PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Penguins opened the season by turning their first visit to Xfinity Mobile Arena into a rout, blanking the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 on Wednesday behind two goals from Nicholas Robertson and a 19-save shutout from Arturs Silovs.
Filip Hallander supplied a goal and two assists, while Hendrix Lapierre posted a goal and an assist in his Pittsburgh debut. Ville Koivunen, Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov also scored as the Penguins poured seven past Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar.
Quick facts
- Pittsburgh opened its season with a 7-0 win in Philadelphia.
- Nicholas Robertson scored twice in his first game as a Penguin.
- Arturs Silovs stopped all 19 Flyers shots for his third NHL shutout.
- Dan Vladar faced 38 Pittsburgh shots and made 31 saves.
- Filip Hallander finished with one goal and two assists.
Robertson got Pittsburgh on the board at 7:26 of the first period. Kris Letang fed him from high in the right circle, and Robertson redirected the puck from near the right side of the cage over Vladar’s glove.
It was an immediate return for Robertson, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1 for a fourth-round selection in the 2028 NHL Draft.
Koivunen doubled the lead late in the opening frame, getting behind the Flyers coverage and finishing a breakaway with a backhand through Vladar at 15:44.
The Penguins took control with three goals in a little more than five minutes of the second period. Malkin finished a give-and-go with Lapierre on the power play, driving a one-timer from the left circle at 5:03.
Lapierre made it 4-0 at 7:26, snapping a blocker-side wrist shot from the left circle on a 2-on-1 rush. The former Washington Capitals forward was playing his first game for Pittsburgh after arriving June 25 in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder.
Hallander then cleaned up a loose puck at the top of the crease at 10:23, beating a sprawled Vladar to extend the margin to five.
Philadelphia had eliminated Pittsburgh in six games in last season’s Eastern Conference First Round, but the rematch never found much of a foothold. Silovs kept the Flyers off the board throughout, recording the third shutout of his NHL career.
Robertson added his first NHL short-handed goal at 11:52 of the third. His attempt caromed off the end boards before Vladar inadvertently knocked the puck into his own net.
Chinakhov closed the scoring on a late power play, tipping Erik Karlsson’s point shot at 16:37. Kaedan Korczak and Samuel Girard each had two assists for Pittsburgh in the opener.
