PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Penguins (12-7-5) are fresh from an embarrassing loss Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who dismantled them, 7-2. The Penguins badly need some mojo, and they may get it in the form of a rookie and a tough guy when they face the Philadelphia Flyers (14-7-3) at Xfinity Mobile (Home) Arena.
The puck drops just after 7 p.m.
The last time the teams met was Oct. 28. Each team had a game-winning goal in overtime overturned before the Flyers finally won in a shootout. It was pure chaos, and pure Penguins vs. Flyers.
The Penguins recalled rookie Rutger McGoarty from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Monday, but the team also recalled a player more known for his toughness, Boko Imama.
Penguins coach Dan Muse will unleash the rookies, pairing three of them together on a “Kids Line,” the likes of which have not been seen in Pittsburgh in a long time. Ben Kindel will center McGroarty and Ville Koivunen.
Imama will be on hand if the Flyers return to the chippiness that marked the last meeting between the clubs, and nearly every other meeting over the last 50 years.
“He’s been playing well … He’s been protecting pucks down low. His defensive game has been really good (in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton), and he’s been getting in on the forecheck,” said Muse. “Obviously, there’s an element of physicality that he brings as well. It’s a part of his game.”
Imama was the Penguins’ 2025 Masterton Nominee and is a gregarious human off the ice. On the ice is a different matter. Last season, he had two fights in his 16 NHL games and five in the AHL.
Tristan Jarry will be between the pipes for the Penguins. Dan Vladar will tend the Flyers’ goal.
In addition to creating the kids line with McGroarty, Muse also inserted Imama on the fourth line and physical defenseman Connor Clifton back into the lineup.
How to Watch
TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh, NHL Network
Radio: 105.9 The X
Expected Penguins Lines
Kevin Hayes-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust
Tommy Novak-Evgeni Malkin-Anthony Mantha
Rutger McGroarty-Ben Kindel-Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Boko Imama
Defense
Parker Wotherspoon-Erik Karlsson
Ryan Shea-Kris Letang
Ryan Graves-Connor Clifton
Goalie: Tristan Jarry, Confirmed
Expected Flyers Lines
Tyson Foerster–Noah Cates–Travis Konecny
Owen Tippett–Christian Dvorak–Trevor Zegras
Matvei Michkov–Sean Couturier–Bobby Brink
Nikita Grebenkin–Rodrigo Abols–Garnet Hathaway
Defense
Cam York–Travis Sanheim
Emil Andrae–Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler–Noah Juulsen
Goaltender: Dan Vladar, Expected
Special Teams
Penguins’ power play: 30.4%, 2nd. Penguins penalty kill: 84.8%, 5th.
Flyers power play: 17.5%, 19th. Flyers penalty kill: 85.1%, 4th.
Penguins Game Notes
The Penguins have points in 10 of their last 12 games against Philadelphia (7-2-3).
Evgeni Malkin has picked up 95 points (32-63-95) in 78 career games against the Flyers.
Who’s your Daddy? As good as Malkin is against the Flyers, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has owned the Flyers for 21 seasons running. In 91 career games, Crosby has 57 goals, 78 assists, and 135 points.
No player in NHL history has scored more against the Flyers than Crosby.
Crosby has 33 points (15-18-33) in his last 22 games against the Flyers.
Parker Wotherspoon, who ranks third on the Penguins, averaging a career-best 21:07 of time-on-ice per game, has already established multiple career highs in goals (2) and points (9) in just 24 games.
Categorized: Penguins Pregame
