Flyers vs. Penguins: How To Watch, Lineups, Keys To The Game

It is time to get the 2026-27 regular season underway, and for the Philadelphia Flyers, it starts with a familiar opponent from the end of last season's memorable run.

The Flyers' final win of the season was in Game 6 of the first round, as they knocked out the Pittsburgh Penguins in overtime. Fresh off the latest chapter of playoff history between the cross-state rivals, the two meet again to open things up on the new season. Game time is at 7:30 PM

How to Watch

Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA
TV: TNT
Radio: 97.3 ESPN and the 97.3 ESPN Free Mobile App
Streaming: HBO MAX

Projected Flyers Lines vs. Penguins

Injury & Roster Updates

Lineup Updates: It appears Carl Grundstrom will get the first chance in the forward role currently vacated in Denver Barkey's absence. Simon Benoit will get the first chance as the sixth defenseman.
Starting Goalie: Dan Vladar gets the start for the Flyers. Vladar had a career year in 2025-26 with a 29-14-7 record, a 2.42 GAA, and a .906 save percentage.
Injuries
- Denver Barkey: upper-body injury, placed on IR to start the season

Opponent Snapshot: Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Projected Lineup vs. Flyers

14 Nick Robertson - 87 Sidney Crosby - 67 Rickard Rakell
59 Egor Chinakhov - 18 Thomas Novak - 71 Evgeni Malkin
11 Filip Hallander - 22 Hendrix Lapierre - 41 Ville Koivunen
19 Connor Dewar - 46 Blake Lizotte - 25 Elmer Soderblom

72 Declan Carlile - 65 Erik Karlsson
57 Trevor van Riemsdyk - 58 Kris Letang
49 Samuel Girard - 6 Kaedan Korczak

37 Arturs Silovs
1 Sergei Murashov

Special Teams (2025-26 Stats)
- Power Play: 24.1% (7th)
- Penalty Kill: 81.4% (6th)
Who’s hot?: Sidney Crosby led the team with 74 points. The team leader in goals in 2025-26, Anthony Mantha with 33, signed with New Jersey as a free agent this offseason. Crosby and Bryan Rust each had 29 goals. Erik Karlsson had 15 goals and 66 points in 75 games. Evgeni Malkin had 19 goals and 61 points in 56 games.
Who’s in net?: Arturs Silovs gets the start for the Penguins. Silovs was 19-12-8 with a 3.07 GAA and .888 save percentage last season.
Injuries: Forward Justin Brazeau and defenseman Ryan Graves are on IR with lower-body injuries. Forwards Bryan Rust and Ben Kindel are out with upper-body injuries. Forward Andrei Kuzmenko is away from the team for personal reasons.

Keys to the Game

Start on a Good Note: It's the first game of the season, the first chance to make a good impression. The Flyers can instill some confidence in the early direction of the season with an opening-night win.
Repeat Performance: Dan Vladar had a career year last season and comes into the season with a fresh contract and as the established No. 1 netminder. Can he deliver the first strong outing on a repeat performance.
Start the Revenge Tour: This is the first game for the lighter, faster Matvei Michkov. Rick Tocchet talked about seeing him go on a revenge tour, and that can start right away against the Penguins.

By the Numbers

Sean Couturier begins his 15th season with the Flyers, which ties Claude Giroux and Bobby Clarke for the most in franchise history.
Tyson Foerster has six goals and 10 points in 11 career games against the Penguins. Matvei Michkov has three goals and seven points in eight games against Pittsburgh. Travis Konecny has 13 goals and 30 points in 36 career games against the Penguins.
From his NHL debut on March 31 to the end of the regular season, Porter Martone ranked second among rookies with 10 points in nine games.

Quotable

"The excitement and anxiety, that usually happens early in the season, first game. If you win the game, its 'Oh my God, these guys are going to win the Stanley Cup,' you lose the game, it's 'they're in trouble.' We all do that. I just want them to just have fun, but also play our game." - Rick Tocchet on the start of a new season.

X-Factors

Matvei Michkov: If there's any player looking to make a great first impression on a new season, it's Michkov. A clean slate is in front of the third-year forward, and considering all of the offseason work he's done, it seems like he could be poised for big things.
Sidney Crosby: Entering his 20th season as Penguins captain, Crosby is still Crosby, especially when it comes to facing the Flyers. His career speaks for itself and he's always been a Flyer killer.