Game 1 Aftermath: How the game was lost for the Penguins
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 18: Connor Clifton #75 of the Pittsburgh Penguins tussles with Matvei Michkov #39 of the Philadelphia Flyers in the first period of Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 18, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Pittsburgh Penguins played a disjointed opening game against the Flyers and ended up falling 3-2 to their instate rivals to kick off their 2026 playoff series. Where’d it all go wrong (aside from just about everything in the first 20-55 minutes?
) Let’s take a look. They weren’t alone in it, but the Sam Girard – Kris Letang pair had an absolutely brutal night NHL Game Score Impact Card for Pittsburgh Penguins on 2026-04-18: pic. twitter.
com/KRMah9CNjF — HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) April 19, 2026 Sam Girard and Kris Letang had a tough night at the office last night. Letang was on the ice for all three goals the Flyers scored in Game 1, he also had to take a penalty after letting an opponent take the puck away from him. Girard wasn’t able to help and struggled just as much.
Per Moneypuck , Girard’s xGF% was 6. 31%, to Letang’s 7. 63.
The Penguins aren’t going for anywhere but an early exit if their second pair defense is in the single digits of expected goal percentage. Girard and Letang were hardly alone at having bad nights: the vaunted fourth line had an XGF% in the 14-19% range, Karlsson didn’t score well on Game Score or xGF% either, Tommy Novak and Ben Kindel had difficult times getting their heads above water too, and on and on), yet they stand out as a glaring area to watch try and rebound in Game 2. One thing about Letang is he is not a very subtle player, it’s not going to be a secret to tell if he can pull the nose up or continues to struggle with the speed and pressure that Philadelphia is going to press upon him.