‘We’re Gonna Keep Going in the Next Game’: Flyers vs. Penguins Game 2 Preview
Winger Porter Martone celebrates his third-period goal which gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead they would not relinquish. Yong Kim / The Philadelphia Inquirer
After the Philadelphia Flyers took Game 1 in Pittsburgh Saturday night against the Penguins, the job has only begun. The Flyers cannot take their foot off the break and get confident, as this Pittsburgh team has the ability to come right back.
Although the Flyers and Penguins tied the season series in the regular season, Game 1 leaned much more toward the Flyers, as they were the faster and smarter team to open the series. The young guys produced early, and the defense not only held Pittsburgh to 17 shots but also scored two of the three goals, including the walk-in goal from Travis Sanheim to give the Flyers the lead 10 minutes into the third.
The Flyers outplayed the Penguins to open up the series, but there are a lot of areas the Flyers need to control and look out for, or else Pittsburgh will climb back up and catch the Flyers by surprise.
Keep the Intensity in Game 2
One of the big pieces that gave the Flyers the edge in Game 1 was the intensity and grit that were a part of the game for 60 minutes. The Flyers kept the energy, and big hits from captain Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett gave the bench a massive boost of fuel. These hard hits weren’t a huge theme of the regular season, which is why the energy Couturier and the others brought to Game 1 was a surprise the Penguins weren’t ready for.
In the first period, Couturier somehow had five hits just in the opening 20 minutes. Not only was Couturier laying out the body, but he did it in multiple ways, including reverse body checks, along with his hits along the boards.
The Penguins didn’t see this energy from the Flyers coming, which is how the Flyers got the head start and confused Pittsburgh. This energy needs to stay in Game 2. The Penguins will definitely be coming back with energy of their own in an attempt to match the Flyers’ intensity from Game 1.
READ MORE FROM GAME 1:
Take Advantage of an Aging Penguins Team
The Flyers took the edge because of their strength and intensity regarding the hits and checking, but also because of the speed and agility in comparison to the Penguins. Pittsburgh, which has an average age of 29.3, has really started to see a decline in its speed, as guys like Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Bryan Rust are not as fast or agile as they used to be, even if their shots and size are still there.
The Flyers, on the other hand, have players like Tippett and Denver Barkey, who can absolutely out-skate the Penguins. With others like Trevor Zegras and Sanheim who have stick handling skills, or “silky mitts” and elite edges, the Flyers have the skills of today’s modern style of hockey. The style of play Saturday night worked in the Flyers’ favor. They need to bring back their play and look to tire out the Penguins’ legs even more.
The Flyers can use their speed in Game 2 to go a beat ahead of the Penguins and cause them to play from behind. The locker room post-game had no doubt about being ready and prepared once again ahead of Game 2.
“Everyone built off [Couturier] and got some confidence in this room,” Drysdale said after the victory. “We’re gonna keep going in the next game.”
New Look in Net?
On 20 shots last night, Penguins’ goaltender Stuart Skinner gave up three goals, two of which he could have had. In prior seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, Skinner has had massive trouble during the postseason. Even though the Oilers made the finals back-to-back years, their goaltending held them back, even with the talent of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
There may be a great chance Arturs Silovs sees the ice, maybe even as soon as Game 2. The Penguins cannot afford to fall into the hole of a struggling goaltender in the postseason, as you just cannot climb out of it, or it seems. It can also only get worse, as heavy shots from guys like Tyson Foerster and Porter Martone will only continue, and if your goalie isn’t in the zone, it’s not going to be pretty.
With a new look in Silovs, the Penguins would have the chance to start over and catch their breath, barring any collapse from the backup. Silovs, who had similar regular-season stats as Skinner, had a decent postseason two years ago with the Vancouver Canucks, where he kept his GAA under 3.00 at 2.91, including a shutout in that postseason.
Puck drop Monday night is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET at PPG Paints Arena on ESPN and NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
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