Moving On: Flyers Advance to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs After Beating the Penguins in Game 6

Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesKyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Flyers are moving on!

Philadelphia has advanced to the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs after beating the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6. They completed the series win with a 1-0 overtime win in Game 5 on Monday night at PPG Paints Arena.

The Flyers dominated the first three games, but a lapse in the first half of Game 4 led to their only loss of the series. Pittsburgh continued building momentum in Game 5, winning its second straight game of the series, putting the pressure on the Flyers for Game 6.

Back in Philadelphia, the Flyers made adjustments and ended the series against their bitter rivals on home ice. Philly put a fork in the Penguins and is moving on to Round 2.

It was not always pretty. Rick Tocchet had been outcoaching Dan Muse through the first three games before Muse made adjustments and flipped the script. Tocchet’s Game 6 adjustments were enough for his team to respond in the best way possible.

Now, the Flyers have won their first playoff series since 2020.

How the Flyers got here

From the very beginning, Philadelphia’s defense kept the play to the outside. They took away the middle and shielded Dan Vladar from any real high-danger chances. The Flyers’ penalty kill was brilliant in Games 1 and 2, stopping Pittsburgh’s first 7 power-play attempts.

In Game 3, the Penguins were able to net two goals on the man-advantage. But the Flyers’ struggling power play also scored twice, making up for the two against. Whether it was the power play or the timely scoring, the Flyers’ momentum was at an all-time high.

Game 4 brought a new challenger in net for the Penguins, who leaned on in a desperate effort to get one game. They were able to capitalize on the momentum, taking advantage of early Flyers mistakes and keeping Philly from coming back.