Why Penguins flopped hard in Game 1 vs. Flyers

The Pittsburgh Penguins dropped a disappointing game to the Philadelphia Flyers, in Game 1 of their playoff series. Philadelphia topped Pittsburgh Saturday, 3-2. The Penguins are doing some soul-searching about what went wrong.

“We got away from things that worked,” first-year Penguins coach Dan Muse said, per ESPN. “Part of that is intensity. Everything is ramped up in the playoffs. They’ve been playing that way for a while.”

It was a brutal loss for Pittsburgh, as the team dropped a home playoff game. Pittsburgh is back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a lengthy absence. The Pens haven’t been in the postseason since the 2021-2022 campaign.

“We won one game; this is going to be a long series,” Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. “Those kids, they were hooting and hollering a little bit, but they were pretty even-keel.”

The Penguins and Flyers play Game 2 of their playoff series on Monday. Pittsburgh last won the Stanley Cup in 2017.

Penguins look to bounce back quickly from Game 1 loss

Pittsburgh can’t afford to sulk after losing Game 1. The Penguins can easily lose control of this series with another loss in Game 2.

The Penguins got a goal on Saturday from veteran Evgeni Malkin. That was one of the highlights for the team, who struggled to withstand Philadelphia’s pressure.

“We’ve been playing big games for the last month, month and a half, meaningful games, must-win games,” Flyers forward Sean Couturier said. “We’re put to the test and thought we did a good job of preparing ourselves and being ready.”

The Flyers are truly skating with purpose. Philadelphia is back in the postseason for the first time since 2020. It’s been more than 50 years since the team won the Stanley Cup.

The Flyers found a young hero on Saturday, when rookie Porter Martone scored the game-winning goal.

“I think coming in here, I think the older guys have done a great job,” Martone said. “Not just with me, but all the guys on the team, showing us the ropes.”

Penguins fans hope the team can quickly re-group following the defeat.