Game Preview: Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins, Round 1 Game 1, 4/18/2026

Who: Philadelphia Flyers (43-27-12, 98 points, 3rd place Metropolitan Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (41-25-16, 98 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division) When : 8:00 p. m. ET How to Watch : Local on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and TVAS, national on ESPN and NBC Sports, streaming on ESPN+ Pens’ Path Ahead : The series continues Monday with Game 2 at PPG Paints Arena on Monday night.

Then the series swings to Philadelphia for road games on Wednesday and Saturday night. Opponent Track : The Flyers snagged the final playoff spot in the East after finishing the season as one of the hottest teams in the NHL. Since the end of the Olympic break, this team went 18-7-1 to tie the Buffalo Sabres and Colorado Avalanche for the most wins in the league over that stretch.

While the Pens were resting their starters, the Flyers finished the season out on a three-game win streak capped off with a back-to-back against the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens. Season Series : The Pens and Flyers split this series in the regular season, although both of the Flyers’ wins came in extra time. The Flyers bookended the series with shootout wins on Oct.

28 and March 7. The Penguins outscored their in-state rivals by a combined score of 11-4 in wins on Dec. 1 and Jan.