Penguins Open NHL Season With 7-0 Shutout of Flyers

The Pittsburgh Penguins opened the 2026-27 NHL season with a 7-0 road win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, September 30, at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

Nicholas Robertson scored twice in his Penguins debut, including a short-handed goal, and Arturs Silovs stopped all 19 shots he faced for the shutout. NHL.com published its official recap October 1.

Pittsburgh scored in every period

Robertson opened the scoring at 7:26 of the first period when a Kris Letang shot deflected off his skate. Ville Koivunen made it 2-0 before the first intermission.

The Penguins broke the game open in the second. Evgeni Malkin scored on the power play, Hendrix Lapierre added another goal, and Filip Hallander extended the lead to 5-0. Robertson’s short-handed goal in the third gave him his second of the night, and Egor Chinakhov completed the scoring on a power play.

Hallander finished with one goal and two assists. Lapierre had a goal and an assist, while Kaedan Korczak recorded two assists. Fourteen Pittsburgh skaters registered at least one point.

Silovs completed a 19-save shutout

Philadelphia managed 19 shots but could not beat Silovs. The shutout was the third of his NHL career, according to the league’s official statistics.

At the other end, Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar allowed seven goals on 38 shots. Philadelphia’s own postgame account, published October 1, said the Flyers were outplayed as decisively as the final score indicated.

The result counts as one win in an 82-game regular season; it does not establish a long-term trend by itself. Opening-night performances can be meaningful, but standings implications develop over many games.

Newcomers supplied much of Pittsburgh’s offense

Robertson was acquired from Toronto on July 1 for a 2028 fourth-round draft pick. Lapierre, Korczak and Declan Carlile were also making their first regular-season appearances for Pittsburgh.

That made the production from younger and newly acquired players notable for a roster still led by longtime stars Sidney Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Erik Karlsson. The veterans also contributed: Malkin scored, while Crosby, Letang and Karlsson recorded assists.

Reuters reported October 1 that Pittsburgh’s depth and special-teams scoring drove the lopsided opener.

What comes next

Pittsburgh’s next game is its home opener on October 3. Philadelphia will look to reset after beginning the season without a goal despite several power-play opportunities.

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Featured image: Markus Spiske via Unsplash. The image is illustrative and was not taken at this game.

Sources

• NHL.com game recap, October 1, 2026
• Pittsburgh Penguins, October 1, 2026
• Philadelphia Flyers, October 1, 2026
• Reuters, October 1, 2026