For the first time in eight seasons and the eighth time overall, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will meet in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with the opening game of their first-round series taking place Saturday night in Pittsburgh.

The latest chapter of the Battle of Pennsylvania features a couple teams ending lengthy postseason droughts. The Penguins last made the playoffs in 2022, but beyond that, the franchise’s last series win came in 2018 against the Flyers.

Philadelphia last made the playoffs in 2020. However, Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier and Travis Sanheim are the only players remaining from that squad.

This Flyers team surprised some by reaching the postseason, but they earned their spot thanks to their strong play down the stretch. Coach Rick Tocchet’s club went 18-7-1 after the Olympics, going from sixth in the Metropolitan — eight points back of the then-third-place New York Islanders — to leapfrogging the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and Islanders for the division’s final playoff spot.

The Flyers may be the third-youngest team by average age in the postseason, according to EliteProspects.com, but Tocchet said the past few weeks have been a playoff-like atmosphere. Now, the question becomes how much slack the coach gives his younger players when the pressure increases, especially when playing a veteran-laden group like the Penguins.

“I don’t want these guys to be nervous if they make a mistake,” Tocchet said. “Then I’m not doing my job if I’m making these guys nervous.”

One young player who has stood out is Porter Martone, who joined the club in late March. He scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the Flyers’ last eight games, with points in each of the last six.

Tocchet has already made his choice in goal in Dan Vladar, who played six straight games earlier this month and went 5-1 with a .921 save percentage. He allowed a total of six goals in the five wins and will making his first career playoff start.

The Czech goalie has played the Penguins six times in his career. He is 2-3-1 with an .899 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average.

Pittsburgh does have a question of who will be its netminder. Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner shared that role during the regular season. Skinner, acquired during the season from Edmonton for Tristan Jarry, has made back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, but Silovs also has postseason experience from his time in Vancouver.

While Skinner has more experience, both have fared well against the Flyers. Skinner is 5-1-2 in eight games with a .913 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA, while Silovs is 1-0-1 with a .944 save percentage and a 1.92 GAA.

While the Flyers have youth, the Penguins have a core of 30-somethings looking to make one last run to the Cup. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have three titles in their nearly two decades together in the Steel City. Despite being 38 and 39, respectively, they continue to lead; Crosby put up a team-hgh 74 points in 68 games, while Malkin had 61 in 56.

First-year coach Dan Muse said that leadership has its advantages.

“I don’t have to say anything,” Muse said Friday. “I know for sure that the guys that have the significant playoff experience … are going to be playing a big role there in just terms of helping along the guys that this is their first time.”

–Field Level Media

The Dallas Stars are entering the Stanley Cup Playoffs on a different path this season.

When they host the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their first-round series on Saturday, the Stars will be riding a five-game winning streak.

A year ago, Dallas entered the playoffs on a season-long seven-game skid, but then went on to reach the Western Conference finals.

“Last year, we were comfortable and confident going into the playoffs, but it is nice going in winning,” Dallas forward Sam Steel said. “There are less questions.”

The Stars are also as healthy as they’ve been in a while.

They are still without forwards Tyler Seguin and Roope Hintz, but defenseman Miro Heiskanen returned to practice on Friday after missing the past three games with a lower-body injury. Steel and defenseman Nils Lundkvist returned for the 4-3 shootout win against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday in the regular-season finale.

“After missing some time, there is a little bit of rust to break off and get your touches in and get back into thinking at that speed of the game,” Steel said. “It’s good to get back and get one before the playoffs.”

The five-game winning streak also allowed the Stars to reach 50 wins for the third straight season and seventh time in franchise history. Jason Robertson led the team with 45 goals and 96 points.

“It’s hard to get 50 in this league,” Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. “Good on our guys. Just the fact they were thinking about it shows you about our group. It’s quite an accomplishment by them.”

Minnesota, which has known it would be facing Dallas in the first round for more than a week, concluded its regular season with a 3-2 win against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.

The Wild alternated starts by goalies Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt during most of the season and will likely continue that pattern in the postseason.

“We have two excellent goaltenders,” Wild coach John Hynes said. “We’ve had two excellent goaltenders all year long.”

Wallstedt, a rookie, finished with the second-best save percentage in the NHL during the regular season (.916) while Gustavsson was tied for 18th (.904).

“What we do know is Wally’s a strong goalie. He’s played really well. He’s come a long way in his development. He’s a top-end NHL goalie,” Hynes said. “Both players (are). Gus has got great experience. Great goalie. He’s been a backbone for us. He’s been the leader of the goaltending corps between the two of those guys. So, you can’t go wrong with the decision.”

Gustavsson has watched in awe as Wallstedt has developed into a top-flight goalie this season, as well as while they were Olympic teammates with Sweden.

“Night in and night out, he’s always given the team a chance to win,” Gustavsson said of Wallstedt. “It’s very nice to have a duo like that, if you don’t have to feel the pressure to play all the games. You know if he’s in the pipes, the team has a very good chance to win anyway. It’s a great duo to have.”

Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes missed practice on Thursday and Friday because of an illness, but he’s expected to fly to Dallas later on Friday and be available for Game 1, Hynes said.

–Field Level Media

The Carolina Hurricanes worked all season to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and now they turn their attention to the next phase of the season on Saturday afternoon.

They’ll welcome the Ottawa Senators for the opener of the first-round series in Raleigh, N.C.

“We’ve been eager for this for a long time,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Once we knew it was official, and we were in a pretty good spot all year, we’ve got to turn the page now. It goes to being a sprint. We know the season’s a marathon, and now all of a sudden you’ve got to be ready right from the get-go and put your best foot forward.”

The Senators hold the eighth seed, but they’ve been one of the best teams in the NHL the past couple of months. It’s the first time these organizations will meet in the postseason.

“They had kind of a tough start to their season, and some interesting things go on, but they’ve got it covered, top to bottom,” Brind’Amour said of the Senators. “It’s going to be a huge challenge.”

The Senators went 26-12-6 since the beginning of 2026. They’re intent on creating more momentum.

“The stuff that every kid dreams about doing is getting an opportunity to chase a Stanley Cup,” Ottawa forward Warren Foegele said.

Foegele, a former Carolina player, said he’s aware of the playoff atmosphere in Raleigh. He said it’s one of the loudest arenas in the NHL, not to mention a playoff-tested team that will appear in the playoffs for the eighth year in a row.

“They play fast, they play aggressive, they’re in your face,” Foegele said. “They’re an experienced team. They’ve been there.”

Carolina has won at least one playoff series in six of the past seven years.

Brind’Amour has been noncommittal regarding the goaltending assignment for the playoff opener between rookie Brandon Bussi and veteran Frederik Andersen.

“They both played really well down the stretch,” Brind’Amour said.

Andersen has played in 32 playoff games for the Hurricanes and 85 total postseason contests in his career.

The Senators will turn to goaltender Linus Ullmark, who has won his last four outings. Ottawa’s backup is James Reimer, a former Carolina player.

The Hurricanes went 7-1-1 in their last nine games of the regular season, with the regulation loss coming by a 6-3 decision on April 5 at Ottawa. Carolina won the other two regular-season matchups, including 4-3 on Feb. 3 in Raleigh.

Bussi picked up the two victories for the Hurricanes.

Forward Nikolaj Ehlers played all 82 games in his first season with the Hurricanes, racking up a career-high 71 points.

Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle posted a team-high 83 points in 80 games.

Foegele scored six goals in 21 games since joining the Senators in a trade from the Los Angeles Kings.

“He’s going to be a big part of our group in the playoffs,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said.

The Senators played only two road games in April, and now they’ll play their first two playoff games away from home. Game 2 is set for Monday night.

–Field Level Media

Mats Sundin, the all-time leading scorer for the Toronto Maple Leafs, is interviewing with the club for a job in the front office, The Athletic reported Friday.

Per the report, Sundin was in Toronto on Friday to talk with team owners “about a potential role in the new setup,” with no specific job being mentioned as of now.

The Maple Leafs fired general manager Brad Treliving on March 30, and they haven’t had a president of hockey operations since Brendan Shanahan was fired in May 2025.

Sundin, 55, was the No. 1 overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques in 1989 and was traded to Toronto on June 28, 1994, in a multi-player, multi-draft pick deal.

He remained with the Maple Leafs through the 2007-08 season, then appeared in 41 games with the Vancouver Canucks the following season. He announced his retirement on Sept. 30, 2009.

In the ensuing years, he moved with his family to his native Sweden but has started to become more involved with the Maple Leafs. He was part of the Toronto contingent at the NHL’s Global Series Games in Stockholm in November 2023.

“Toronto’s management and coaches have taken me in, and it has been incredibly nice,” Sundin said during that event, per The Athletic. “Toronto has meant so incredibly much to my career; I was there for 13 years and the captain. Toronto is my second home; we live in Stockholm, but when I come there, it’s like coming home.”

He is the franchise’s leader in points (987), power-play goals (124) and game-winning goals (79). Auston Matthews overtook Sundin for the team leadership in goals this season with 428, eight more than Sundin.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, Sundin finished with 1,349 points (564 goals, 785 assists) in 1,346 games.

Should Sundin rise to a position of power within the Maple Leafs, he would not be the first franchise legend to assume a decision-making role with a former team.

Steve Yzerman has done it with the Detroit Red Wings, and Matt Ryan (NFL), Buster Posey (MLB), and Joe Dumars, Danny Ainge and the late Jerry West (NBA) are among the players who have run their ex-teams, either now or in the past.

–Field Level Media

Dallas Stars defenseman Nils Lundkvist signed a two-year, $3.5 million contract extension, the team announced Friday.

The deal runs through 2027-28 and adds to a big week for the 25-year-old Swede, who announced the birth of his first child — a son — on Tuesday and whose team opens the playoffs on Saturday at home against the Minnesota Wild.

“We’re excited to lock up Nils for two more years,” general manager Jim Nill said in a news release. “He is a highly skilled defenseman with excellent mobility and vision. His ability to move the puck and create offense makes him a valuable piece for our team moving forward.”

Lundkvist recorded 11 points (three goals, eight assists) and a plus-12 rating in 52 games this season. He has 55 points (12 goals, 43 assists) in 235 career games with the New York Rangers (2021-22) and Stars.

The Rangers selected him in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft.

–Field Level Media