Penguins notebook: Lineup changes for Game 3 vs. Flyers; Stuart Skinner starts again
PHILADELPHIA - The NHL's third-highest scoring offense managed two goals in the first two games of the playoffs. Accordingly, Penguins coach Dan Muse made some lineup changes before Game 3 of Pittsburgh's first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Philadelphia led 2-0 after dominating Games 1 and 2 at PPG Paints Arena.
Rickard Rakell was back on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. That trio played more minutes together than any Penguins line during the past two regular seasons.
Anthony Mantha bumped up to the second line with Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin. Egor Chinakhov slid down to join Ben Kindel and Justin Brazeau, the latter of whom had been scratched in Games 1 and 2, on the third line.
That sent Elmer Soderblom to the press box.
Brazeau had 17 goals and 34 points in a breakout campaign, his first in Pittsburgh.
"Just excited to play my game," Brazeau said after Wednesday's morning skate at Xfinity Mobile Arena. "This time of year is the best time of year to play hockey."
He appeared in 15 playoff games during the previous two seasons with the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild, registering four points in low ice time.
Brazeau, Kindel and Chinakhov played just six minutes together all season at 5-on-5, per Natural Stat Trick.
"All three of us bring a different element," Brazeau said. "In the offensive zone, I want those guys skating around with the puck, and I know where I have to go. So it makes it easier for me to read off them."
Brazeau's 6-foot-6, 232-pound frame could help the Penguins establish a presence in front of the Flyers net, something they've hardly been able to do.
"When I'm at my best, I'm around the paint most of the time in the offensive zone," Brazeau said.
Getting Chinakhov going is another key for the Penguins to claw back in the series. The Flyers hit him hard several times in the first period of Game 1. He registered just three shots in the first two games of the series and had a minus-2 rating after he scored 18 goals in 43 games as a Penguin.
Kindel and he played together early in Chinakhov's Pittsburgh tenure. Kindel thought they established a solid connection.
"He's a really good finisher, really good speed," the 19-year-old rookie said. "I'll have to try and play off that tonight, try and get him the puck with speed and in good spots."
Stuart Skinner in net again
Stuart Skinner drew another start in net for Game 3.
After Muse rotated Skinner and Arturs Silovs for most of the season, Skinner has started every playoff game so far.
He was arguably the Penguins' best player in the first two games of the series.
Skinner stopped several breakaways and odd-man rushes in Game 1. He continued to make critical saves in Game 2, including denying a 2-on-0 shorthanded opportunity for the Flyers.
"Stu's been great, so the games haven't been out of hand," defenseman Connor Clifton said.
‘We're giving it to them'
The Penguins amassed far more offensive zone time and shot attempts through the first two games of the series. The Flyers' 5-on-5 offense didn't generate much at all, particularly in Game 2.
But Philadelphia still scored three goals in each of the first two games by pouncing on Pittsburgh mistakes.
"We're giving it to them, and they're not really earning it...," Clifton said. "Each little mistake right now is burning us."
Brazeau said the Penguins need to "simplify" their game.
"It's less about what they've done and more about us maybe being a little bit stubborn in certain spots," the forward said.
Clifton said it "starts with our legs," noting that the Penguins carried play in the opening minutes of the third period in Game 2 once they broke the Flyers' structure in the neutral zone and won offensive zone puck battles.
"It's about that sustained pressure right now…," Clifton said. "We want our forwards having the puck in the [offensive] zone and making their plays."
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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 3:42 PM.