Game Preview: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Philadelphia Flyers, Round 1 Game 6, 4/28/2026

Getting to know the Flyers

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Travis Konecny – Christian Dvorak – Porter Martone

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Denver Barkey – Trevor Zegras – Owen Tippett

Alex Bump – Noah Cates – Tyson Foerster

Luke Glendening – Sean Couturier – Garnet Hathaway

DEFENSEMEN

Travis Sanheim / Rasmus Ristolainen

Cam York / Jamie Drysdale

Nick Seeler / Emil Andrae

Goalies: Dan Vladar and Samuel Ersson

Potential scratches: Matvei Michkov (?), Oliver Bonk (?), Helge Grans, David Jiricek, Garrett Wilson, Nikita Grebenkin, Oscar Eklind, Noah Juulsen, Hunter McDonald, Jacob Gaucher, Carl Grundstrom, Aleksei Kolosov, Carson Bjarnason

Injured Reserve: Rodrigo Abols (fractured ankle), Nikita Grebenkin (upper body)

• Defenseman Emil Andrae, who missed time after suffering an injury in Game 1, returned to the third pairing in Game 5 in place of Noah Juulsen.

• The Flyers scratched Matvei Michkov ahead of Game 5 in favor of Alex Bump, who celebrated his return to the lineup by scoring one of Philadelphia’s two goals.

• If Michkov draws back into the lineup tonight, it sounds like it won’t be in place of Tyson Foerster, who has been held without a point this series. Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet said Tuesday the Flyers would “try to stick with” Foerster.

“It’s just not him; we’ve got some other guys there that we need a little bit more from,” Tocchet said Tuesday. “But it is tough, hitting the wall, to be able to play at that pace and all that sort of stuff, maybe he has hit the wall a little bit. But 24 hours or 36 hours off, reset your brain, all that stuff can do wonders for the guy.”

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• There could still be some changes coming to the lineup. Tocchet said the Flyers have been discussing potentially slotting 21-year-old Oliver Bonk, who has one game of regular-season experience at the NHL level, in for Game 6.

• When asked if Pens’ ability to adjust to the Flyers’ defense in Games 4 and 5 had impacted his game plan going forward, Tocchet said his emphasis ahead of Game 6 would be not on changing his team’s structure but on encouraging players’ “determination” to get the puck.

“They’ve adjusted. I’ve got to give their staff and their players credit. But there’s some stuff there that we’re not doing, that we can expose them,” Tocchet said Tuesday about the Pens. “And I’m not going to get into that part, but there’s a lot of skating and wanting the puck. There’s got to be a little bit more want and determination, and you’ll get pucks.

“I don’t think, me personally, it’s X and O’s. I think it’s determination, on some of these players, to wanting that puck.”

And now for the Pens

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin

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Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Anthony Mantha

Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Kris Letang

Ryan Shea / Ilya Solovyov

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Connor Clifton, Justin Brazeau, Kevin Hayes, Ryan Graves, Jack St. Ivany, Sergei Murashov

IR: Filip Hallander, Caleb Jones (season-ending shoulder surgery)

• The Penguins canceled practice Tuesday, so the first look at any changes to the lineup will come before tonight’s game.

• Elmer Soderblom’s goal on Monday seems like a good indication he’ll be back in the lineup for Game 6, which could mean Justin Brazeau will remain out.

• Another positive in Game 5 was the Penguins’ fourth line. Goalscorer Connor Dewar, when asked Monday whether he felt the momentum in the series had shifted, answered: “We’re just fighting to stay together. Every win is a few more days together, so that’s the way I’m thinking about it.”