Since the former Edmonton Oiler joined the black-and-gold in a late December trade, head coach Dan Muse has opted to rotate netminding duties between Skinner and off-season acquisition Arturs Silovs. The coach granted his goalies back-to-back starts only a handful of times over the final four months of the regular season.
But as the club’s first-round bout against the Philadelphia Flyers moves to Game 2, the Penguins have decided to stick with their two-time Stanley Cup finalist. Muse confirmed Monday that Skinner will get the start in the cage once again after handling goaltending duties on Saturday.
The 27-year-old’s steady performance in the series’s first instalment was likely no small part of the decision. While a cursory glance at Game 1’s stats might suggest Skinner left more to be desired — the netminder logged 17 saves on 20 shots and gave up a backbreaking game-winner late in the third — anyone who watched the night play out understands just how crucial he was in keeping the Pens in it until the final minutes.
The Flyers were all over Pittsburgh early, capitalizing on some disconnected play from the home side and continuously funnelling play towards the Pens’ cage. Skinner was particularly pivotal early in the second period, stymying multiple breakaway attempts from the Flyers, and earning ‘Stuuu!’ chants from the Penguins faithful with each passing save. It was the same story early in the third, as the breakaway chances continued.
While it wasn’t enough for the Penguins to earn a win in their first post-season game since 2022, there’s little doubt the Flyers could’ve done much more damage if not for No. 74 in the Pittsburgh cage.
And yet, for those who share a locker room with him, Skinner’s presence off the ice might be just as important to the team’s chances.
“Obviously, he’s a great goaltender. But secondly, in the room, he’s vital to our room,” Pittsburgh forward Blake Lizotte said of Skinner after Monday morning’s optional skate. “That was apparent right away. He’s a calming presence amid the chaos, which is what you want in a goalie. But also in the room, when there’s kind of turmoil in the room, you just need some people to kind of settle it down and go, ‘Hey, we’re a good team. Let’s focus on the little things.’
“I think Stu definitely helped with that. Obviously, when he came in, our season was a little rocky at that point, and I think when he came in it really settled everyone in the room down.”
The netminder arrived in Pittsburgh as the club was mired in a six-game losing streak, their chances of making it back to the dance seemingly dwindling. He lost his first three starts in a Penguins sweater himself, as the team’s struggles continued — then he reeled off seven wins in his next eight starts, and helped set them back on track.
“He was awesome from Day 1,” Muse said Monday. “Just in terms of the personality, who he is. He’s very genuine, he’s a great teammate, he’s always got a smile on his face. I think just the approach that he takes to his day-to-day — it’s been outstanding.”
That even-keeled mindset came through on Saturday night, in the wake of Pittsburgh’s disappointing post-season opener. Fresh off back-to-back runs to the Cup Final over the past two years, the former Oiler understands well the importance of keeping emotions level amid the rollercoaster of the post-season.
“I feel really good,” Skinner said Saturday night, after Game 1. “I feel good about my game. I feel like the guys should be feeling really good about their game. I mean, every single period we just kept on getting better, and if we continue to do that, we’re going to put ourselves in a really good spot here.”
While the Penguins have plenty of experience among their leadership group — veterans who’ve reached the highest of heights in the game, who’ve hung banners at PPG Paints Arena — it’s Skinner who arrives with the most recent run of playoff success.
“I think for me, I really look back on what I have gone through,” he said Saturday night. “You know, I’ve been in moments where there’s a lot of highs and lows, and sometimes it’s just nonsense getting involved with it. It doesn’t always do you good. So you’ve got to pick the moments where you do pick it up, but there’s moments where you’ve just got to really just calm yourself and keep on going.”
Zegras proving to be a missing piece for young Flyers core
Since he arrived in Philly last June, Trevor Zegras has been a central cog in the Flyers’ machine. After a pair of seasons that saw the 2019 ninth-overall pick’s stock fall in Anaheim, leading to a trade out of town that would’ve seemed difficult to fathom just a few years prior, Zegras has made no bones about the fact that he’s playing with a chip on his shoulder.
A sterling regular season — which saw him put up a career-best 26 goals and 67 points — rolled right into a solid performance in Game 1 against Pittsburgh, the 25-year-old setting up Philly’s opening goal nine minutes into his first-ever playoff game. And just as Zegras has proven to be a key part of the Flyers’ attack, the former Duck has been something of a missing piece for the club’s young core away from the game, too.
“I think him coming in here kind of set the glue a little bit — he’s a really well-liked guy, and I saw that right from the second week,” head coach Rick Tocchet said of Zegras after the team’s practice on Sunday. “Right from training camp, a week, two weeks in, he’s hanging with [Travis Konecny], him and [Christian Dvorak], both coming from another team, instant bond. That hasn’t just come throughout the year. That started at training camp.”
Especially important in allowing Zegras to settle in with the Flyers right away was the presence of close friend Jamie Drysdale — a fellow former Duck, who was similarly traded to Philly in 2024.
“I think him having Jamie is big,” Tocchet said of the duo. “I think Jamie’s helped him.”
“I found out in the summer,” the defenceman said, thinking back to the trade that brought Zegras to town. “It was a pretty quick turnaround. It was ‘Z on the trade block,’ and then it was hearing it could be this week, and then it was ‘Z to Philly’ — within the span of what felt like an hour. … I think everyone could see first-hand throughout this year what he can bring to a team and an organization. We’re lucky to have him.”
Lucky, too, to have the Bedford, N.Y., product’s unique personality in the room amid the emotional grind of the playoffs.
“He’s a pretty free-spirited guy obviously,” Drysdale said with a chuckle. “But just lightens up a locker room. He’s great to be around, a great guy to have. … He’s been a stud for us all year, and continued to be through Game 1. It’s been a lot of fun.”
Penguins, Flyers keeping level head after fiery Game 1
The first instalment of the 2026 Battle of Pennsylvania brought no shortage of fireworks. The Flyers pummelled the Penguins in the first period, the Penguins pushed back in the second, and the visitors ultimately finished the night with a win courtesy of a late stunner off the stick of their teenage phenom Porter Martone.
Despite the theatrics, both clubs are preaching calmness going into Game 2.
“Guys were excited that we won the game. But I don’t know, back at the hotel, we ate as a team. They had some highlights, but nobody was really watching. Guys ate and then guys went and got some therapy done. That’s when you know,” Tocchet said Sunday. “It was almost like, ‘Alright, good game, but we got 36 hours to get ready, because we know the other team’s going to come out harder.
“That’s a veteran approach, and I saw that from the young guys. … I was watching [captain Sean Couturier] — it was, ‘Hey, good win, but let’s go here.’”
“We obviously have a really good leadership group that will set the tempo and set the mood. I mean, I don’t think anybody’s panicking here,” Kindel said after Sunday’s skate at the Penguins’ practice facility. “We just came to the rink, it was a regular day today. We’re looking to get the job done tomorrow and execute tomorrow. And that’s about it.
“Tomorrow’s a new day, new game. It’s a long series.”
Egor Chinakhov – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Tommy Novak – Rickard Rakell – Evgeni Malkin
Elmer Soderblom – Ben Kindel – Anthony Mantha
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Noel Acciari
Parker Wotherspoon – Erik Karlsson
Sam Girard – Kris Letang
Ryan Shea – Connor Clifton
Tyson Foerster – Trevor Zegras – Owen Tippett
Travis Konecny – Christian Dvorak – Porter Martone
Denver Barkey – Noah Cates – Matvei Michkov
Luke Glendening – Sean Couturier – Garnet Hathaway
Travis Sanheim – Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York – Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler – Emil Andrae
