There are immutable certainties in hockey.
The ice will be cold, and the pucks will be rubber.
And Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will always be ready for the Philadelphia Flyers.
Such was the case Thursday as Crosby and the Penguins thumped their most enduring rivals 6-3 at PPG Paints Arena.
The result snapped a three-game losing skid (0-2-1) for the Penguins, who awakened from an offensive hibernation in which they were limited to two goals over that trio of defeats.
The Penguins had 13 players record a point, including Crosby (one goal and one assist).
A leading protagonist in the Penguins-Flyers allegory — or antagonist, depending on which side of the commonwealth one might inhabit — Crosby doesn’t need any extra reason to be tuned in for the Flyers. But with both squads striving to secure postseason-worthy places in the standings just past the midway juncture of the regular season, urgency is only amplified.
“They’re all big games,” Crosby said Wednesday in Cranberry. “As far as how important the points are and what it means here in the standings, there’s a lot of motivation.”
Penguins goaltender Stuart Skinner improved his record to 15-12-4 by unofficially making 30 saves on 33 shots.
Having spent the bulk of his first seven NHL seasons with the Edmonton Oilers and being a part of the fierce Battle of Alberta against the rival Calgary Flames, Skinner, acquired in a trade Dec. 12, got his first taste of the Battle of Pennsylvania.
“Yesterday, I was talking to somebody and he (said), ‘Hey, big game tomorrow. Playing against Philly,’” Skinner recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, why’s that?’ And he was talking about the state rivalry. I was like, ‘OK, that’s awesome.’ It was pretty easy to get up for this game. Then, coming in this morning, talking about it, we were pretty juiced to play this game.
“I found out yesterday, but that got me fired up. I was ready to go. I was ready to work for this team and for this city.”
As usual, the Penguins’ energetic fourth line of Noel Acciari, Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte was ready. That trio combined on two goals in some fashion and offered its usual approach of tenacity and physicality. Lizotte even got into a fight that led to a power-play goal for Crosby.
“They contribute a lot of different ways,” Crosby said. “They bring energy. They contribute on the scoresheet. They’re tough to play against. They get a lot of zone time. They’re good penalty killers, so a lot of different areas. They’re playing unbelievable for us.”
Penguins forward Justin Brazeau opened the scoring 2:16 into regulation by collecting his 13th goal of the season during a power-play sequence.
Accepting the puck above the right circle of the offensive zone, Penguins forward Anthony Mantha faked a one-timer and then fed a pass to the opposite circle. Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae deflected the puck a bit with his stick in the slot, but not enough to break up its intended route to the left dot. Penguins rookie forward Ben Kindel gathered in the puck and one-touched a forehand pass to the far side of the crease. Brazeau, positioned as if he purchased the oil and mineral rights of that portion of the ice, leaned on his right knee and tapped a forehand shot by the left skate of goaltender Samuel Ersson. Kindel and Mantha had assists.
wow.
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 16, 2026
Puck movement doesn't get ANY better than this ????
(via: ESPN) pic.twitter.com/YgGxjdmnO2
The hosts struck again on a power play via forward Bryan Rust’s 17th goal at 12:25 of the first period.
Settling the puck at the center point of Philadelphia’s zone, Penguins defenseman Kris Letang maneuvered a bit to his right and fed a pass to the top of the left circle. Surveying for a shooting lane, Rust identified one and zipped a wrister to the far side by Ersson’s glove. Letang and Crosby collaborated on assists.
Rusty wrister!
— SportsNet Pittsburgh (@SNPittsburgh) January 16, 2026
(via: ESPN) pic.twitter.com/JG7xX4prY8
Penguins forward Egor Chinakhov put his team up by a field goal with his fifth goal 76 seconds into the second period.
Corralling a rebound on his own left half wall, Penguins forward Tommy Novak fed a stretch pass to the far blue line. Linemate Evgeni Malkin, who looked as if he was offside on the sequence by the distance to the Somerset exit on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, accepted the puck, pulled up on the right half-wall of Philadelphia’s zone, drew in Flyers defenseman Jamie Drysdale and dished a pass to the slot. Surging toward the cage, Chinakhov took in the puck and smoked a wrister from the lower left hashmark by Ersson’s blocker on the near side. Assists were merited by Malkin and Novak.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 16, 2026
It marked the second time in four games that Malkin and Chinakhov connected for a score. During a 2-1 home loss to the Calgary Flames on Saturday, Malkin set up Chinakhov for his second goal since joining the Penguins in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 29.
“You’ve seen a couple of goals there with these guys just finding each other off the rush,” coach Dan Muse said. “They find each other in zone. Anytime you have new linemates too, sometimes it takes a little while to really see that chemistry build. But we’ve seen it’s starting to build in the right way. They’re playing well, Egor is playing well.”
The Flyers responded only 61 seconds later with forward Rodrigo Abols’ third goal.
Winning a puck battle deep on the right wall of the Pittsburgh zone against Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea, Flyers forward Carl Grundstrom slid a pass to above the far circle. Stopping the puck, defenseman Cam York wound up and whacked a slap-pass to the front of the cage. Slipping in from the right circle, Abols deflected the puck with the backhand of his stick past Skinner’s left skate. York and Grundstrom generated assists.
Rodrigo Ābols gūst savus trešos vārtus šosezon! ???????????? pic.twitter.com/g5Zg4KtFHW
— NHL Latvija (@Latvija_NHL) January 16, 2026
The Flyers made the peculiar decision of pulling Ersson after Abols’ score. While Ersson appeared to be healthy, rookie goaltender Aleksei Kolosov completed the contest.
Lizotte got in on the act with his sixth goal at 18:29 of the second frame.
Flyers forward Travis Konecny recovered a loose puck near his own right corner but held on to it for too long, allowing Lizotte to check him and knock the puck free. Acciari swooped in, claimed possession and drove to the right of the cage from a bad angle. Upon arrival, he shuffled a backhander on net, which Kolosov rejected at first. Acciari jabbed another backhander on the rebound, causing the puck to become airborne and flutter over Kolosov. The puck glanced off the crossbar as it approached the ice, Lizotte managed to tap it in from above the blue paint. Acciari accrued the lone assist.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 16, 2026
A customary feature of Penguins-Flyers entanglements — a fight — unfolded 92 seconds into the third period.
Flyers forward Denver Barkey tried to carry the puck through the neutral zone only to get planted onto the ice on a stiff shoulder check by Lizotte. An unlikely candidate — Flyers forward Matvei Michkov — jumped Lizotte in response and the two tussled to the ice.
Fighting majors were issued to Lizotte and Michkov — the first of Michkov’s career — while an additional roughing minor was assessed to Michkov.
That set up Crosby for his team-best 25th goal at 3:19 of the third period during another power-play sequence.
Off a puck battle from Philadelphia’s end boards, Malkin settled the puck below the left circle and coolly slid a pass to the far side of the crease, where Crosby pumped a wrister into a mostly vacant cage as Kolosov flashed his glove in vain. Malkin and forward Rickard Rakell registered assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 16, 2026
The rout was on only 68 seconds later when Dewar claimed his ninth goal.
Andrae tried to skate a rebound out of danger from his own right circle but was pestered into a turnover by Acciari, who tapped a pass to an onrushing Novak. After waiting, waiting and waiting, Novak slipped a pass to the left circle for Dewar, who swiped a forehand shot behind a distressed Kolosov. Novak and Acciari had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 16, 2026
Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler got on the scoreboard with his second goal at 6:22 of the third.
Settling a puck in the Penguins’ slot, Barkey offloaded it to an advancing Seeler, who maneuvered into the left circle and ripped a wrister to the far side past Skinner’s glove. Barkey and defenseman Noah Juulsen generated assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 16, 2026
The scoring was capped at 17:25 by Michkov’s 10th goal.
Barkey gathered a bouncing puck in the neutral zone and burst into the offensive zone, creating a two-on-one rush with Michkov against Penguins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon. From above the left circle, Barkey fed a pass to the opposite circle for Michkov, who swept a one-timer past Skinner’s glove on the near side. Barkey and linemate Sean Couturier had assists.
— EN Videos (@ENVideos19) January 16, 2026
Those two late goals took a little luster off what was a mostly stout performance for Skinner, now 4-4-0 as a member of the Penguins.
“He’s been playing great as of late,” Lizotte said of Skinner. “The group is behind him fully and have full confidence in him. So, it’s been a great addition for us, and we enjoy playing in front of him.”
Skinner seems to find the arrangement to be agreeable as well.
“I’ve been enjoying it for quite some time now,” Skinner said. “I definitely feel settled. All around, this team really brings out a family feeling. A real team feeling. It’s awesome to be a part of.”
And Crosby was sated in being a leading part of another win against the Flyers.
“Feels the same to me,” Crosby said. “Every game has its own feel or narrative or whatever you want to call it, but I think it feels the same. It’s always intense games.”
Notes:
• Skinner (4-4-0) moved into a tie for 42nd place on the franchise’s career goaltending wins list. He surpassed:
Andy Chiodo — 3-4-1
Gary Edwards — 3-2-1
Paul Harrison — 3-7-0
Bob Johnson — 3-4-1
Brad Thiessen — 3-1-0
• The Penguins were 3 for 4 on the power play. They were 0 for 8 with the man advantage in their previous three games.
• The Penguins’ penalty kill is 19 for 20 (95.0%) in the past seven games.
• In 93 career games against the Flyers, Crosby has 139 points (60 goals, 79 assists).
• Penguins defenseman Ryan Graves and forward Kevin Hayes were healthy scratches.
