PregameThe Penguins mix it up a bit, the old second line is back, Elmer Soderblom is back, Ilya Solovyov and Arturs Silovs makes his Penguin playoff debut in a do or die situation.
How we're lining up for Game 4 👇 pic.twitter.com/CF9w57HAkc
— x – Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 25, 2026
The Flyers don’t have any changes from what has gotten them the 3-0 series lead.
#Flyers lines in warmups vs. PIT 🐧 Foerster-Zegras-TippettKonecny-Dvorak-MartoneBarkey-Cates-MichkovGlendening-Couturier-HathawaySanheim-RistolainenYork-DrysdaleSeeler-JuulsenVladař
Pittsburgh gets off to a good start, the period is defined by each team taking an offensive zone penalty and the results of the power play. Anthony Mantha keeps up his inglorious playoff run by headed to the boc, but his team kills it off.
A short time later, Denver Barkey gets his stick up on Sam Girard to send the Pens to a power play. It’s short work, Sidney Crosby wins the faceoff to Erik Karlsson then slips into a quiet area. Karlsson feeds Crosby the puck and it’s a trickier-than-it-looks one-timer for a puck coming at him at a weird angle. The whole thing throws Dan Vladar off and the puck sails by him into the net.
SIDSATIONAL ON THE POWER PLAY 🤩 pic.twitter.com/4Rx3SG237V
— x – Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 26, 2026
Blake Lizotte takes a post-whistle penalty late in the period, the Pens steer it home. Shots are 9-5 PHI, one of those shots coming from 180 feet away that wasn’t a real shot at all so that doesn’t tell the whole story. Solid opening 20 for the visitors.
Pittsburgh kills off the rest of the Lizotte penalty and then Rickard Rakell takes advantage of a Vladar miscue behind the net, wins the puck back and knocks it into the abandoned net. 2-0 game.
RAK CITY > EASTERN PA pic.twitter.com/xpvpN7hJPv
— x – Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 26, 2026
The Pens get another chance off the rush, throwing the puck to the net. Mantha can’t quite get it in and a desperation kick by Christan Dvorak to angle the puck away from the goal-line saves the day.
Next shift, Evgeni Malkin gets tripped and the Pens get another power play, and for the first time in the series look like they have the Flyers on the ropes. They can’t take advantage of the opportunity, and soon after Solovyov takes a false step back to the ice instead of changing and Pittsburgh gets rung up for a too many men penalty, which they kill.
Pittsburgh is the next to get a power play after Crosby gets dumped, nothing happening and they even give up a breakaway that Silovs makes a big save on. The momentum is slipping away and the Flyers catch Pittsburgh on a long shift after the power play. Trevor Zegras makes a pass across the crease that Barkey just has to keep his stick on the ice to knock it in. 2-1 game with 4:20 to play in the period.
BARK BARK BARK. 🐶🐕#PITvsPHI | #IgniteTheOrange pic.twitter.com/XzxBWjceCk
— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 26, 2026
Sanheim hits the crossbar from right in front of the net in the last minute. It’s now the Pens who are on the ropes and they get bailed out by the horn for intermission.
Garnet Hathaway elbows Karlsson in the face during a wall battle, Karlsson stops playing and gives Hathaway a few uppercuts and they both get called. On the 4v4, the Pens get a huge goal. Crosby fights off a check and kicks the puck to Kris Letang. Letang has the extra space to keep walking up in the zone, so he takes it. Then he takes a big slapper from the top of the circles in the middle of the ice and hammers it home. 3-1 game with 15:33 to go in regulation.