Who is favored in Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers?

Philadelphia Flyers are favored on the moneyline.

Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers

Wed Sep 30·7:30 PM ET·Philadelphia, PA

By JR·2 min read

PIT

PHI

Wednesday7:30 PM ET

TLDR: The last time these 2 shared a rink, the Flyers ended Pittsburgh's spring with a 1-0 win in April. The 2026-27 season opens with the rematch on Wednesday, September 30, at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

WED SEP 30, 7:30 PM

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WIN

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Penguins

LWWLL

Flyers

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The Penguins and Flyers open the 2026-27 season as a rematch of last spring's playoff series, which Philadelphia ended with a 1-0 win before being run over by Carolina. The Flyers stumbled through a 1-3 preseason, but Dan Vladar is expected back in net despite his listing. Pittsburgh starts short at center, with Kindel and Lizotte week-to-week and Kuzmenko away on family leave. Neither team scored much the last time they met, and opening night on a shortened camp is unlikely to change that.

Penguins

Won 2 straight in the middle of April's series
Rust only day-to-day, not ruled out
Deep camp pool to fill spots
Kindel and Lizotte both week-to-week at center
Kuzmenko away on family leave
Shut out twice in the last 3 playoff games vs Philly

Flyers

Beat Pittsburgh 1-0 in last meeting
Briere: Vladar should be ready for game 1
Vladar-Woll tandem covers the net either way
Lost last 4 playoff games to Carolina
Beaten 5-1 in preseason finale, 1-3 preseason
Barkey questionable, Grans out

This is Game 1 for both clubs, and it's the right way to start. Philadelphia got the better of the playoff meeting last spring, then got taken apart by Carolina, dropping the first 4 of that series. Pittsburgh won 2 straight in the middle of the Flyers set and then got shut out twice, 3-0 and 1-0, including the game that ended its season. Over 5 playoff games neither team could score. That was the story in April, and it will probably be the story on Wednesday too.

The new CBA cut camp from 20 days to 14 and cut the preseason to 4 games, so both teams show up rustier than usual. The Penguins are also missing bodies. Ben Kindel and Blake Lizotte are both week-to-week, which leaves the middle of the lineup thin. Andrei Kuzmenko has gone home to Russia after the death of his father. Justin Brazeau and Ryan Graves are listed out, and Bryan Rust is day-to-day.

Philadelphia's camp ended ugly. The Capitals beat the Flyers 5-1 in the preseason finale, and Philly finished the exhibition slate 1-3. Rick Tocchet called the loss "a little humbling, which is good for us. We're not as good as we need to be." That's an honest read from a coach whose team lost its last 4 playoff games and then couldn't score in September either.

The biggest name on the Flyers' list is Dan Vladar, but the report looks worse than the actual situation. He hurt his right arm in a preseason game, and Tocchet said the team "dodged a bullet." GM Daniel Briere said he "should be ready for game one" and "probably could have played" in the finale if it had been a regular-season game. Vladar and Joseph Woll are the tandem, so the Flyers have a starter either way. Denver Barkey is a real question, though: he has a lower-body injury that isn't long-term, but his status for the opener is up in the air. Helge Grans is out on the back end.

Pittsburgh's depth is what's worth watching. With 2 centers out and Kuzmenko away, somebody from the camp group gets a regular-season sweater on opening night. That group is big this year: 69 players were invited, including first-rounder Liam Ruck. Before the market settles, check whether Rust dresses and who ends up centering the bottom 6.

Puck drop is 7:30 PM ET. Both teams went quiet at the end of last season, and both have camp problems to answer for. The Flyers have home ice, a playoff series win over this opponent and a goalie who's probably fine. The Penguins have a longer injury list and something to prove against the team that sent them home. On Wednesday, one of them gets to say its camp problems are behind it.

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