Flyers score 3 goals in 2nd period
and top Penguins 5-2 to take 3-0 lead in first-round series
[April 23, 2026]
By DAN GELSTON
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trevor Zegras, Rasmus Ristolainen and Nick
Seeler scored three goals on four shots in the second period in
Philadelphia's first home playoff game in eight years, pushing the
Flyers to the brink of a sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 5-2
Game 3 win on Wednesday night in their best-of-seven first-round
series.
Game 4 is Saturday night in Philadelphia.
The Flyers' trio of goal scorers gave their raucous fans more reason
to celebrate than just a first home playoff game since April 22,
2018, and first home playoff win since April 20, 2016. They can
clinch their first playoff series win since the 2020 bubble season —
and they can do it against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.
“It was great to experience that again," Flyers captain Sean
Couturier said. "We’re happy, but we’re also happy for the city, the
fans. They’ve supported us through ups and downs.”
Dan Vladar, shaken up a bit in the third with an apparent right hand
or wrist injury, stopped 28 shots and again outplayed embattled
Stuart Skinner in net.
Not long after Vladar was hit, Erik Karlsson scored on the power
play to cut it to 3-2.
Forget the rally. Noah Cates put the finishing touches on one of the
biggest Flyers' wins in the last 16 years with a power-play goal for
a 4-2 lead. Owen Tippett added an empty-netter in the waning
minutes.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said Vladar was “banged up.”
Flyers fans dressed all in orange and came ready to blow the roof
off the arena in support of the first playoff home game — and
Gritty’s first ever — in a city where they were once automatic.
Follow the sound of the boos and they were directed to an area where
scattered Penguins fans tested their luck and good health wearing
Crosby jerseys in Philadelphia.
The Flyers wasted all the pregame energy in a hurry when Evgeni
Malkin scored a power-play goal only 4:18 into the game. The
Penguins were doomed by an 0 for 5 effort on the power play in Game
2 and Crosby went scoreless in Pittsburgh. Crosby’s assist helped
the Penguins, who had the seventh-ranked power play in the regular
season, score their first power-play goal in eight attempts in the
series.
Malkin’s 29th career postseason power-play goal tied him with Mario
Lemieux for most in Penguins history.
The game erupted in the second period into a scene straight out of
the days when the old school enforcers of the Broad Street Bullies
era roamed the ice.
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Pittsburgh Penguins' Stuart Skinner cannot stop a goal by
Philadelphia Flyers' Nick Seeler during the second period of Game 3
in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoffs Wednesday,
April 22, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Penguins forward Bryan Rust slammed Travis Konecny
to the ice and smothered the Flyers forward and all the lines joined
the fray until they were separated by officials. Konecny ripped off
his helmet and dropped his gloves and beckoned Rust to fight him. No
dice. They instead traded verbal barbs from the penalty box.
The Flyers and Penguins could have held team photo day inside their
respective penalty boxes.
Rust got four minutes while four of his teammates joined him and
Konecny and four of his teammates tagged along inside a jammed box.
Public address announcer Lou Nolan had just started to rattle off
the list of names — “the penalties, we think ... ” — when Zegras
ripped one past Skinner for the power-play goal that evened the
score 1-1. The Flyers mobbed Zegras and pinned him in celebration
against the penalty box.
“There were a lot of them in there," Zegras said. "I figured they
would be jumping around.”
Nick Seeler joined them to make it six in there 61 seconds later
when he was whistled for cross-checking.
“There’s a scrum. We get the extra penalty," Penguins coach Dan Muse
said. "That changed everything.”
Ristolainen — whose 820 regular season games before making the
playoffs were the most of any active player — made it 2-1 and Flyers
started fans started derisive “Skinner! Skinner” chants that echoed
long after the go-ahead goal. Seeler scored 2:12 later on a shot
from the point for the 3-1 lead — and made it 3 of 4 on Skinner
after he stopped the first 18 shots.
“We got the bodies in here," Skinner said. “We’ve got a resilient
group. I can say that over and over and over again, but we’ve proven
it. We’ve shown it. This is the group that can definitely come back
from this deficit.”
Flyers fans, on their feet since comedian Shane Gillis helped set
off the ceremonial pregame pryo, gave the arena an electric feel.
“It was nice to see the building rocking like that," Tocchet said.
"It’s been awhile.”
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