PHILADELPHIA — After three games of disappointment and frustration, three games that have plunged the Pittsburgh Penguins into a potentially insurmountable predicament in this first-round series, head coach Dan Muse is making a change.
With his club’s season on the line, Muse is turning the net over to goaltender Arturs Silovs for Saturday night’s do-or-die Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers, and moving Stuart Skinner to the bench (Watch Game 4 on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, 8 p.m. ET).
The former Vancouver Canuck has served as the backup for all three games of this series, despite he and Skinner sharing the Penguins’ net fairly evenly during the regular season. Now, with this club on the brink of elimination, Silovs will get his moment.
“Both guys have played very well for us all year,” Muse said Saturday, after the Penguins wrapped up their morning skate at Xfinity Mobile Arena. “You go through the entire regular season, both guys have won big games. We have a lot of confidence in both guys.”
It is no doubt a risky decision by the head coach. While Skinner has been the man in net for three straight losses, the former Edmonton Oilers goalie has largely played well, limiting the damage from a Flyers’ squad that looked like it could’ve potted a few more all three nights.
And, of course, there’s the fact that Skinner has the unique experience of surviving this very post-season situation — the Edmonton, Alta., product helped his hometown Oilers claw their way back from a 3-0 deficit against the Florida Panthers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, playing a pivotal role in the climb.
“The decision isn’t based on Stu’s play,” Muse said. “I thought Stu’s played really well this series. You know, we’ve lost three games. So, we decided that we’d make some changes here to the lineup.”
Silovs is no stranger to the post-season spotlight himself. The 25-year-old made his name in the big leagues against those 2024 Oilers, helping the Canucks push Connor McDavid’s squad to seven games, and helping Vancouver clinch a first-round win over Nashville before that.
And his big-game experience extends beyond that brief run. In 2023, Silovs helped his native Latvia claim their first world championship medal, the national side beating Team USA for a bronze that capped off an unexpectedly lengthy run through the tournament. Silovs suited up for Latvia at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, too. And just last season, he guided Vancouver’s minor-league affiliate to an AHL championship, earning a playoff MVP nod for his efforts.
“You’ve seen it in his day-to-day, just his preparation — he’s a competitor,” Muse said of his netminder. “You’ve got both guys that have been in a lot of big games. With Arty, going back — playoffs, Olympics, world championships. I mean, he’s a young guy, but he has had a lot of big moments that he’s been in. And he’s attacked those big moments.”
Saturday night brings another opportunity to find some magic on the playoff stage. The Penguins’ season depends on it.
‘Banged up’ Vladar will play in Game 4 after injury concerns
On the other side of the sheet, Flyers netminder Dan Vladar has been deemed fit to play, and will be in the cage for Game 4.
There were concerns regarding the 28-year-old’s availability after he appeared to injure his right hand during Game 3 on Wednesday. The play in question happened midway through the third period. With the Penguins on the power play, winger Bryan Rust crashed the net and collided with Vladar, knocking the netminder’s blocker off. The goaltender looked notably affected by the contact, standing at his net flexing his hand for some time before play resumed. He was ultimately able to stay in the game, and register his third straight win.
After Game 3, and again on Thursday, head coach Rick Tocchet admitted his netminder is “banged up.” Vladar didn’t join his teammates for practice in the days between Games 3 and 4, and was ruled out for maintenance. However, Saturday morning, the coach said they were confident the rest did Vladar well, and feel he’ll be good to go for what will be a crucial game in this series.
Given the impact the netminder has had not only on this series but on the Flyers’ success since the Olympic break, his absence would’ve been immense.
“It’s awesome to see that he’s okay,” Trevor Zegras said of his goaltender. “He’s been our best player all season.”
Malkin on uncertain future with Penguins: ‘I hope it’s not over’
While the Penguins remain focused on Saturday night’s test, and finding a way to pull themselves back to level ground in this series, the future for this group looms large, too.
That’s especially true for Evgeni Malkin. The future Hall of Famer is playing out the final season of the four-year, $24-million extension he signed back in 2022. Early in the 2025-26 campaign, reports surfaced suggested Penguins president and GM Kyle Dubas was not planning to offer the 39-year-old another contract in Pittsburgh.
Then came a resurgent season from Malkin, in which he played a crucial role in helping the Penguins return to the playoffs. He’s been the only Penguin who’s managed to make an impact offensively in this series, too, the veteran leading the team with two goals and three points through three games.
Still, there is a chance, if the Penguins lose Saturday night, that it could be No. 71’s final game in black and gold.
“I hope it’s not over,” Malkin said from the Flyers’ training facility on Friday. “I hope we’re still playing. My future, I say the same thing — I want to be here, I want to be part of the team next year too, I want to retire in Pittsburgh. But it’s not my choice. It’s Kyle’s decision, the new owners probably too. I just play my game [Saturday].
“I hope it’s not over and we go back to Pittsburgh. Because we want to play [in front of] our fans too. They deserve us playing at home again.”
Veteran fourth line leading the way for young Flyers in Round 1
Heading into this first-round bout, much was made of the disparity between the post-season experience in these two clubs’ locker rooms. The Pens headed into the series stocked with future Hall of Famers, veterans of countless playoff runs, while the Flyers entered with all but a few on their roster making their playoff debuts.
Through three games, though, it’s the youngsters who’ve come out on top. And the steady guidance of the team’s grizzled, battle-tested fourth line — Sean Couturier, Garnet Hathaway and Luke Glendening — has been a crucial piece of that success.
“That line’s been doing it over and over and over again,” Travis Konecny said of the trio after Game 3, following a night that had seen Couturier and Co. spark the Flyers with some well-timed physicality. “I feel like any time we need to settle down, or need a big shift, those are the guys setting the tone for us. … All series it’s been that way. When it’s time to make a big hit or a big block or dump it out, whatever it is, they’re doing it for us.
“So, we’re just falling in line and following them.”
Tocchet has heaped praise on all three of the fourth-line vets at different points in this series, lauding Couturier for keeping the group level-headed throughout the week, calling Glendening an underrated pickup by GM Daniel Briere, who claimed the winger off waivers in March. After Philly registered their second road win of the series, on Monday, Tocchet pointed to the impact of Hathaway, who posted a goal and an assist in the win after managing just three points all season.
“He’s one of the guys I’m proud of,” Tocchet said that night. “Because there were some games where I didn’t play him. He never cried or (expletive) or pouted. He came to the rink. He was in the coach’s room looking at video. He’s on the ice early. I just love guys like that. And there were probably times where he’d be upset — I told him, ‘You should be upset sometimes if you’re not playing.’ But he took it. And he’s really played good hockey games for his. He’s really added that aggressive forecheck.
“And he’s a team guy. When he’s not dressed, he’s the first guy giving high-fives to guys. That’s infectious. It’s good for the young guys to see that.”
Penguins’ Game 4 Lines:
The Pens appear to be making two more changes to their lineup heading into Game 4, in an effort to add more physicality to the group. Elmer Soderblom appears poised to return, replacing Justin Brazeau, while defender Ilya Solovyov will make his post-season debut.
Rickard Rakell — Sidney Crosby — Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov — Tommy Novak — Evgeni Malkin
Anthony Mantha — Ben Kindel — Elmer Soderblom
Connor Dewar — Blake Lizotte — Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon — Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard — Kris Letang
Ryan Shea — Ilya Solovyov
The Flyers appear to be rolling out an unchanged lineup for Saturday night’s affair.
Tyson Foerster — Trevor Zegras — Owen Tippett
Travis Konecny — Christian Dvorak — Porter Martone
Denver Barkey — Noah Cates — Matvei Michkov
Luke Glendening — Sean Couturier — Garnet Hathaway
Travis Sanheim — Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York — Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler — Noah Juulsen