Puck dropped at PPG Paints Arena as the Pittsburgh Penguins began their Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 1 series against the Philadelphia Flyers. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said "I don't like them" when asked about the Flyers ahead of Game 1. Early in the game Rasmus Ristolainen was assessed a two-minute roughing penalty drawn by Elmer Soderblom, and the game officials were Chris Rooney (#5) and Peter MacDougall (#38). Special teams were flagged as pivotal, with Lizzo saying "Playing with details, obviously, and everyone being on the same page is vitally important, and staying aggressive," underscoring that power-play and penalty-kill execution could decide the series.