Flyers hang on to beat Penguins in playoff series opener

The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference playoff series on Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.

After a goal from Porter Martone with 2 minutes, 37 seconds remaining in the third period gave the Flyers a 3-1 advantage, the Penguins pulled goaltender Stuart Skinner and cut the deficit in half with 1:01 remaining after Bryan Rust found the back of the net. 

The Flyers held on to their one-goal lead over a chaotic final minute and jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series of Metropolitan Division rivals separated by about 300 miles. 

Philadelphia dominated the third period, including a go-ahead goal from Travis Sanheim that silenced a packed and rowdy home crowd. Later, Martone's goal sent fans at PPG Paints Arena to the exits early, as Philadelphia made a statement in its first playoff game since 2020.

The Flyers scored first when Jamie Drysdale found the back of the net with 10:41 left in the second period, but Evgeni Malkin tied the game at 1-1 with 4:09 left in the second frame.

Saturday was the first NHL playoff game for Pittsburgh rookie coach Dan Muse and the Penguins' first playoff appearance since 2022. Behind the other bench was Flyers coach Rick Tocchet, who was an assistant with the Penguins when the team won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017  

When is Penguins-Flyers Game 2? 

Game 2 between the two teams is on Monday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.