Pens Points: Into enemy territory

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PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 20: Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jamie Drysdale #9 of the Philadelphia Flyers battle for the loose puck in Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 20, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images

Here are your Pens Points for this Wednesday morning…​

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ recent playoff struggles at home continued with back-to-back losses to the Philadelphia Flyers in Games 1 and 2. Pittsburgh’s home-ice playoff struggles run deeper than this series against their cross-state rival, however. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017, Pittsburgh has managed just five home playoff wins over nine seasons and now must earn at least a split in Philadelphia to keep the series alive. [PensBurgh]

The Penguins now enter Philadelphia for the next two games, but coach Dan Muse said the team remains confident and focused on correcting mistakes rather than panicking. [Penguins]

Pittsburgh coaches are rightfully considering lineup and power-play changes ahead of Game 3. The questions now become whether it’s too late to make changes or if the changes will even work against a team that has outright stymied Pittsburgh. [Trib Live]

News and notes from around the NHL…​

The Vancouver Canucks have received permission to interview former Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams for their vacant GM position as they continue searching for a replacement after dismissing Patrik Allvin. [Sportsnet]

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said star defenseman Victor Hedman is unlikely to play in his team’s first-round NHL playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens. [Sportsnet]

Former NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk has been named president of KHL club Shanghai Dragons, marking a new front-office role for the retired winger. [TSN]

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