Saturday’s flyers vs penguins matchup at PPG Paints Arena comes with an unusual tension: projected lineups point to new faces and emergency recalls, while Pittsburgh prepares to play without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, two centers unavailable due to injury and suspension.
What changes the most in Flyers Vs Penguins without Crosby and Malkin?
Pittsburgh enters the game missing Crosby, listed with a lower-body injury and expected to miss a sixth straight game. He practiced Friday in a noncontact capacity. Malkin will be absent as he serves the first game of a five-game suspension for a slash to the head of Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the second period of a 5-1 loss Thursday.
The consequences are immediate in the projected forward groups, which place Rickard Rakell with Ben Kindel and Bryan Rust on the top line. The remaining projected lines are Egor Chinakhov–Tommy Novak–Ville Koivunen; Anthony Mantha–Kevin Hayes–Justin Brazeau; and Connor Dewar–Blake Lizotte–Noel Acciari. The Penguins also list Jack St. Ivany (hand surgery) and Caleb Jones (lower body) as injured, while Ilya Solovyov, Ryan Graves, and Elmer Soderblom are listed as scratched.
On the Philadelphia side, the projected lines show Alex Bump–Christian Dvorak–Owen Tippett; Trevor Zegras–Noah Cates–Luke Glendening; Denver Barkey–Sean Couturier–Matvei Michkov; and Nikita Grebenkin–Carl Grundstrom–Garnet Hathaway. The Flyers list Tyson Foerster (arm), Rodrigo Abols (lower body), Travis Konecny (upper body), and Nick Seeler (lower body) as injured.
Who is stepping in, and what do the projected lineups signal?
Several personnel notes add clarity to how both teams are trying to navigate the night. For Philadelphia, Luke Glendening is set to debut after being claimed off waivers from the New Jersey Devils on Friday. The Flyers are also poised to introduce Alex Bump, who will make his NHL debut after being recalled from Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.
Konecny’s status remains a key variable: he practiced Friday in a yellow noncontact jersey after missing the past two games. Another moving piece is Denver Barkey. He was re-assigned to Lehigh Valley on Friday along with defenseman Adam Ginning, but Philadelphia general manager Danny Briere said Barkey will be recalled before the game Saturday.
Pittsburgh’s response to Malkin’s suspension includes a recall: Ville Koivunen was brought up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL, with forward Avery Hayes sent to the AHL. Koivunen also appears in the projected lineup, reinforcing the sense that the flyers vs penguins game will hinge not only on star power, but on how quickly call-ups and new combinations settle into roles.
When is puck drop, how can fans watch, and what are the standings details?
The game is scheduled for 5: 30 p. m. ET on March 7 at PPG Paints Arena. It will be available on +. The Penguins are listed at 31-17-13 and the Flyers at 28-22-11. Pittsburgh ranks sixth and Philadelphia 12th in the Eastern Conference.
Those basic standings and records frame why availability matters so much. The matchup arrives with the Penguins working through a week that included a controversial goaltender interference rejection that resulted in a counted goal, while also juggling Crosby’s continued absence and Malkin’s suspension. With no full practice Friday and no morning skate Saturday, the Penguins’ lines were described as uncertain beyond the broad shape offered by the projected combinations.
For viewers, that uncertainty is part of the intrigue: the flyers vs penguins game will be defined by who can execute within altered roles, from Philadelphia’s debuting and newly recalled players to Pittsburgh’s reshuffled center depth in the absence of its usual anchors.
