The Battle of Pennsylvania renews its rivalry in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins face off in a best-of-seven series.
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh each snapped postseason droughts in 2025-26 and are about to embark on a series that pits two hockey clubs on different trajectories.
Here’s what you need to know about the Flyers vs. Penguins first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
Flyers vs. Penguins playoff schedule
After finishing second in the Metropolitan Division, the Penguins have home ice advantage in their Eastern Conference first-round series with the Flyers, who finished in third place.
The Flyers-Penguins full first-round series schedule has yet to be released, but the NHL did announce when Game 1 will be. Check back for updates once the full schedule is out.
Game 1: Saturday, April 18, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, 8 p.m. (ESPN/NBCSP)
Game 2: TBD, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh
Game 3: TBD, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in PhiladelphiaÂ
Game 4: TBD, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia
Game 5, if necessary: TBD, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh
Game 6, if necessary: TBD, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia
Game 7, if necessary: TBD, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh
Flyers-Penguins playoff history
The Flyers clinched their first postseason berth since 2020 and their first home playoff series since 2018, which was also against the Penguins, on Monday. The Flyers finished 43-27-12 for 98 points. The Flyers’ 43 wins are the most since the 2011-12 season, when they were 47-26-9. The 98 points are their most since 2017-18, when they went 42-26-14 for 98 points.
The Penguins punched their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2022 last week. Pittsburgh finished 41-25-16 for 98 points, bouncing back after three straight seasons of decline. After finishing with 103 points in 2021-22, their last playoff appearances, the Penguins saw their point total fall to 91, 88 and then 80 last season.
The orange and black are coming out of a three-year rebuild, while the Pens’ Big Three of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang give it one last go at a Stanley Cup run.
The Flyers and Penguins are no strangers and certainly not in the playoffs. This will be the eighth postseason series between the two Pennsylvania hockey clubs.
Philadelphia has won four of its seven playoff series with Pittsburgh, but since Crosby entered the NHL in 2005, it’s mostly been a Pens-dominated rivalry.
The Penguins are 3-1 against their intrastate rival in the playoffs since 2005-06.
The rivalry peaked in 2012, when Crosby told reporters he didn’t like the Flyers and Claude Giroux flattened Crosby off the opening faceoff and then scored 26 seconds later in Philadelphia’s decisive Game 6 win.
The Flyers and Penguins last met in the playoffs in 2018, with Pittsburgh winning the series 4-2. Sean Couturier scored a hat trick and registered five points on a torn MCL, but his efforts weren’t enough to save the Flyers in Game 6 when the Penguins eliminated them with an 8-5 win.
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