The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 7-0 on Wednesday night, Sept. 30, 2026, while the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Islanders 2-1. Pittsburgh scored five times on its first 18 shots, and Toronto got a first-period power-play goal from Easton Cowan. The players’ scoring, goaltending and special-teams work decided both games.
Penguins Take Control
Evgeni Malkin, Hendrix Lapierre and Filip Hallander scored in the second period, turning Pittsburgh’s lead into a rout. Arturs Silovs stopped 19 shots for his third career shutout in his 57th start. Nick Robertson scored twice, Ville Koivunen and Egor Chinakhov also scored, and Sidney Crosby had an assist.
Early in the second period, Malkin’s one-timer from the slot made it 3-0. That goal gave him 100 career points against Philadelphia, making him the sixth player to reach at least 100 points against the Flyers. Crosby assisted on Robertson’s opening goal, extending his record to 140 career points against Philadelphia.
Philadelphia’s Dan Vladar faced five Pittsburgh goals on the Penguins’ first 18 shots. He hadn’t played a full period in the preseason while dealing with an unspecified injury. The Flyers were playing the first game of a back-to-back set, so Vladar stayed in the game. Robertson’s second goal made it 6-0 after Vladar knocked the puck into the net with the back of his skate.
Pittsburgh returned to the same Philadelphia ice where its season ended in April, when the Flyers won their first-round playoff series in six games. Philadelphia clinched the series on Cam York’s winning goal and left to a roaring ovation. Wednesday brought a different scene. The Flyers were booed off the ice, with louder boos after the second period.
Pittsburgh is seeking another run with longtime core players Crosby, Malkin and Kris Letang. Malkin signed a one-year deal to remain with the Penguins, who hope to win a playoff series for the first time in nearly a decade. The Penguins’ next game is their home opener Saturday against Montreal. Philadelphia plays at New Jersey on Thursday.
Toronto Gets Its First Win
Toronto beat New York 2-1 for its first victory under coach Jim Hiller, bouncing back from a 3-2 home loss to Montreal in its opener Tuesday night. The result spoiled the Islanders’ season opener. Cowan had a goal and an assist in the first period, Colton Sissons also scored for Toronto, and Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves.
At 7:14 of the first period, Sissons redirected his first Toronto goal off Nick Paul’s setup. Cowan put in a power-play rebound with 8:05 left in the period. Toronto’s two first-period goals proved decisive in a game where New York scored once.
Stolarz was perfect until Emil Heineman scored short-handed with 5:51 remaining in the third period. Heineman cut Toronto’s lead, while Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin stopped 24 shots. Stolarz reunited with fellow netminder Sergei Bobrovsky after they won the Stanley Cup together with Florida in 2024.
The Islanders host New Jersey on Saturday night, and the Maple Leafs host Ottawa that same night. Across both openers, the results turned on the players’ contributions: Pittsburgh scored five times on its first 18 shots, Silovs recorded a shutout, and Toronto got two first-period goals and 26 saves from Stolarz.