By Brian Metzer
The 2026-27 Penguins season began with questions.
How would they deploy all the excess bodies they had – especially up front? Injuries helped solve that problem a bit as Bryan Rust, Ben Kindel, Justin Brazeau, Tristan Broz and Andrei Kuzmenko were subtracted from the lineup, the latter due to the tragic loss of his father. Those losses opened the door for the likes of Filip Hallander, Hendrix Lapierre, Elmer Soderblom, and Ville Koivunen.
That created a new question: would they perform? Well, if one game is any indication, the answer is a resounding YES!
The Penguins stomped their cross-state rivals 7-0 and the Flyers looked downright shellshocked when the final horn sounded.
Their coach, former Penguin Rick Tocchet, looked demoralized on the bench during the game and even more so during his postgame press conference.
“I don’t know. You saw it,” Tocchet said as he seemed to search for was to describe what he had just witnessed. “I honestly don’t have an answer. I don’t know if we won a battle tonight. When you don’t win battles and they have the puck – they outcoached us tonight, they outplayed us, they did everything better than us tonight.”
While Tocchet was critical of his group, it’s tough to find many flaws in what the Penguins did last night. They were noticeable faster than the Flyers, used their speed to make up for any mistake they made and overwhelmed the opposition. They moved the puck wonderfully and that started with solid first passes from the backend and a very active defense that jumped into the play regularly.
Stir in star power, strong secondary scoring and a great game from Arturs Silvos and you had a recipe for two points in the standings on opening night.
Here’s a little more detailed look at five things from the game to ponder as you await the home opener on Saturday night.
- The Voodoo Child
The Penguins started the season without their entire third line and had to build a new one heading into Game 1 versus the Flyers. They built a unit featuring center Hendrix Lapierre and wingers Filip Hallander and Ville Koivunen. That trio was outstanding and it started with the center. Lapierre was all over the place last night. He distributed the puck well, got to the net, threw four hits and added a two points (1G-1A). If there was a flaw in his game it was his work in the faceoff circle, where he won only two of six draws. That aside, his enthusiasm is palpable and his skill was evident. I realize that he hasn’t been an offensive dynamo at the NHL level and he had some consistency issues in Washington, but he could be the latest former first round pick to land successfully in PGH. That enthusiasm was also evident postgame when he joined Joe Brand and Phil Bourque for a walk-off interview.
Hendrix Lapierre joined us after his dominant showing against Philly. Pittsburgh is gonna love this guy! pic.twitter.com/tLMnV9Ixxl
— Penguins Radio Network (@penguinslive) October 1, 2026
- Crosby, Malkin and Letang … and Karlsson
The big three looked awesome as they started their 21st season together. Sidney Crosby picked up an assist on Nick Robertson’s first goal, his 140th point against the Flyers. Evgeni Malkin scored a power play goal off a feed from Lapierre, pushing his career total to 100 points against the Flyers and Kris Letang added an assist of his own on the same Robertson goal. Karlsson, who joined this committee of tribal elders three seasons ago, added an assist and looked like he was primed to big up where he left off last season. All four of these guys set the tone against the team who knocked them out of the playoffs last spring. They came in with an all-business approach, a chip on their shoulders and turned it into production. If these guys can play this way, while getting the supporting performance we saw, this team could be primed to surpass what it did a year ago.
- Artie Party
Arturs Silvos put together his second consecutive season opening shut out, stopping all 19 shots he faced. There were concerns with him coming out of training camp – even after a solid performance in the Penguins final preseason game – but he laid all of that to rest. He saw the puck well, was always in good position and made several big saves in posting the goose egg. It will be intriguing to see how Dan Muse utilizes his goalies this season. He went with an almost total rotation throughout most of the season before kind of handing Stewart Skinner the reins late and in the early playoffs. It worked well. Can it happen again with Silvos and Sergei Murashov? We shall see.
- Not another “kid” in the Hall-ander…
The Penguins had high expectations when they selected Filip Hallander with the 58th pick of the second round back in 2018. Unfortunately, they didn’t receive immediate return on that investment. However, the payoff could finally be coming! Hallander’s career has seen him drafted by the Penguins, traded to Toronto, and traded back to Pittsburgh. He went back home to Sweden for a couple seasons, shined brightly, and returned – again – to the Penguins. Just as it seemed he might finally get a foothold in the NHL he was derailed by a blood clot that robbed him of most of last season. Fully healthy, he came into this year looking to claim a spot in the regular lineup, which he did, and performances like last night just might keep him there. He has size, skates better than you would think and has good offensive instincts around the net. He showed that in burying a Kaeden Korczak rebound against the Flyers. He also added two assists. Many still think of him as a prospect or a young player but that’s simply not who he is today. He’s 26-years-old, and while he only has 17 NHL games, he’s played 225 at the highest level in Sweden. He’s built confidence, he’s grown into his 6-foot-1, 190 pound frame and just might be primed for the breakout we’ve all wanted to see for close to a decade.
- Defensive Acquisitions Paying Off
People pouted when Dubas traded Brett Kulak for Sam Girard and did it again when he flipped Parker Wotherspoon for Kaedan Korczak. Well, both moves looked great last night. Korczak was maybe the best defenseman on the ice as he picked up two assists, took three shots, blocked two shots and posted a plus-three rating. Not known for his offense, he activated often and was in and around the net, most notably while helping to set up Hallander’s goal. He also seemed to have a knack for knowing the right times to make a move towards the net and didn’t leave himself vulnerable.
Sam Girard was also very impressive. He was skating better than at any time during his Penguins’ tenure. He was active in all zones, didn’t get beat by a speedy group of Flyers’ forwards and seems very comfortable in Muse’s system. He finished the evening with two assists, two shots and a plus-three rating.
I was hoping that Declan Carlile would add some toughness and physicality to the lineup and he did just that. Owen Tippett sent him flying once as he was trying to break out of the Penguins zone but overall, he was involved a lot! He moved the puck well, skated well and used his size well. He isn’t an enforcer and doesn’t need to be, but he doesn’t hesitate to get involved when silliness occurs and he has his teammate’s backs. I look forward to seeing how he continues to fit in with this lineup.
