Penguins Face Flyers in Eastern Conference First Round Showdown

Mo. Basuony

Published: April 13, 2026 10:53 PM ET

Penguins Face Flyers in Eastern Conference First Round Showdown

The Pittsburgh Penguins will host the Philadelphia Flyers in a best-of-seven Eastern Conference First Round matchup. Pittsburgh earned home-ice after clinching second place in the Metropolitan Division on April 9.

The Flyers secured a playoff spot and third in the division. They clinched with a 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday.

Team leaders and goaltending — Penguins

Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh offensively with 74 points, including 29 goals. Anthony Mantha tops the team in goals with 32.

Bryan Rust and Crosby each have 29 goals. Defenseman Erik Karlsson ranks second in Penguins scoring with 66 points.

Arturs Silovs posted a 19-11-8 record with a 3.04 goals-against average and .889 save percentage. He recorded two shutouts this season.

Stuart Skinner, acquired Dec. 12 in a trade, went 12-9-5 with a 2.91 GAA and .888 save percentage. He previously played in deep playoff runs with Edmonton.

Team leaders and goaltending — Flyers

Travis Konecny paced Philadelphia with 68 points. Trevor Zegras finished one point behind at 67.

Travis Sanheim led Flyers defensemen with 37 points. He scored 11 goals and added 26 assists.

Dan Vladar compiled a 29-14-7 record with a 2.44 GAA and .905 save percentage. Samuel Ersson was 13-11-5 with a 3.15 GAA and .867 save percentage.

Season series and matchup notes

The teams split the season series four games apiece, with Pittsburgh going 2-0-2 and Philadelphia 2-2-0. Pittsburgh outscored Philadelphia 16-9 overall.

Trevor Zegras and Denver Barkey each posted three points against the Penguins. No Flyer recorded more than one goal in those meetings.

Bryan Rust led Pittsburgh with six points in four games against Philadelphia. Crosby added five points in three meetings.

Samuel Ersson was 1-0-0 versus Pittsburgh, with a 3.45 GAA and .875 save percentage. Dan Vladar went 1-1-0 in the series.

Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs had mixed results against the Flyers. Skinner was 1-0-1 with a 2.88 GAA and .880 save percentage. Silovs was 0-0-1 with a 1.85 GAA and .941 save percentage.

Tristan Jarry, traded to Edmonton in the Skinner deal, made 28 saves in a 5-1 Philadelphia loss on Dec. 1.

Playoff history between the clubs

These intrastate rivals will meet in the playoffs for the eighth time. Their postseason history dates back to 1989.

1989 Patrick Division Finals — Flyers won in seven games.
1997 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals — Flyers won in five games and reached the Stanley Cup Final.
2000 Conference Semifinals — Flyers won in six games.
2008 Eastern Conference Final — Penguins eliminated Flyers in five games.
2009 Conference Quarterfinals — Penguins defeated Flyers in six en route to a Stanley Cup.
2012 Conference Quarterfinals — Flyers won in six games.
2018 First Round — Penguins won the most recent series in six games.

This matchup renews a heated rivalry. The Penguins and Flyers enter the Eastern Conference first-round showdown with contrasting forms and clear storylines.