Flyers-Penguins playoff series will start Saturday night; first home game since 2018 set for Wednesday
The Flyers will play in Pittsburgh on Saturday and Monday, before the series shifts to Philadelphia for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Saturday.
The playoffs are officially back for the Flyers.
Beginning on Saturday, they will take on their Keystone State rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the Eastern Conference first round. Game 1 will be played at 8 p.m. and broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia locally and ESPN nationally.
The series begins in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena, with Game 2 on Monday, before shifting to Xfinity Mobile Arena for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively. It marks the first time the Flyers will host playoff games in front of fans since 2018, when they lost in six games to these same Penguins.
» READ MORE: Flyers back in NHL playoffs: Schedule, bracket, how to watch, tickets, and what to know about the Penguins
Philly last reached the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020, and the only holdovers — who also played in 2018 — are Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, and Sean Couturier. The captain also played against Pittsburgh in 2012, when he scored a hat trick; he notched another in 2018.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Sanheim on Thursday after the team practiced in Voorhees. “Obviously, I’ve played in games before, but it’s been a while, and I think especially for the guys that have been here for the long haul, really appreciative of getting to this point and want to take advantage of it.”
This year marks the eighth time there will be a “Battle of Pennsylvania” rivalry series in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Philly holds a 4-3 edge, with the winner of this series making it to the Stanley Cup Final three times, including the Flyers in 1997.
The Penguins, who tied the Flyers with 98 points, qualified as the No. 2 seed in the Metropolitan Division and get home ice over the third-seeded Flyers based on the regulation wins tiebreaker.
Flyers full playoff schedule
Game 1: Flyers at Penguins, Saturday, April 18 (8 p.m., NBCSP, ESPN)
Game 2: Flyers at Penguins, Monday, April 20 (7 p.m., NBCSP, ESPN)
Game 3: Penguins at Flyers, Wednesday, April 22 (7 p.m., NBCSP, TNT, truTV, HBO MAX)
Game 4: Penguins at Flyers, Saturday, April 25 (8 p.m., NBCSP, TBS, truTV, HBO MAX)
Game 5 (if necessary): Flyers at Penguins, Monday, April 27 (Time TBD)
Game 6 (if necessary): Penguins at Flyers, Wednesday, April 29 (Time TBD)
Game 7 (if necessary): Flyers at Penguins, Saturday, May 2 (Time TBD)