Game Preview: Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins, Round 1 Game 5, 4/27/2026
Who: Philadelphia Flyers (3-1) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1-3) in Game 5 of the most effective of seven sequence
How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and NBC Sports Philadelphia, nationally on ESPN, streaming on ESPN+
Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins are combating to verify they’ve a path forward. That could be a Game 6, again in Philadelphia on Wednesday evening if Pittsburgh wins right this moment to increase the sequence.
Opponent Track: The Flyers are up 3-1 within the sequence and seeking to shut out and transfer onto subsequent spherical towards the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina wrapped up a sweep of Ottawa on Saturday and now sits again to await the PIT/PHI winner within the subsequent spherical.
Hidden Stat: From Pens PR, Arturs Silovs (28 saves in Game 4) turned the second goaltender in franchise historical past to make his Penguins playoff debut in an elimination contest and earn a win, following Frank Pietrangelo (Game 6 of 1991 division semifinals).
Hidden Stat 2.0: By my depend the Penguins are 11-13 within the Sidney Crosby period when going through elimination within the playoffs (11-12 within the video games Crosby has performed, 0-1 when he hasn’t in 2011 vs TB). The Pens have gained two video games in the identical sequence when going through elimination on three events (2009 vs DET, 2012 vs PHI, 2016 vs TB).
Getting to know the Flyers
Travis Konecny - Christian Dvorak – Porter Martone
Denver Barkey – Trevor Zegras – Owen Tippett
Alex Bump – Noah Cates – Tyson Foerster
Luke Glendening – Sean Couturier – Garnet Hathaway
Travis Sanheim / Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York/Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler / Noah Juulsen
Goalies: Dan Vladar and Samuel Ersson
Potential scratches: Matvei Michkov, Garrett Wilson, Carl Grundstrom, Emil Andrae, Helge Grans, David Jiricek, Oscar Eklind, Oliver Bonk, Hunter McDonald, Jacob Gaucher, Aleksei Kolosov, Carson Bjarnason
Injured Reserve: Rodrigo Abols (fractured ankle), Nikita Grebenkin (higher physique)
- It seems to be like there may be going to be a lineup change amongst forwards for the Flyers for the primary time on this sequence. Michkov goes out and Alex Bump is headed in to make his NHL playoff debut, based mostly on a apply the Flyers held yesterday earlier than touring to Pittsburgh.
- Michkov hasn’t finished a lot of something (no factors, 4 photographs on purpose and barely averaging above 10 minutes per recreation) however was Philadelphia’s fourth highest scorer with 51 factors within the common season. Removing him would take some ability out of their lineup, though he hasn’t been capable of get a lot of something going because it was.
- There was one other change within the center traces with Barkey and Foerster buying and selling spots. Barkey scored a purpose in Game 4 on a pleasant setup from Zegras, it seems to be just like the Flyers might be eager to see them play collectively.
- Updated the scratch record for the Flyers, with their AHL affiliate did not qualify for the playoffs they’ve fairly the taxi squad of younger gamers sticking round.
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Anthony Mantha
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea / Ilya Solovyov
Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner
Potential Scratches: Connor Clifton, Justin Brazeau, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Jack St. Ivany, Sergei Murashov
GO: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones (season-ending shoulder surgical procedure)
- The Penguins did not have apply yesterday whereas touring again house. That in all probability means there might be a well-attended gameday skate this morning for the membership the place we’ll see what, if any, adjustments occur from final recreation. Being because it was a win, the established order sounds just like the play at this level.
- We up to date the Penguin scratch record as properly, technically Murashov is up with the NHL roster proper now to function a casual emergency third goalie. It’s anticipated he’ll be assigned again to the AHL by the point WBS’s sequence kicks off on Thursday towards Hershey, assuming the NHL Penguins are nonetheless alive and kicking by that time.
- Crazy good stat about Letang being the primary Penguin defenseman to register a playoff GWG in an elimination recreation since Darius Kasparaitis ‘sniped’ Dominik Hasek within the 2001 sequence towards Buffalo. Wild final recreation was the primary time since again then given all of the playoff video games performed within the Crosby period, although from the hidden stat above there have been ‘solely’ 10 GWG’s when going through elimination previous to Letang’s purpose on Saturday.
Evgeni Malkin had a two-point evening in Game 1 to tie Joe Sakic for seventh all-time in NHL playoff historical past multi-point video games. Sidney Crosby nonetheless sits solidly in third place after his multi-point final outing in Game 3.