Flyers dominate Penguins to take 2-0 series lead

The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series on Monday at PPG Paints Arena.

The Flyers scored twice in the second period and added an empty-netter late in the third frame while keeping the Penguins at bay to take a 2-0 series advantage against their Metropolitan Division rival. According to NHL records, teams with a 2-0 series lead in a best-of-seven matchup have won the series 86% of the time. Philadelphia won Game 1 3-2 over the weekend. 

"We're a confident team here on the road," Flyers center Christian Dvorak said. "We've shown that all year. So, we know the type of game it takes for us to be successful."

Porter Martone put Philadelphia ahead 1-0 with 6:21 left in the second period after burying a loose puck past Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner. The 19-year-old also scored in Game 1. Philadelphia scored about 4 minutes later when Garnet Hathaway scored a shorthanded one-timer from Owen Tippett, and Luke Glendening scored the empty-net goal with 2:05 remaining in the game. 

Goaltender Dan Vladar made 27 saves for Philadelphia, which had 48 hits to Pittsburgh's 32 hits. Pittsburgh also went 0-for-5 on the power play in a game where it struggled to match Philadelphia's gameplan. 

Pittsburgh was last blanked on the scoreboard in the playoffs in a 2-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 7, 2020. Monday was Vladar's first shutout since a 3-0 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 3, 2025.  

Pittsburgh was the third-highest scoring team in the regular season. 

"Some of the little things you can do to create higher-quality chances, we need to do better," Penguins coach Dan Muse said. 

When is Flyers-Penguins Game 3? 

Game 3 in the first-round series between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh is on Wednesday at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Philadelphia. 

"Given the fact we lost two here, we have to find a way to get Game 3 and get some momentum back," Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said.