While some people believe watching paint dry might be a better option than watching the Flyers battle the Penguins in round one, the majority of hockey fans are excited to see the old Pittsburgh guard go up against the up-and-coming team from Philadelphia. Many are expecting it to go to a lot more than four games, with some feeling it’s closer to a coin toss than it is a decided advantage for Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and crew.
So, in no particular order, here are what some of the prognosticators are saying when it comes to the 2026 chapter in this longstanding rivalry.
NHL.com
Adam Kimelman didn’t make a prediction on who would win, but he indicated how important it was for the Flyers to stay out the penalty box. One key and relatively hidden stat is just how potent Philadelphia’s offensive has been since Porter Martone entered the picture, increasing from 2.93 goals per game to 3.67 goals per game. But the writer also stated that the Penguins’ depth could be the key to the series, with the lineup featuring 12 players who scored a minimum of 13 goals this year. The Flyers, by comparison, had eight such players, with Sean Couturier and Travis Sanheim just under the bar. Of course one of those eight included Bobby Brink.
Like a lot of experts, Kimelman sees the depth and experience of the Penguins eventually being the toughest nut for Philadelphia’s strong defensive system to crack.
32 Thoughts Podcast
The duo of Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas briefly broke down the battle of Pennsylvania on Friday morning. Initially describing it as a “fascinating” series where Philadelphia’s youth will be against some future Hall of Famers. They didn’t pick a favorite, but they thought this would be one of the better, entertaining opening round tilts.
“I think this is going to be fantastic,” Friedman said. “To me the most fascinating thing about it is going to be Martone and Michkov, how do they do? Like Zegras, this is going to be new for him as well, and he’s had a great year this year. To me, he’s just simply got the presence and the personality that he’ll be fine, and Martone sure looks like he’s going to be fine. But I’m really curious to see Martone and Michkov. At the end of the year like Martone was such a huge addition, and Michkov finished the year strong.
“I think Pittsburgh is a deeper offensive team than Philly, but it can change if those guys have a big series. It can change in a hurry, or if they make impacts. I think that is the biggest X factor to me.”
Friedman believed Crosby will be the best player in the series, but gave the slight edge to Philadelphia in goaltending. Friedman believed though the key to a Flyers win is through the two youngsters.
MoneyPuck
This site had that little sliver of a chance for the Flyers to make the playoffs in early March, but we all know how that slice of the playoff pie got a lot bigger since then. Now, the site is basically making this first-round series a coin toss, with a slight percentage lean towards Pittsburgh. The Penguins are favored with a 53.2 per cent chance of moving on to the second round while the Flyers are just under the halfway mark with 46.8 per cent.
ESPN
The extremely slanted Penguins network, er, ESPN, has little faith that the Flyers can do much of anything this series except to show up. The outlet believes Dan Vladar’s brief stint of playoff hockey will come back to haunt Philadelphia, as will the youth on the Flyers. But while giving kudos to Porter Martone and Trevor Zegras, there’s not much love given elsewhere.
“Vladar’s lack of past playoff reps is exposed early, and the Flyers can’t counteract with enough goal support,” the site wrote. “Coach Rick Tocchet does his best to shuffle the deck and keep Philadelphia alive, but it gets swept in the opening round.”
Perhaps just as laughable is the fact ESPN believes Pittsburgh will go to the Eastern Conference finals.
PlayoffStatus
PlayoffStatus was a goldmine of information when it came to the stretch run and what each Flyers win or loss could do to their playoff chances. Now, the site is putting Philadelphia in the driver’s seat regarding defeating the Penguins and making it to the final eight. It’s not a huge advantage, but the Flyers see themselves with a 54 percent chance of defeating their longstanding rivals, with the Pens obviously at 46 percent.
USA Today
The national publication has the Penguins ending the Flyers playoff campaign in six games, but that doesn’t mean they’re not looking forward to the carnage, er, competition if past playoff series are any measuring stick.
“Oh boy. Pennsylvania East vs. Pennsylvania West, we get a Civil War in Round 1,” Kevin Skiver writes. “In a first round that is going to feature the Lightning and the Habs and the Stars and the Wild, this is probably going to manage to cultivate the most toxic atmosphere.”
The outlet lauded Dan Vladar and Porter Martone as infusing Philadelphia with confidence and talent, but still believe Sidney Crosby and company will win the battle.
The Athletic
The Flyers didn’t get much love from some writers here to start the season, and even as the season wore on they weren’t exactly enamored with the club. Nonetheless, the trio of Sean Gentille, Shayna Goldman, and Dom Luszczyszyn give Pittsburgh a 59 per cent chance of moving on. The outlet acknowledged the Flyers do seemingly have the advantage between the pipes, and point to Porter Martone being Philadelphia’s X factor.
“The Flyers have a defensive identity and a superior goaltender, and they showed flashes of improved offense down the stretch, but Pittsburgh’s scoring depth (and the guy at the top of the lineup) make them the odds-on favorite in one of the first round’s marquee matchups,” the outlet wrote.
SDPN
When the idea of the Flyers making the playoffs was mentioned in early March, two of the three hosts mocked the idea. Well, they were wrong. Adam Wylde somehow gave the edge in goaltending to the Penguins based on Skinner’s Stanley Cup runs with Edmonton. Meanwhile Steve Dangle gave a clear advantage to the Flyers between the pipes based on Vladar’s performance. And Jesse Blake pointed to the Flyers being 24-20-10 and nine points back of Buffalo (who had the second wild card spot) on Feb. 1, highlighting their impressive run. Dangle lauded the Flyers’ defensive structure and how technically sound Philadelphia was in their own end and the neutral zone.
When it came to predictions, Blake said the Flyers would win in six while Dangle and Wylde had the Penguins in seven. Regardless, like many others, they predict a long and eventful series. And a series that will be “nasty” from start to finish given the loathing both sides seem to have naturally for the other. Unfortunately the caption on the video shown for the roughly 17-minute clip was the Pittsburgh Penguins and the “Philadalphia Flyers.”
The Hockey News
Like others, this publication believes that the Penguins offensive talent across the board will be able to overcome the Flyers’ defensive structure. However, they also felt Crosby would be able to shine at least once during the series. “This will be a tougher series than some fans expect it to be, but in the end, the Penguins’ depth will be too much for the Flyers to overcome. I also think the Penguins’ special teams will outplay the Flyers’ special teams in this series, even if fewer penalties are called than in the regular season,” the site wrote, giving the Penguins to win in six games.
Daily Faceoff
The site’s Anthony Trudeau seemed to be pained to make a prediction. “So, two teams with their pockets full of house money must just be happy to be here, right?” the outlet wrote regarding the series. “Guess again. Hatred between these organizations spans generations. Jagr-Therien. Talbot-Carcillo. Crosby-Giroux. Between sworn enemies, the only moral victories are actual victories.” After an exhaustive dive, the site said it was the perfect storyline for an extremely exciting and vicious two weeks of hockey that would conclude with the Flyers winning in seven games.
“The Penguins are weathered and experienced. The Flyers are young and spry. Pittsburgh couples a dangerous attack with a porous defense. Philadelphia can slam the door shut but at times struggles to capitalize. If it’s a stalemate, I’ll err on the side of the goalie. But I do expect a war.”
