For the two clubs on either side of Pennsylvania, it’s been a rough few years. The Pittsburgh Penguins have waded through three seasons without playoff hockey. For the Philadelphia Flyers, it’s been a half-decade. But here, in 2026, the longtime rivals have made it back, have clawed their way to the post-season spotlight once more, and will renew hostilities in the first Battle of Pennsylvania since 2018.

Pens-Flyers. The vets versus the kids. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and a Penguins club that awoke like a hand shooting out of a grave; Trevor Zegras, Owen Tippett, and a young, hungry Flyers squad forging a new identity on Broad Street. What more could we ask for?

For both of these clubs, it will be a pivotal series. 

The Pens arrive at Game 1 in the twilight of the Crosby-Malkin era, the franchise’s legends nearing the end of their illustrious careers. For a spell there, it seemed like we might never get to see them play post-season hockey again. We’ve been given one more chance. Whether we get another is anyone’s guess. But you can be certain Nos. 87 and 71 understand just how fleeting this opportunity is, and will be looking to make the most of it.

The Flyers’ core finds itself at the opposite end of that timeline. Though a few veterans with playoff experience remain, for the club’s new blood, the 2026 post-season will be their introduction to playoff hockey. It will mark a clear step forward for a Philly side that’s been wallowing in the division’s basement of late, their future uncertain. And it will give the likes of Zegras, Tippett and Matvei Michkov a chance to begin building their legacies on the game’s biggest stage.

But it won’t come easy. The man leading the Flyers into this battle knows it, having been on the other side back when the Penguins were at their best.

“You know, I’ve won a couple Cups with Crosby, Malkin and Letang. These guys, they don’t die,” head coach Rick Tocchet said earlier this week. “These guys are just warriors. We’re going to have our hands full. We’re going to have to have some game-planning here this week. But those guys don’t die. 

“It’s going to be a tough series. And we’re going to have to go after those guys.”

Penguins: 2-0-2
Flyers: 2-2-0

Penguins X-Factor: Anthony Mantha and the Pens’ third line

Among all the shrewd swings taken by Kyle Dubas as he’s retooled the Pens over the past few years, Anthony Mantha no doubt sits among the clearest wins for the Penguins president and GM. The 31-year-old arrived in Pittsburgh fresh off a couple tumultuous seasons split between Washington, Vegas and Calgary, and caught fire in black and gold. A career year from the winger saw Mantha finish the campaign with a team-leading 33 goals and a personal-best 64 points. But the key is where in the lineup those contributions are coming from.

The last time the Penguins truly made waves in the playoffs — during their back-to-back Cup runs in 2016 and 2017 — they found success on the back of their offensive depth. Most notably, the first of those two runs saw the fan-favourite ‘HBK line’ dominate the post-season, the Pens’ third-line trio of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel all finishing among the club’s top five playoff scorers. Now, for the first time in years — and with Bonino coincidentally back in Pittsburgh as an assistant coach — the Pens’ third line has some juice once again, led by Mantha, fellow big man Justin Brazeau, and teenage wunderkind Ben Kindel. 

The three newcomers, who all arrived this past summer, combined for 67 goals in the regular season. While much will still rest on the performances of veterans Crosby, Malkin and Erik Karlsson — and there are other new arrivals who will be pivotal too, like Egor Chinakhov — all eyes will be on Pittsburgh’s new third line making waves in Round 1.

Philly’s youth movement has been a crucial part of their success of late. There’s 2023 No. 1 pick Matvei Michkov, who found his game in the latter half of his sophomore campaign, leading the Flyers in scoring since the Olympic break. There’s Zegras, who’s turned in a career year since joining the club in June, and others like Jamie Drysdale and Tyson Foerster continuing to progress, too. But the Flyers might not be in the playoffs in 2026 without the late addition of 19-year-old Porter Martone.

Drafted sixth overall by the Flyers last June, Martone joined the big club in late March after a sterling season at Michigan State that saw him stack 25 goals and 50 points over 35 games. In the two weeks since, Martone’s been a revelation for Philly, emerging as one of the club’s most dangerous offensive weapons. The winger put up four goals and 10 points over his nine regular-season games down the stretch — the highest and second-highest sums on the team since he joined, respectively — while pacing the club with 32 shots in that span. It’s not just the production though, it’s the approach. The six-foot-three, 210-pound winger has looked quintessentially Flyer-like since he donned those Philly threads, establishing himself in the top six alongside veterans Christian Dvorak and Travis Konecny.

The Pens need no reminder of just how crucial young, hungry talent can be in the post-season. The club hung Stanley Cup banners with some key performances from rookies like Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust a decade ago. Philly won’t be dreaming that big just yet, but there’s little doubt Martone will be a key part of whatever the post-season future brings for the Flyers.

ADVANCED STATS
(5-on-5 totals from Natural Stat Trick)

1. Another chapter for Sidney Crosby’s legacy against Philly

There are few clubs No. 87 seems to enjoy tormenting more than the Philadelphia Flyers. The captain’s battles with the Pens’ longtime rival have been a key part of his lore in Pittsburgh. Over the past two decades, he’s potted more goals against Philly than any other NHL club — an absurd 60 over 93 regular-season games. His 139 points against the club rank as the most any single NHL player has posted against the franchise. In the post-season, he’s been no less lethal. Crosby’s suited up for four playoff series against Philly over the years, in 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2018 — in that span, the future Hall of Famer’s amassed 15 goals and 36 points, and emerged with three series wins.

You can run down the list of reasons the Penguins’ leader is certain to be motivated come Game 1. His first taste of playoff hockey in four years. The uncertainty of how many more chances he’ll get on the post-season stage. The fresh memory of a disappointing Olympic tournament, cut short by injury. If it were possible for anything to add more fuel to that fire, Game 1 with the Flyers on the other side of the sheet might just be it.

2. Vintage Karlsson, Malkin return to playoff stage

For all the new blood driving Pittsburgh’s success this season, the resurgence of the club’s vets has been just as pivotal to their revival — two vets in particular. A glance at Malkin’s numbers might not make clear just how dominant the future Hall of Famer has been in 2025-26. Limited by injuries once again, Malkin put up 19 goals and 61 points over 56 games for the Pens. But go back through the film and you’ll see a clear difference in No. 71’s play this season compared to last year. Amid reports that the Pens were planning to part ways with the franchise legend after his contract concludes this season, the 39-year-old has seemed a man on a mission all year, attacking with the type of all-world dynamism that defined his best campaigns in Pittsburgh. 

And then there’s Karlsson. The veteran rearguard hasn’t just improved his play in 2025-26, he’s become the crucial cog the Penguins expected him to be when they brought him to town in 2023. The 35-year-old approaches Game 1 playing undoubtedly his best hockey in a Penguins sweater — over the final two months of the campaign, he was not only Pittsburgh’s leading scorer, but among the top 10 scorers league-wide, putting up 31 points in 24 games since mid-February. Game 1 against Philly will mark Karlsson’s first taste of playoff hockey since 2019 — a run that saw him help lead San Jose to the conference finals. A meaningful run for the black-and-gold in 2026 will require a similar level from No. 65, and continued vintage performances from No. 71, too.

3. Time for the new-look goalie tandem to shine

The last three playoff series Pittsburgh played ended with Tristan Jarry in the cage for the deciding game. That won’t be the case this time around, as the Penguins arrive at the 2026 post-season with a new-look tandem built over the past year. Since Stuart Skinner landed in Pittsburgh in December, he and Arturs Silovs have split goaltending duties, starting 27 and 25 games, respectively. They’ve performed relatively equally too, neither looking lights out in the cage, but both coming up with key moments en route to the Pens’ post-season return.

If there’s reason for the Penguins faithful to have hope in the pair, it’s what they’ve managed to do past Game 82. Skinner returns to the playoffs fresh off back-to-back runs to the Stanley Cup Final in Edmonton. Silovs has a promising stretch under his own belt from the 2024 playoffs with Vancouver, and is a season removed from leading the Canucks’ AHL affiliate to a championship — a run that saw him named Calder Cup MVP. That in mind, all eyes will be on who gets the cage in Game 1, whether they hold on to it for the series, and whether it’s enough to send the black-and-gold on to Round 2.

1. Momentum carrying red-hot Flyers into post-season

There are few truths that hold in the chaos of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, except this one: momentum is crucial. And while much will depend on the game-to-game swings that come once the series is underway, the Flyers arrive with some positive momentum already in their corner — since the league returned from the Olympic break, the Broad Street squad has been among the most unbeatable outfits in the league. Philly sat tied for third-last in the East before that February break in play — after the regular season resumed, no team won more games than the Flyers, who tied Buffalo with 18 wins in their final 26 games.

Perhaps most promising in terms of the chances of that success carrying over into the post-season is the way in which they won those games. Joining the club this past off-season himself, Tocchet has worked to instil a stronger defensive identity in this young Flyers group, an approach that proved crucial over the home stretch as the club clinched their post-season ticket. Over the final months of the campaign, post-Olympics, Philly’s 2.38 goals-against per game ranked as the second-best mark in the league, while the club’s 25 shots-against per game ranked top five. Against a Penguins squad that’s been among the most prolific offensive outfits in the league all season, that defensive prowess will be pivotal.

2. Vladar looks to continue career year with stiff playoff test

The under-the-radar addition of netminder Dan Vladar this past summer played no small role in that late-season success. The 28-year-old was brought to Philly after four years as a steady backup in Calgary, with Sam Ersson returning as the Flyers’ presumed starter. But Vladar upended those plans, wrestling away the No. 1 role, turning in a career year, and emerging as perhaps the Flyers’ most important player. Through 52 games in his first season in a starting role, the Czech netminder posted a .906 save percentage and a 2.42 goals-against average. But a deeper look at his performance makes clear just how crucial he’s been to the Flyers’ cause.

Per Natural Stat Trick, at 5-on-5, Vladar’s .926 save percentage ranks tied for tops among regular starters. His 20.98 goals saved above average at 5-on-5 ranks fourth-best among all NHL netminders, and his .850 high-danger save percentage at 5-on-5 ranks top 10 among those who’ve started more than a handful of games. There’s no doubt he’s been an essential piece for Philly to this point. But he’ll face a stiff test against Pittsburgh, who have no shortage of elite offensive options to throw at the Flyers. How well Vladar holds up against the barrage likely determines how far the Flyers go in their return to the dance.

3. First taste of playoff hockey for hungry, revitalized Zegras

There’s plenty of promise dotted among this young Flyers lineup. And after building throughout the 2025-26 campaign, fighting to earn their place in the playoffs, and finally cementing their return, the kids now have their first shot at building their post-season legacies. Perhaps the most interesting among that group is Zegras. Once heralded as a foundational piece in Anaheim, and the leader of a wave of highly-skilled young stars, Zegras arrived in Philadelphia last June after a rollercoaster two-year stretch with the Ducks. Injuries and inconsistent play soured his relationship with the club that drafted him ninth overall back in 2019. GM Daniel Briere capitalized, and took a swing — nearly a year later, Zegras has found his top form, putting up a career-best 26 goals and 67 points for the Flyers this season.

But it’s the bigger picture that’s the true key here. Zegras’s raw skill has never been questioned. It was the application of that skill over a full campaign. It was how it might hold up when the pressure and the stakes increase. Now comes the young pivot’s chance to prove his doubters wrong. The former Duck has been vocal about the fact that he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder, that he’s intent on proving his worth after being traded away. A return to the post-season, with Crosby and Co. on the other side of the sheet, brings a chance to prove just how valuable he can be for a franchise with playoff dreams.