Facing the Florida Panthers: Home Back-to-Back Series Opener

The first round of the 2026 NHL playoffs features a regional rivalry as the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers face off in a matchup known as the Battle of Pennsylvania.

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the postseason following a season that saw them secure a high position in the Metropolitan Division. As of April 3, 2026, the Penguins held a record of 38-22-16 with 92 points, placing them in second place in the division and positioning them for first-round home-ice advantage.

This playoff appearance marks a significant return for the Pittsburgh franchise, which had missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the previous three seasons.

Defending Champions Eliminated

The 2026 postseason landscape is notably missing the Florida Panthers, who failed to qualify for the playoffs despite winning the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons in 2024 and 2025.

The Panthers were officially eliminated from playoff contention on April 5, 2026, following a 9-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Florida finished the 2025-26 regular season with a record of 37-36-3.

The elimination ended a streak of playoff qualifications that had lasted since the 2018-19 season. In the three years prior to their 2026 absence, the Panthers had reached the Stanley Cup Final in each season, losing to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in 2023 and defeating the Edmonton Oilers in seven games in 2024.

Florida repeated as champions in 2025, winning a six-game series against the Edmonton Oilers to secure their second consecutive title.

Impact of Injuries on Florida

The Panthers’ failure to return to the playoffs was driven largely by a series of significant injuries to key personnel. Captain Aleksander Barkov was sidelined for the entire season after suffering an injury to his right knee during training camp, which required surgery on his ACL and MCL.

Matthew Tkachuk also missed a substantial portion of the season, remaining inactive for the first 47 games due to offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia and a torn adductor.

Other players who missed significant time during the 2025-26 campaign included:

• Seth Jones
• Tomas Nosek
• Dmitry Kulikov
• Jonah Gadjovich

Additional injuries affected Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, Evan Rodrigues, and Anton Lundell, further depleting the roster of the two-time defending champions.

Regular Season Performance

Despite the injuries, the Panthers attempted to remain competitive late in the season. By April 3, 2026, the team held a record of 37-35-3 with 77 points. At that time, they were 11 points behind the Ottawa Senators for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot with seven games remaining in the schedule.

In the final weeks of the season, Sam Bennett emerged as a key contributor, recording points in three consecutive games. Bennett finished the period with 57 points, consisting of 26 goals and 31 assists. Sam Reinhart led the team in both goals (29) and assists (32) for a total of 61 points.

The Penguins, meanwhile, maintained their momentum heading into the 2026 playoffs, utilizing their strong Metropolitan Division standing to prepare for the opening round series against the Flyers.