Apr 20, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) defends the net against Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Anthony Mantha (39) during the third period in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
PITTSBURGH -- The Flyers didn't get many favors with the condensed schedule this season, but there were two in which they took advantage.
First, they used the Olympic break to revamp their defensive zone structure, which catapulted them onto the mad dash to make the playoffs.
The second came with their season ending two days before the league schedule concluded, giving them three off days before starting their playoff series against Pittsburgh.
In those 72 hours, they made changes to their 22nd ranked penalty kill that they hoped would be able to limit the Penguins No. 7 ranked power play.
Through two games, it's been flawless.
In Game 2 it was especially impressive. The Penguins had five power play opportunities. They mustered two shots. And the Flyers, they scored a shorthanded goal as the cherry on top of a 3-0 shutout of Pittsburgh, to take a 2-0 series lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals with Game 3 back in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
"There were just a few adjustments," coach Rick Tocchet said. "We're a little more aggressive. A little more pressure. Whether it was a key block, or a clear, or a [Dan Vladar] save, that's what usually happens with good PK's."
True, but the Flyers have been especially committed to not allowing opportunities from the middle of the ice. They run an aggressive diamond penalty kill where the point man pressures the puck up by the blue line, the two flanks in the middle take away passing lanes while pushing out to the hash marks, and the low man protects the front of the net.
And if all else fails, the Flyers have Dan Vladar backstopping everything. As important as Vladar has been to the Flyers this season - and he was voted the Team MVP for a reason - the one thing he didn't do was record a shutout.
After 27 saves on Monday, that changed.
And even though he only had to make two saves on the penalty kill, having him between the pipes is part of the confidence boost the Flyers have in playing aggressively on the PK against the Penguins. They know he's their last line of defense and is steady and reliable.
It's frustrated the Penguins. Sidney Crosby, who has notoriously feasted on the Flyers for two decades, has gone two games without a point. And the shots are fewer and far between.
"Guys are making great reads and they're hard on pucks and bearing down. That's what playoffs seem to be all about," said Garnet Hathaway, who scored the shorthanded goal and had an assist, nearly matching his entire regular season output (three points) in one game. "It's how focused can you be for 60 minutes to make a play when it's really difficult to make that play.
"Whether it's a guy coming to hit you, a stick coming over the top - what can you do to get that puck out and make the right play. Sometimes it creates offense and sometimes it's just pushing the puck forward to live another day."
The offense was created on two occasions. The first was a highlight reel play by Owen Tippett to set up Hathaway for his goal.
Garnet Hathaway had one goal in 66 games this season.
He now has one goal in two playoff games this season!
(via: @NHL)pic.twitter.com/ej39nNNAkw
That duo also led all players in hits in the game with seven each. The Flyers, as a team, had 48 hits, upping the ante from the 40 they had in Game 1.
"He's one of the guys I'm proud of because there's games I did not play him," Tocchet said of Hathaway. "He never cried, or bitched, or pouted. He came to the rink. He was in one of the coaches' rooms or my room looking at video. He's on the ice early. I just love guys like that.
"He's played two really god hockey games for us in the sense that he's really added that aggressive forecheck and he's a team guy."
Later, Sean Couturier and Luke Glendening nearly scored a second shorthanded goal on a 2-on-none breakaway, but Pittsburgh goalie Stuart Skinner made an excellent save.
While not a shorthanded tally, Glendening did pot an empty netter, in which the Penguins had an extra attacker on the ice.
Everyone's buying in," Tippett said. "Everyone's blocking shots. Everyone's making plays. I know [Nick Seeler] dove headfirst into a puck there. I think it's just everyone pulling on the same rope and everyone kind of having fun doing it."
And that's the thing about the Flyers right now. Everything about them is fun. And it's translating into unexpected postseason success. The Flyers are just two wins away from being one of the final eight teams in the NHL playoffs.
Forty days ago, that was unfathomable.
But here they are. They are staying even keeled. They aren't smelling themselves after two wins. They know the Penguins are going to play desperate hockey come Wednesday and that this thing is far from over.
But the one big advantage every prognosticator and expert thought the Penguins had over the Flyers was special teams, especially with it's power play lead by three surefire Hall of Famers.
Except, the Flyers have skunked them with a ferocious penalty kill. And if they continue to do that, it'll be a wrap.
