In the first Philadelphia Flyers home playoff game – with fans – since 2018, the Flyers gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about as they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in a physical 5-2 victory.
The Basics
First period: 4:18 – Evgeni Malkin (Bryan Rust, Sidney Crosby) (PPG)
Second period: 5:18 – Trevor Zegras (Jamie Drysdale, Porter Martone) (PPG), 9:06 – Rasmus Ristolainen (Noah Juulsen, Sean Couturier), 11:18 – Nick Seeler (Noah Juulsen, Sean Couturier)
Third period: 9:39 – Erik Karlsson (Rickard Rakell, Tommy Novak) (PPG), 12:30 – Noah Cates (Trevor Zegras, Jamie Drysdale) (PPG), 18:48 – Owen Tippett (Noah Cates) (ENG)
SOG: 29 (PHI) – 30 (PIT)
Takeaways
Fourth line continues to roll
The Flyers’ fourth line was once again a massive reason the Flyers won this game.
Sean Couturier set the tone all night with his work down low and his ability to win battles along the boards, while Luke Glendening and Garnet Hathaway’s physicality had the Penguins’ offense stifled. Every time they were out there, they made Pittsburgh work for every inch of ice, and you could tell they were making it hard for them to generate any momentum.
It wasn’t just the physical play, either. That line kept momentum on Philadelphia’s side by hemming the Penguins in their own zone and creating long offensive-zone shifts that wore down Pittsburgh’s defense.
They may not always light up the scoresheet, but their impact is impossible to miss. This line continues to do all the little things right, and it’s becoming a major reason why the Flyers are finding success.
Flyers’ dominant second period
After trailing 1–0 early in the game, the Flyers completely took over in the middle frame. The tide turned after Travis Konecny got into a massive scrum with Penguins Bryan Rust, and from there, the Flyers found their mojo. Trevor Zegras got things started with a power play goal to even things up, and from there, the Flyers poured it on.
Rasmus Ristolainen gave the Flyers their first lead of the night, and Nick Seeler followed it up just over two minutes later to make it 3–1. The Penguins had no answer for the Flyers’ pressure, as they controlled most of the possession and capitalized on the Penguins’ inability to keep their composure.
RASMUS RISTOLAINEN MAKES IT 2-1 WITH HIS FIRST CAREER PLAYOFF GOAL!!!!!!! WHAT A FEED FROM NOAH JUULSEN!!!! #IgniteTheOrange #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/N3mtHxdyct
— x – Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) April 23, 2026
Travis Konecny gets under the Penguins’ skin
Speaking of Travis Konecny, while he didn’t show up on the scoresheet, you definitely noticed him in this one, and so did Bryan Rust and the Penguins.
After Pittsburgh went up early in the first, the 29-year-old started to stir things up physically and mentally for the orange and black. He was finishing checks, getting in guys’ faces after the whistle, and just being the typical annoying Travis Konecny.
After his scrum with Rust in the second period, it brought the crowd back into the game, and the Flyers started playing with more jump, and that energy helped spark the Flyers’ strong second period
HUUUUGGEEE scrum mainly between Konecny and Rust resulted in A LOT of penalties… pic.twitter.com/wn7AEHJR4B
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 23, 2026
That’s kind of what Konecny does when he’s at his best. He plays right on that edge, gets under the other team’s skin, and brings some emotion when things feel flat. No points for him tonight, but he absolutely had a hand in changing the momentum.
Young guys stepping up in big moments
Trevor Zegras and Porter Martone once again made their presence felt. Zegras picked up a goal and an assist, and Martone now has three points in three games. Both young forwards for the Flyers have been driving offense whenever they were on the ice. Jamie Drysdale also added two assists and is now a point-per-game player in the playoffs.
WHAT A BOMB FROM TREVOR ZEGRAS. WHAT A CELLY WITH THE BOYS IN THE BOX.#IgniteTheOrange #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/8GMQLxphWT
— x – Flyers Clips (@Flyers_Clips) April 23, 2026
These are, without a doubt, the most important, high-intensity games a majority of these players on the Flyers have ever played in, so the experience is invaluable in itself, but to see these young, core players shining in big moments makes the future exciting.
Shutting down Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby never really got going in this one, and the Flyers’ defense deserves a ton of credit for that. Every time he touched the puck, there was a body on him, making it virtually impossible for the 38-year-old to generate any momentum. As well as guys like Garnet Hathaway getting under his skin certainly helps.
Hathaway high sticked Crosby before the draw, but Crosby was ALSO penalized for embellishment, we play 4 on 4…. pic.twitter.com/QcsGi9wg7J
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 22, 2026
Shutting down Crosby has been a major part of the game plan from the start for the Flyers, and they’ve executed it extremely well. Crosby picked up an assist, but outside of that, he wasn’t able to take over the game the way he usually does against the Flyers.
And the crowd at Xfinity Mobile Arena? Well, as per usual, they were all over him. Every single time number 87 touched the puck, loud boos rained from the stands.
Keeping Crosby at bay has been one key reason the Flyers are up 3-0 in this series, and they will, without a doubt, look to shut him down Saturday as well, and the orange and black will look to sweep at home in front of the Flyers faithful.
The Flyers will get a chance to take the series on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m.
