Flyers stun Penguins 3–2 in Game 1 thriller behind Sanheim’s go-ahead goal. The postseason return for the Philadelphia Flyers started with a statement.
Defenseman Travis Sanheim scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period, and the Flyers held off a late rally from Pittsburgh Penguins for a gritty 3–2 victory Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. Philadelphia now leads the best-of-seven matchup 1–0 heading into Game 2 in Pittsburgh on Monday night.
With the game tied entering the third period, Sanheim produced one of the biggest goals of his career. Splitting a pair of Penguins defenders near the top of the zone, the Flyers blueliner glided into the slot and fired a clean shot past goaltender Stuart Skinner to give Philadelphia a 2–1 advantage.
The goal capped a poised, confident performance from a Flyers team that showed little sign of nerves despite playing its first playoff game since 2020 in front of a charged Pittsburgh crowd.
Nineteen-year-old rookie forward Porter Martone provided the critical insurance marker with just 2:37 remaining in regulation, beating Skinner with a wrist shot for his first career playoff goal and doing it in only his 10th NHL appearance. The tally proved decisive when Pittsburgh mounted a frantic late push in the final minute.
Goaltender Dan Vladar stopped 14 shots to secure the first playoff win of his six-year NHL career. While the Penguins generated a late surge, Vladar remained composed, including a crucial stop on Anthony Mantha in the closing seconds to preserve the victory.
Defenseman Jamie Drysdale also scored for Philadelphia, helping the Flyers stay aggressive offensively while limiting Pittsburgh’s sustained pressure.
Veteran center Evgeni Malkin scored his 68th career playoff goal to keep Pittsburgh within striking distance, and forward Bryan Rust hammered home a rebound with just 1:01 remaining to cut the deficit to one.
Still, the Penguins the NHL’s third-highest scoring team during the regular season struggled to consistently break through Philadelphia’s structured defense and transition play. Even captain Sidney Crosby and the top offensive units found limited space against a Flyers team determined to dictate tempo.
This eighth all-time playoff meeting between the cross-state rivals may be the most unexpected of them all.
Philadelphia entered the postseason as a long shot just weeks earlier — a fact the players embraced by wearing warm-up shirts reading “3.8 percent,” referencing their slim playoff odds late in the season. That late surge carried directly into Game 1, where the Flyers matched Pittsburgh’s physicality shift-for-shift before taking control over the final 20 minutes.
Their youth movement played a major role, highlighted by Martone’s breakthrough performance and a fast, aggressive transition game that produced multiple odd-man rushes.
With momentum now on their side, the Flyers head into Game 2 looking to tighten their grip on the series while the Penguins face early pressure to respond on home ice.
