It’s not a done deal yet, but it sure looks like the Pittsburgh Penguins (98 points) will be facing the Philadelphia Flyers (94 points) in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
After all of the Eastern Conference results Sunday, the Flyers are on the verge of clinching their first playoff spot since the 2020 postseason. They need two points over their last two games to get back into the playoffs as the third and final qualifier from the Metropolitan Division.
Philadelphia hosts the Carolina Hurricanes on Monday and the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. With 110 points, the Hurricanes have the best record in the Eastern Conference wrapped up. With 106 points, Montreal is currently tied with the Buffalo Sabres for first place in the Atlantic Division.
This will also be the first time since 2022 that the Pens will be in the playoffs. So the cross-state rivalry element will add some venom to what will already be an emotionally charged series between these clubs. But in this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X welcomes that added layer of intrigue should Philly become the Pens’ first-round opponent.
“I’m excited, especially that they might play Philadelphia, which is a series you can’t lose. You’d have to carry that around like a disease for I don’t know how long,” Madden said.
During the regular season, the Penguins lost shootout decisions to the Flyers at Philadelphia on Oct. 28 (3-2) and at home on March 7 (4-3). The Pens won in Philadelphia 5-1 on Dec. 1 and in Pittsburgh 6-3 on Jan. 15.
“I’m not going to be scared of (the Penguins) playing them. I don’t think their goaltending is any better than Pittsburgh’s. They have some decent players. (Trevor) Zegras (66 points) has been resurrected. (Matvei) Michkov (47 points) is a talent. They got Porter Martone, their first-round pick from this past draft, to join them after the collegiate hockey season ended. They’ve got (Travis) Sanheim,” Madden said. “They’ve got good players. I just don’t think they’re as good as Pittsburgh.”
But Madden kept coming back to the goaltending. While Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs have had ups and downs this year, Madden doesn’t think the combination of Dan Vladar and Samuel Errson is any better.
“That’s why I would rather play Philadelphia or Columbus than Washington or the Islanders. Because then there would be a goaltending disparity, and the Penguins would not be on the good end of it,” Madden reiterated.
The Islanders (with goalie Ilya Sorokin) were eliminated Sunday night. The Capitals boast Logan Thompson, whose 31 wins and .912 save percentage both rank fourth in the NHL. He also just beat the Pens twice in a row over the weekend, including a 24-save shutout (3-0) on Sunday.
Also, during the podcast, Madden and I have some criticism of the Penguins’ social media reaction to making the playoffs. We discuss the Masters, the Pirates’ series in Chicago, the upcoming NFL Draft and fallout from the Dianna Russini/Mike Vrabel situation.