Fresh off the 5-2 drubbing of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 on Wednesday night, the Flyers have grabbed a commanding 3-0 series lead. On account of strong performances up and down the lineup, and all players buying into their spot in this lineup, the Flyers are on the verge of the second round.
One player who is making an underrated impact in this series? Playoff Risto himself, Rasmus Ristolainen. It turns out, after years of waiting for Playoff Risto, that maybe there was truth behind Ristolainen being a guy that raises his level in the playoffs. So far, through three games, the 31-year-old Finnish blueliner made an impact, and made general manager Daniel Briere look real smart for holding on to him at the trade deadline.
Rasmus Ristolainen is truly making a difference in the playoffs, finally
On the scoresheet, Ristolainen had quite a few games for a player of his offensive capabilities. In Game 1, he picked up two assists – a primary on Travis Sanheim’s go-ahead-goal and a secondary assist on Porter Martone’s game winner. A multi-point game for Ristolainen is rare, a player who put up one goal and 13 assists in 44 regular season games this year. There was nothing flashy about either Ristolainen assist, but flash is never what we’re expecting out of him. On the Sanheim goal, he made a perfect pass across the blueline to his defensive partner, and on the Martone goal he broke the puck out from the defensive end seamlessly. It’s the little things that lead to goals in the postseason, and Ristolainen has done just that so far.
Sanny Snipe Show in the Steel City. 🎯#PHIvsPIT | #IgniteTheOrange pic.twitter.com/wKP2bq9rC3
— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 19, 2026
Then, after a scoreless Game 2 from Ristolainen, Playoff Risto notched his first career playoff goal to put the Flyers up 2-1 in the second period of Game 3. The roof blew off of the Xfinity-Mobile Center, and Ristolainen had the biggest goal of his career. While the goal was Stuart Skinner’s weakest of the series, Ristolainen deserves credit for finding a soft area of the ice, being open for a pass from Noah Juulsen, and ultimately finishing on the chance. It was mightily unexpected, but Ristolainen notched his third point of the series to give the Flyers control of the game.
It was a long time coming but PLAYOFF RISTO HAS ARRIVED. #IgniteTheOrange pic.twitter.com/GE35LoDJM4
— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 23, 2026
Outside of the scoresheet, Ristolainen’s physical presence continues to be a story. In the early parts of Game 1, it was obvious that Ristolainen was a bit amped up, leading to an early penalty after Ristolainen laid a late hit after the whistle. Then, he settled down, notching a team-high 25 minutes and playing an integral role on the top pair with Sanheim. In Game 2, he continued to be a physical annoyance for the Penguins, frequently engaging in scrums after the whistle and just being a menace.
Rasmus Ristolainen takes a jab at Sidney Crosby after the whistle 😳👊 pic.twitter.com/kXBC04Kbt9
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 20, 2026
Despite Ristolainen looking really good by the eye test, some advanced stats aren’t in love with what the Ristolainen-Sanheim pair has done so far. Per Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers only carry a 34.04 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) with Ristolainen on the ice at 5-on-5, and a 36.18 expected goals for percentage (xGF%). That’s not great, but it’s important to contextualize it with the matchups the Ristolainen-Sanheim pair are getting and the overall style of the series.
At 5-on-5, the Penguins have carried a nearly 60 CF% and a 51 xG%. Puck possession wise and shot-attempts wise, the Penguins have on-aggregate done alright. The name of the game for the Flyers defensively has been limiting high-danger chances, and Ristolainen’s been a pretty big part of that. Matchup wise, the Flyers have matched Ristolainen with Sidney Crosby for a total of 23:10 so far, and exactly 0 goals have come out of that matchup at 5-on-5.
While nothing may be happening for the Flyers on most offensive shifts with Ristolainen, they will take that tradeoff anyday. Similarly, in over 21 minutes with Erik Karlsson on the ice opposite of Ristolainen, there have been no goals whatsoever. So, while the underlying metrics aren’t stellar for Ristolainen and various other Flyers so far, it’s been a promising start for Ristolainen in the playoffs.
Across all three games in the series so far, Ristolainen has averaged 24:47 TOI, second on the team to Travis Sanheim’s 24:51. In a series where Sanheim might be the best player on the ice for the Flyers (at least in Game 1 & 2), it’s easy to forget the solid work that Ristolainen has done to compliment him. By the eye test, he’s looked better than anyone could have reasonably expected. He’s made Briere look really smart for holding on to him at the deadline, as this playoff run is only going to spike his value in the offseason (or next trade deadline). No matter what happens, it’s been really cool to see Ristolainen at his full powers, and to see him actually elevate his game when the Flyers playoff lives are at stake.
