3 Takeaways: Penguins Rout Flyers 7-0 In Season-opener

Flash back one year ago, and the Pittsburgh Penguins put on a clinical performance against the New York Rangers in a 3-0 win on opening night. They played just about as flawlessly as they possibly could have on both sides of the puck.

It may not have been fair to expect another near-flawless performance from them to open the season this time around. 

But, as it turns out, they dialed it up by 100.

On Wednesday, the Penguins routed the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 7-0, and there was, really, no point in the game that felt particularly close. Goaltender Arturs Silovs earned the shutout in a 19-save effort, which is the second consecutive season he allowed zero on opening night, and Nick Robertson had two goals en route to the win. 

In addition, the 7-0 rout was the largest road shutout in a season opener in NHL history.

The Penguins got off to a fast start in this one, registering the first five shots on goal and clicking early on. With 12 and a half to to in the first, captain Sidney Crosby took a big mid-ice hit in the offensive zone before covering for a pinching Trevor van Riemsdyk. Crosby got the puck on the wall and fed it across to Letang, who found Robertson off-angle from the net down low for an impressive, Crosby-like redirection to give the Penguins the 1-0 lead.

Happy to have ya in the black and gold, Nick ???? pic.twitter.com/B0Myr3eJvE

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 30, 2026

Then, with a little more than four minutes to go in the first, the Penguins caught the Flyers on a bad line change. Defenseman Sam Girard found a breaking Ville Koivunen with a stretch pass, and Koivunen went in alone with a nasty deke to beat Flyers' goaltender Dan Vladar five-hole and make it 2-0.

ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR VILLE ???? pic.twitter.com/DGe3lxXaAz

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 1, 2026

The onslaught continued in the second period. Hendrix Lapierre and Evgeni Malkin were involved in a give-and-go during an early power play, and eventually, Lapierre found Malkin in the right spot in the slot, where he one-timed a rocket past Vladar for the team's third goal. A little more than two minutes later, Filip Hallander - who had three points on the evening - made a nice little play in the neutral zone to get the puck to Lapierre for a two-on-one with Koivunen, and Lapierre buried it to put the Penguins up by four. 

21 SEASONS OF MALKAMANIA, FOLKS! ???? pic.twitter.com/aopGJAMhUM

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 1, 2026

Another two minutes later, that same line was cycling in the offensive zone, and Girard got the puck to the net, where Hallander fought to put home the rebound to make it 5-0. 

The Penguins kept up their total domination in the third period. Past the midway point of the final frame, they were on the penalty kill, and Robertson used his speed to cut down the left side and bank the puck off the back wall. The puck bounced right back to Vladar at the net, hit his skate, and went in to give the Penguins a six-spot. 

Finally, on a late power play, Erik Karlsson threw the puck at the net, and Egor Chinakhov deflected it for his first of the season to deliver Pittsburgh to the 7-0 victory. 

Here are three takeaways from this one:

1. This is a well-coached team

One can spot a well-coached team. And, folks, this is a well-coached team.

Not only did the Penguins get to their game very early on in this one, they were prepared for puck drop. And, after the puck dropped, they executed systemically to near-perfection. There were a few odd-man breaks in the first period that the Flyers couldn't take advantage of, but other than that, they played cohesively and very well within their system, which is not something you see every day in a team's first game of the season.

There are plenty of new faces in this year's opening lineup, but you never would have known it by watching them. There is so much buy-in from everyone on this team, new or returning, and that's full credit to Dan Muse and his coaching staff.

I thought the blue line was especially good, which is a crazy thing when you consider that three of them are brand-new and one of them arrived seven months ago. Girard and van Riemsdyk stood out.

2. This is a deep team

Remember when everyone - myself included, at times - was going on about the Penguins potentially having too many guys?

Well, then injuries happened. Then, THIS happened. 

Without their planned third line of Andrei Kuzmenko, Ben Kindel, and Bryan Rust in this one, the Penguins had a third line of Hallander, Lapierre, and Koivunen, and they were the team's best line against the Flyers, outchancing them 8-0 at five-on-five. The first line of Robertson, Crosby, and Rakell was also outstanding, and Robertson looks like he fits right in.

When healthy, this team looks like it, easily, has five NHL lines. And that's not even counting guys like Rutger McGroarty, Justin Brazeau, and Avery Hayes, all of whom could slot in NHL lineups right now.

If the third line in particular - especially since none of these guys were penciled in before the injuries - continues to play at this level, I genuinely have no idea what they're going to do when everyone is healthy.

FILIP FINDS THE BACK OF THE NET ???? pic.twitter.com/uKUZH4b5YE

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) October 1, 2026

3. It's game one

Of course, at the end of the day, this is game one of 84 this season. The Penguins could look like world-beaters in this one then completely lose the plot against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday in their home opener. 

It's important not to overreact to a one-game sample, but it's also fair to notice how connected this team is playing from the jump. This team's main issue last season was surrendering too much, and the Penguins didn't give up much of anyting in this one. They outshot the Flyers 38-19, and Silovs didn't have to work particularly hard.

If they come out and play this way against a much better team Saturday, then do it again the next time, and the next time, then we can start having conversations about this team. Remember, they began the season 8-2-2 last year, and their start made all the difference in qualifying for the playoffs. 

These early games matter as much as the late ones, and the Penguins are off to a roaring start. 

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