Sanheim breaks tie in 3rd, Flyers defeat Penguins in Game 1 of Eastern 1st Round

PITTSBURGH -- Travis Sanheim scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, lifting the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.

Sanheim gave Philadelphia a 2-1 lead at 10:00, splitting Pittsburgh forwards Elmer Soderblom and Anthony Mantha to drift to the slot for a wrist shot past a screen from Porter Martone. 

“I think I understand the level that’s needed to play in the playoffs,” Sanheim said. “I understand the challenge ahead and my job, playing against top guys.”

Martone, a 19-year-old rookie and the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, made it 3-1 with his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal at 17:23 by circling back in the right face-off circle and shooting over the glove of Stuart Skinner. 

Penguins forward Bryan Rust cut the deficit to 3-2 at 18:59 while the teams skated 4-on-4 and with Skinner pulled for the extra attacker with a snap shot from the slot. 

Jamie Drysdale also scored in his playoff debut, and Dan Vladar made 15 saves for the Flyers, who are the No. 3 seed from the Metropolitan Division. 

“Coming in here, I think the older guys have done a great job with not just me, but all the other guys on the team, kind of teaching us the ropes,” Martone said. “It’s also nice to have a couple other younger guys around, just because you’re around the same age. 

“Everyone’s been great. I think we were all pretty excited going into this game, being able to play in the playoffs. For me, it’s my 10th NHL game. It’s pretty special, and it’s an opportunity you can’t pass up.”

Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, and Skinner made 17 saves for the Penguins, who are the the No. 2 seed from the Metropolitan. 

“(The Flyers) make it hard,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “I think that’s part of their game, they’ve been doing that for a while. ... They can make it difficult. I think we got away from things that worked. Part of that is the intensity, everything is ramped up here in the playoffs.” 

Game 2 is here on Monday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, NBCSP, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360). 

Christian Dvorak appeared to put Philadelphia ahead 1-0 on a power play at 8:19 of the first period, crashing the net and sliding the puck under Skinner. The goal was immediately waved off when it was determined Dvorak made incidental contact with Skinner. 

Flyers forward Owen Tippett had a breakaway after taking a stretch pass from Tyson Foerster, but Skinner turned away his snap shot with a pad save at 8:20 of the second period. 

“Just stay with the game,” Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said, “because you cheat the game, bang, it can go the other way. So, I don’t think we cheated the game tonight. I thought we played a smart game.”

Drysdale did put the Flyers up 1-0 at 9:19 of the second. Trevor Zegras fed a pass from below the goal line to Drysdale in the right circle, where his wrist shot slipped between Skinner's pads through traffic. 

“They played a good game,” Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson said. “I think they just played better than us today from start to finish. That’s the way it is sometimes. It’s unfortunate.”

Malkin tied it 1-1 at 15:51. Vladar kicked a rebound into the right circle that Tommy Novak hit back to Malkin, who put a wrist shot through the five-hole for his first playoff goal since May 13, 2022. 

"I mean, we played good all year long,” Malkin said. “We know how we play and we just, like, maybe nervous too much or we want (it) too much. We just (weren't) thinking a little bit, I think.” 

NOTES: Martone (19 years, 174 days) became the youngest Flyers player to score in his postseason debut, besting the previous benchmark established by Simon Gagne (20 years, 44 days) during Game 1 of 2000 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. ... Sanheim is the first Philadelphia defenseman to score a go-ahead goal in the final 10 minutes of a playoff game since Danny Markov in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New Jersey Devils on April 17, 2004. ... Drysdale is the fifth defenseman in Flyers history to score in his playoff debut, joining Philippe Myers, Karl Dykhuis, Jim Mair and Dick Cherry. ... Malkin scored his 68th career playoff goal to tie Gordie Howe for 21st place on the NHL’s all-time list. Malkin also reached 182 career postseason points (68 goals, 114 assists) to pass Ray Bourque (180) for 14th place in League history. ... Penguins forward Blake Lizotte played 11:34 in his return after missing the final 16 games of the regular season with an upper-body injury. ... Pittsburgh forward Connor Dewar returned after being sidelined four games with a lower-body injury. He was minus-1 in 11:35 of ice time.