The Pittsburgh Penguins will open the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference First Round, with home-ice advantage going to Pittsburgh in the best-of-7 series. It is the first playoff meeting between the division rivals since 2018.
The matchup became official after Philadelphia clinched its berth and third place in the Metropolitan Division with a 3-2 shootout win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday. Pittsburgh had already locked up its spot and second place in the division on April 9, setting up a Battle of Pennsylvania that both teams have been waiting for since the 2021-22 season for the Penguins and 2019-20 for the Flyers.
The regular season gave Pittsburgh a clear edge. The Penguins went 2-0-2 against Philadelphia and outscored the Flyers 16-9 in those four games, a margin that reflected how well they handled the series. Rick Tocchet, who won two Cups with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in 2016 and 2017, said the veterans on Pittsburgh's side do not fade easily. “We’re going to have our hands full, and we have to have some game-planning here this week,” he said.
That view came with a warning for Philadelphia. Tocchet added that “those guys don't die” and said the Flyers would have to go after the Penguins. Owen Tippett called the series draw ideal, saying, “Couldn't have drawn it up any better, Battle of Pennsylvania, and it's going to be a good one.” The rivalry now gets another playoff chapter, with the teams set for their eighth postseason series against each other and their first since 2018.
Player production tilted Pittsburgh’s way in the season series. Bryan Rust led the Penguins with six points in four games, while Crosby had five points in three games. Both clubs also bring top-end regular-season numbers into the bracket: Pittsburgh finished 43-27-12, while Philadelphia went 41-25-16.
The next step is the actual playoff series, where the same familiar names and the same divisional grudges will decide whether the Penguins can turn their regular-season edge into a deeper run or whether the Flyers can extend a season that began with a late push and ended with a place back in the field.