The postmortem for an elimination game is always something. Add in the twist that Game 6 was a 1-0 OT loss and that takes it to a new level. On the simplest of terms, it doesn’t take much more than the surface level fact that you can’t win if you don’t score. That proved to be a major issue for the Penguins, who only combined to score four total goals in their four playoff losses – two of them coming via shutout.
In that way, it’s a team loss. The power play was woefully ineffective again, going 0/2 on the night and never even threatening to score. The same personnel was used, which personally I can’t knock, but the mindset was the same and the urgency to create wasn’t there. Not a great formula.
Advertisement
The Penguins managed 42 shots, which looks all well and good in the boxscore but didn’t manage to get many from the middle of the ice on goal, a credit to the defensive work of Philadelphia that was on point throughout Game 6 and almost all of the series. Pittsburgh’s strengths of generating off the rush and creating odd-man situations was completely erased. Slot chances that didn’t get deflected away were nearly as absent.
There were plenty of flashes where it could have been different, as happens in every game. Egor Chinakhov and Tommy Novak struck iron. Bryan Rust got a great chance from down low. Evgeni Malkin had a few looks at the net. Dan Vladar was on his game and there was no fortunate bounce or crazy play to capitalize on for Pittsburgh in Game 6.
In the end, it’s always a mistake that ends a 1-0 overtime playoff game and while there wasn’t a singular moment, the Pens pushed their luck too far. Their worst line let them down, it’s easy to point to Anthony Mantha’s non-play along the wall that helped lead to an odd man rush for Owen Tippett. Tippett zoomed around Ryan Shea, who didn’t have a great game and was pushed into deep water. Erik Karlsson, who played 36:22 on a night where the next closet player in icetime on either team was Travis Sanheim’s 31:20, couldn’t cover it up. Arturs Silovs could, as he did throughout most of the night. The puck was laying in the crease, plenty of open net in front of it for Porter Martone. Martone’s shot was foiled by Silovs’ discarded stick getting in the way.
The Pens had to ice the puck, trapping those players all working on a 1:30+ shift. Ben Kindel lost the faceoff cleanly. Mantha and Elmer Soderblom both opted to stay deep in the zone as the Flyers moved the puck along the blueline. It got to Cam York, and he leaned into a wrist shot that finally was one Silovs couldn’t stop. Ball game and season.
There was a dichotomy in overtime where the Penguins legitimately were carrying play and showing a much stronger level, but also draining out faster. At one point Bryan Rust motioned the bench that he wanted a change, only to wave it off when he had to fall back into the play and defend. You couldn’t literally hear him sigh but it was easily understandable in the moment. Even Kindel, the youngest player on the team, was skating much slower by the end. It was like a team chugging unevenly to the finish line.
Advertisement
Try as they may, the Penguins hit empty and then got caught. Game 6 was one of the best games they had in the series and certainly the best goaltending performance they’ve received in a long, long time- and yet they didn’t score a single goal either. It’s a tough result to swallow and brutal way to end a season.
Erik Karlsson’s perspective tends to be right on the money, his post-game comments sum it up.
“We got everyone playing up to their full potential all year. Then come this time of the year, you’re going to need a little bit more. And we just couldn’t reach that level, unfortunately,” Erik Karlsson said.
“If we reach this level of play from Game 1, we’re in a much better situation. Unfortunately, we didn’t. So today, great effort from the guys. Today, we played the way that we intended to right from the beginning, but all the credit to them. They bent. They bent hard, but they didn’t break. That’s why they’re moving on, and we’re not. And as much as it sucks, you gotta realize that you’re playing against good players and other good teams. And we were outplayed for the series.”
Advertisement
Ultimately, the Penguins came close and gave it their all, but just couldn’t get quite enough to advance. It happened in Game 6 and will be the lasting takeaway from their short experience in the 2026 playoffs.
Read the full article here
