Flyers Riding High With 2-Game Lead Over Penguins in Playoffs
The Philadelphia Flyers won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975. This season is the first time they qualified for the playoffs since 2020.
Porter Martone #94 of the Philadelphia Flyers celebrates with teammates on the bench after scoring a goal in the third period of Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG PAINTS Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on April 18, 2026. Justin Berl/Getty Images
Up two games over their cross-state rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round of the NHL postseason, the Philadelphia Flyers are in a position they couldn’t have predicted to be in one year ago.
When the NHL season ended in April 2025, the Flyers finished dead last in the Metropolitan Division; eighth place. Just above them in the standings were the Penguins, who secured seventh place; four points better.
Donald Laible
Author
Don has covered pro baseball for several decades, beginning in the minor leagues as a radio broadcaster in the NY Mets organization. His Ice Chips & Diamond Dust blog ran from 2012-2020 at uticaod.com. His baseball passion surrounds anything concerning the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and writing features on the players and staff of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Don currently resides in southwest Florida.
