3 Takeaways From Flyers’ 3–2 Game 1 Win vs. Penguins – The Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

The underdog (well, now favorite) Philadelphia Flyers should be sweet after it. They visited the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 of their 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff first round series on Saturday, April 18, and came away with a 3-2 win.

It wasn’t the story of a high event, but the Flyers couldn’t have drawn it better. They outplayed the Penguins at 5-on-5, didn’t get burned on special teams, and won the rebounding battle.

Let’s go through three key takeaways from their thrilling Game 1 win.

Martone Is Already Showing His Clutch Gene

Porter Martone was the subject of his last game dagger. After taking a 2-1 lead midway through the third period on a Travis Sanheim masterpiece, the Orange and Black were content to run out the clock and walk away with a narrow victory. The 19-year-old had other ideas, however.

In what appeared to be a 2-on-2 practice with less than three minutes on the clock, Martone made magic happen. It looked like he would be forced to the boards after running out of space, but he got back, bought himself space and time, and ripped a shot past goalkeeper Stuart Skinner for added insurance.

MARTY PARTY HARD. #PHIVsPIT | #IgniteTheOrange pic.twitter.com/OFss5fPrej

— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 19, 2026

Insurance was much needed again, as the Penguins scored with 1:01 remaining. As a result, Martone came up with the game-winning goal in his season debut.

More than anything, Martone has shown that he can be an athletic player in this type of environment. When the Flyers went up in the third, anyone who’s been paying attention this season probably expected a total defensive commitment to close things out. That’s exactly what the fans got, but Martone is so talented that he can make things happen even at that limit. It looks like Philadelphia has a star on its hands.

Drysdale Came to Play

Defender Jamie Drysdale, who celebrated his 24th birthday^th birthday earlier this month, has been especially tough for the Flyers lately. That continued in Game 1, where he opened the scoring with his first-ever playoff stats and recorded 85.2% 5-on-5 field goal percentage in 17:40 of ice time.

As mentioned, this match was a very low profile event. That makes it very important for defenders to avoid mistakes in their position, as a single goal against them can swing the momentum. However, Drysdale was up to the task, moving the puck under pressure with ease.

According to Hockey Stats, Drysdale only allowed 0.15 expected goals at 5-on-5. He was flawless on defense—key to the Flyers’ win.

Then, he has his claim for the second time. It’s one thing to do your job defensively and another to go in with a goal. Drysdale was very good.

Flyers Get Under Crosby’s Skin

This one felt like old times for one reason: Sidney Crosby was completely off his game. The flyers got under his skin, resulting in a final stat line of zero points, a minus-1 rating, and two minor penalties taken. The offense wasn’t easy, admittedly, but he started both. This was classic Crosby, and not in a good way for the Penguins.

From the point of view of a generation of prospects, Crosby did not have a good night. He was on the ice with a 0.12 goals-against 5-on-5, and played 15:34. The power play didn’t click either.

Crosby was more notable in this tournament for his antics than his performance on the ice. That’s a job well done by the Orange and Black.

It’s hard to imagine this being more than a one-off, but if the Flyers can get this version of Crosby again, their chances of a series victory are strong. The Penguins are less alarmed if their captain doesn’t contribute properly.

The Orange and Black return to PPG Paints Arena for Game 2 at 7 pm on Monday, April 20. With the job done in Game 1, the Flyers are like playing for the house here, but another win would be huge.

Statistics courtesy of Hockey Stats