Travis Sanheim played an outstanding Game 1 leading to a suffocating victory over the rival Pittsburgh Penguins. They’ve laid out the blueprint to win the series as underdogs. The question now is if the veteran defenseman and the Flyers can play a near-perfect defensive game three more times. Sidney Crosby won’t go down without swinging, as Philadelphia is all too familiar with, and it starts on the back end with their number one defenseman.
Getting physical with Crosby
Sanheim doesn’t have a reputation as a physical player despite his size. He’s more of an “outskate his opponents” type, but he was clearly up to the task on Saturday. He’s only credited with three hits, but the best player of the last 20 years was unable to deal with Sanheim all night, culminating in a crucial two minute minor penalty that took Crosby off the ice with just a minute to play. Sanheim averages just over half a hit per game. There were just two times all season that he was credited with three or more. He was up to the task in what was clearly a team-wide effort.
Travis Sanheim and Sidney Crosby both head to the penalty box late in the third period pic.twitter.com/fRuIMa6HDh
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 19, 2026
This was a pure frustration penalty from Crosby. In the past, that was the way to beat Pittsburgh before they matured; they could be easily baited into retaliation penalties and physicality that took away from their skill. For this to be happening in Game 1 bodes well for the rest of the series, and players on both sides will take notes. Sanheim took two penalties on Crosby alone; his early interference penalty that sent the Pittsburgh captain down on the ice was probably more a result of just being strong on his skates than being out of position or beaten outright.
Scoring goals always helps
Philadelphia got their first two goals of the game from defensemen– Jamie Drysdale and Travis Sanheim– as well as two assists from Rasmus Ristolainen. The defense did most of the scoring on top of limiting the top-five offense of the Penguins under 20 shots on goal. Sanheim had a career year in goal scoring with 11, shooting well above his career averages at 11.6 percent. He should use his shot more often; he finished the regular season with the fewest shots on goal since his rookie season in the league despite playing over 1,000 more minutes.
TRAVIS SANHEIM HOW ARE YA?!
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 19, 2026
THE FLYERS LEAD ONCE AGAIN 🚨 pic.twitter.com/bRXE5Tccdk
The Flyers have lots of talent on the wings, but they’re going to need some help from Sanheim, who’s out on the ice as much as anyone. With Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett seeming like they’re battling some injuries, it’s good to see Sanheim stepping up and chipping in. With 11 goals– just one on the power play– he’s more than capable.
Sanheim has to stay disciplined
The Penguins are going to want to play more physical in Game 2 and beyond. The Flyers as a whole didn’t deal with much pressure from the forecheck, and Sanheim in particular could have a target on him after his run-ins with Crosby. Every coach and player in Pittsburgh’s organization has hours of film on Sanheim; they know exactly which way to make him turn, all of his tendencies, and what makes him the most uncomfortable. Scoring immediately after he left the ice with the late third period penalties might be something the Penguins attribute to their plans the rest of the way, as well.
Sanheim has not actually taken a penalty since January 28 until last night. Given the amount of ice time he gets with the dangerous matchups he faces every night, that seems almost impossible. He’s been extremely disciplined, and that’s a big deal in a series that historically has gotten pretty ugly in that sense. As one of the only guys with any real playoff experience on Philadelphia’s roster, he’s going to have to reign in some of the chaos that’s bound to ensue. The Flyers will go as far as Sanheim takes them.
