Didn't watch the Penguins this season? Here's what to know before the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
For the first time since 2022, the Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and for many, they might be tuning back in after a couple of years away.
To make sure you're prepared for the Penguins' quest for their sixth Stanley Cup, which begins against cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers, here's what you might have missed over the last four seasons, plus some must-watch storylines.
Younger players, new goalies help Penguins
Tristan Jarry was battling through an injury when he took the crease in Game 7 against the New York Rangers in 2022.
The following offseason, in 2023, Jarry was re-signed to a five-year, $5.375 million contract, but never quite lived up to the numbers, spending time in the AHL and being placed on waivers more than once. Then, on Dec. 12, 2025, the Penguins sent Jarry, along with prospect Sam Poulin, to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for goaltender Stuart Skinner, defenseman Brett Kulak, and a draft pick.
In 27 starts with the Penguins, Skinner has a 12-9-5 record, a .885 save percentage, and is expected to be the starter for Game 1 against Philadelphia on Saturday.
The Penguins' 11th overall pick in the 2025 NHL draft, Ben Kindel, is set to become the youngest Penguins player to appear in a Stanley Cup Playoff game since Jordan Staal in 2007. In the regular season, the 18-year-old Kindel recorded 17 goals, 18 assists, and 35 points in 77 games.
Crosby's dominance over Flyers
Sidney Crosby has dominated the Flyers, regardless of season. In 93 regular-season games, Crosby has tallied 60 goals and 79 assists for 139 points against Philadelphia. Crosby's 139 regular-season points against the Flyers are second only to his 142 points in 93 games against the New York Islanders.
Crosby's dominance over the Flyers continues into the playoffs. In 23 postseason games against the Flyers, he's tallied 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points.
Penguins-Flyers playoff history
The Penguins and Flyers have met four times in the playoffs during the Crosby era, the first of which came during the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals.
The Penguins won that series in five games, the first-ever playoff series win against the Flyers in Pittsburgh's history. A year later, in the 2009 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the Penguins beat the Flyers again, winning the series 4-2 en route to winning the Stanley Cup.
The rivalry reached new heights when the teams clashed again in the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Philadelphia won the series in six games.
However, the series is remembered in playoff lore for its goal-scoring pace and accumulated penalty minutes. During the series, the teams combined for an NHL-record 45 goals in the first four games of a seven-game series, and 312 penalty minutes (158 of those coming in Philadelphia's 8-4 Game 3 victory, which put the Flyers ahead 3-0 in the series). Fifty-six goals were scored in the series.
The most recent meeting between the bitter rivals came during the 2018 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. This series, again, featured 43 combined goals across its six-game duration, highlighted by a Crosby hat trick in Game 1, and dueling hat tricks between Philadelphia's Sean Couturier (while playing with a torn MCL) and Jake Guentzel's natural hat trick and four total goals in Pittsburgh's 8-5 series-clinching Game 6 victory.
New coach with reshaped front office
After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006 in the 2022-23 season, president of hockey operations Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall were fired. Since then, Pittsburgh has reshaped its front office, mainly bringing in Kyle Dubas, who has retooled the squad and helped end Pittsburgh's three-year postseason drought.
Another major change for Pittsburgh was letting go of two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Sullivan in April 2025 after missing the playoffs again. A couple of weeks later, the Penguins announced the hiring of Dan Muse. Replacing Sullivan was no easy feat, but the rookie coach has become a stabilizing presence behind the bench despite his relative inexperience.
New ownership for Penguins
In December 2021, Boston-based sports group Fenway Sports Group purchased the Penguins from the Lemieux Group for a reported $900 million.
Just four years later, the team was sold once again. In December 2025, Fenway Sports Group entered into an agreement to sell the Penguins to the Hoffmann Family of Companies for an estimated price of $1.7 billion.