have the edge in net with Vladar and play a structured defensive game in front of him, so whoever starts for the Penguins will have to minimize his mistakes.

How they look

Flyers projected lineup

Tyson Foerster -- Trevor Zegras -- Owen Tippett

Travis Konecny -- Christian Dvorak -- Porter Martone

Alex Bump -- Noah Cates -- Matvei Michkov

Denver Barkey -- Sean Couturier -- Luke Glendening

Travis Sanheim -- Rasmus Ristolainen

Cam York -- Jamie Drysdale

Nick Seeler -- Emil Andrae

Dan Vladar

Samuel Ersson

Scratched: Garrett Wilson, Carl Grundstrom, Garnet Hathaway, Noah Juulsen

Injured: Rodrigo Abols (lower body), Nikita Grebenkin (upper body)

Penguins projected lineup

Egor Chinakhov -- Sidney Crosby -- Bryan Rust

Tommy Novak -- Rickard Rakell -- Evgeni Malkin

Anthony Mantha -- Ben Kindel -- Justin Brazeau

Elmer Soderblom -- Noel Acciari -- Avery Hayes

Parker Wotherspoon -- Erik Karlsson

Samuel Girard -- Kris Letang

Ryan Shea -- Connor Clifton

Stuart Skinner

Arturs Silovs

Scratched: Ilya Solovyov, Ryan Graves, Kevin Hayes, Jack St. Ivany

Injured: Filip Hallander (blood clot), Blake Lizotte (upper body), Connor Dewar (lower body)

NHL.com senior writer Tom Gulitti and independent correspondent Wes Crosby contributed to this report