PregameThe Penguins enter Game 3 with some adjusted forward lines, left wings shuffled all around the first three lines from the start of last game. Otherwise it’s the same, including Stuart Skinner back in net.
Tonight's lines for Game 3 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/824fKeGsUk
— x – Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 22, 2026
The Flyers are sticking with what’s been working to this point by using the same players and combos.
#Flyers Game 3 warmup lines vs. PITFoerster – Zegras – TippettKonecny – Dvorak – MartoneBarkey – Cates – MichkovGlendening – Couturier – HathawaySanheim – RistolainenYork – DrysdaleSeeler – JuulsenVladar starts in net, Ersson backs him up.
It’s a good start for the Penguins, the road venue doesn’t make any impact. Pittsburgh gets the first few shots and then the first power play when Sean Couturier trips up Sam Girard. Lo and behold, they score a goal on that power play, the first of the series, to take their first lead in a game. Sidney Crosby passes to Bryan Rust, who quickly feeds Evgeni Malkin at the other side of the crease. Malkin knocks it home, 1-0 Pens.
MALKIN MAGIC ON THE POWER PLAY 🪄 pic.twitter.com/h8BPIs5Gkf
— x – Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 22, 2026
Late in the period, before a faceoff Garnet Hathaway flung his stick up behind his back and it went inside the visor of Crosby, who fell to the ice. Crosby stayed down a minute after it. The refs send both players off the ice, feeling Crosby milked it a little too much once the crowd and Hathaway threw a fit over it. Maybe he shouldn’t have been swinging his stick around the eyeball of a Mount Rushmore player?
First period ends with the shots 11-11, which is much more the type and style of game that the Penguins want to play compared to the quagmire that those early games of getting very few shots in the first. Pittsburgh up on the board 1-zippy.
The ref show continues in the second period, Travis Konecny hits Kris Letang after a whistle, Letang joins Konecny in the penalty box after a halfhearted response. Then on the ensuing 4v4, Erik Karlsson gets rung up on a tripping infraction that didn’t create or deny a scoring chance or change possession of the puck. Philadelphia gets a long 4v3 power play. Skinner stops Porter Martone in front of the net on the best scoring chance they get.
As soon as Konecny gets out of the box he’s right back on his BS giving Rust an elbow to the head. This sends Rust off the deep end as they scrap after the whistle. Somehow out of the scrum all 10 skaters on the ice end up in the penalty box for roughing and Rust picks up an extra minor for…unknown reasons.
HUUUUGGEEE scrum mainly between Konecny and Rust resulted in A LOT of penalties… pic.twitter.com/wn7AEHJR4B
The delays to sort it out take so long that Crosby and Malkin leave the bench to stretch their legs and warm up, complete loss of control by the refs.
Finally play resumes with a Philadelphia 5v4 power play, and they get their first PPG when Trevor Zegras hammers a one-timer by Skinner. 1-1 game.
Z TEES IT UP. #PITvsPHI | #IgniteTheOrange pic.twitter.com/Y6Im3R8OMZ
— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 23, 2026
The Flyers can’t stop Flyering, Nick Seelers throws three crosschecks at Crosby away from the puck and the PEns get a power play out of it. With Rust and Karlsson still in the box, it doesn’t get much going.
That builds momentum for the Flyers, they get a long shift in the period and send some shots in that Skinner can’t smother or corral and the defense can’t clear. Philadelphia hits the post and it looks like the Pens are on the ropes. They are, Rasmus Ristolainen sneaks a long-range low shot by Skinner. 2-1 Philadelphia gets their first lead of the night.
It was a long time coming but PLAYOFF RISTO HAS ARRIVED. #IgniteTheOrange pic.twitter.com/GE35LoDJM4