3 Penguins-Flyers bold predictions for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The first-round series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers appears to be a gathering of old friends. Well, not exactly.

The NHL’s two Pennsylvania franchises are resuming hostilities after a long hiatus. These teams have hated each other since the league’s original expansion in 1967-68 and they have put on many memorable duels over the years.

Both teams should consider themselves successful just for reaching the playoffs this year. The Penguins may still have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang but they had failed to make the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. Pittsburg had finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division in 2024-25, and that marked the end of Mike Sullivan’s tenure with the team. The Penguins hired relative unknown Dan Muse as their new head coach, and he did not appear to be the kind of coach that could rally the Penguins and fix what had gone wrong.

Those appearances were completely deceiving. Muse may have looked like a seasoned accountant, but his Penguins picked up their defensive level and gave 100 percent for 60 minutes nearly every game. The Penguins finished second in the division with a 41-25-16 record and had 98 points for the season.

The Flyers matched that point total, but the Penguins earned the second-place nod because they had more regulation wins than Philadelphia.

Still, it was a brilliant year for the Flyers as they rallied after a slow start to play some of the best hockey in the league during the final two months. The Flyers finished the season on a 14-4-1 hot streak as head coach Rick Tocchet was able to bring out the best in his team when it mattered most.

These two rivals are as close as they can be in the standings, The Penguins have home-ice advantage and that may be the determining factor in this series.

Penguins will look to Crosby to gain the edge

The NHL belongs to Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon in 2025-26. These are the league’s lions and the old guard of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Washington’s Alex Ovechkin have given way to the most explosive players in today’s game.

Crosby may be ready for one breathtaking last stand. While he doesn’t have the size and strength of the top dogs in the league, he has the know-how and skills to tilt the series in Pittsburgh’s favor. Crosby led the Penguins with 29 goals and 45 assists for 74 points, once again scoring more points than the number of games he has played. He is a chess player on the ice, always at least two moves ahead of the opposition.

Crosby is not alone, as defenseman Erik Karlsson had a resurgent season with 15 goals and 51 assists. Malkin has slowed a bit, but he still scored 19 goals and added 42 assists for 61 points in 56 games.

The Penguins were far more than their stars this year. They got big seasons from Anthony Mantha (33 goals), Bryan Rust (29 goals), Rickard Rakell (24 goals) and Ego Chinakhov (18 goals). These supporting players came through with a relentless attitude and non-stop hustle to get the Penguins back on track.

The Penguins should be able to push the pace against the Flyers even when they fall behind. Crosby and his supporting cast are hungry to regain the Stanley Cup success they have had in the past

Flyers are overjoyed to return to the postseason

Rick Tocchet took over a team this season that had not made the playoff since the Covid year of 2019-20. The Flyers were coming off three brutal seasons under old-school head coach John Tortorella, but the new coach breathed life into the team.

It didn’t happen right away, but after the Flyers came back from the Olympic break, they played sensational hockey. They now have an opportunity to take it further behind the play of Travis Konecny, Trevor Zegras, Owen Tippett and Matvei Michkov doing most of the heavy lifting.

Konecny led the Flyers with 27 goals and 68 points, while Zegras, an explosive 25-year-old center, contributed 26 goals and 67 points.

Tippett is an aggressive right wing who scored 28 goals during the regular season while Michkov came through with a strong finish after a slow start. He scored 20 goals and 51 points.

Flyers have an edge in goal

Dan Vladar had a brilliant season in net for the Flyers. Goaltending had been a huge problem for the Flyers for multiple seasons, but Vladar came to the rescue this year. He finished the regular season with a 29-14-7 record along with a 2.42 goals against average and a .906 save percentage. His play was the key to Philadelphia’s late-season surge.

Stuart Skinner was adequate in net for the Penguins after he was acquired from the Edmonton Oilers. He was 12-9-5 with a 2.99 GAA along with an .885 save percentage. He was better for the Penguins than Tristan Jarry had been earlier in the year, but he does not have the kind of shut-down qualities that Vladar has with the Flyers.

Look for Penguins to emerge in seven games

These two teams have met seven times in the postseason previously, and the Flyers have won four of those series. The Flyers were resurgent at the end of the season while the Penguins come into the playoffs having lost their last three games. The Flyers also have a clear advantage in goal.

However, the Penguins play with a relentless and attacking mentality and they have Crosby. He is ready to show the hockey world that he is not ready to slide into retirement. His desire to have one more glorious spring will allow the Penguins to emerge in this series.

The post 3 Penguins-Flyers bold predictions for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs appeared first on ClutchPoints.