Penguins roll the dice on risky lineup move in must-win moment vs. Flyers Saturday: Stuart Skinner is benched
Arturs Silovs gets the crease from Dan Muse as the Pittsburgh Penguins turn to a new starter with their season on the line.
That's the story heading into Saturday night, and it's a bold swing from a coach who clearly feels his group needs a jolt more than a speech.
The Penguins are down through the first 3 games of the opening-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, and nothing about the matchup has looked settled for Pittsburgh.
Muse's decision lands hard because this doesn't read like a routine rotation.
It reads like a bench trying to shake itself awake before puck drop.
Stuart Skinner was the one pulled from the spotlight, even though the bigger issues around this series have stretched far beyond the crease.
The Penguins have been chasing the flow, losing battles, and giving the Flyers too much room to dictate the game.
That's what makes the switch so revealing. Muse isn't just changing goalies.
He's sending a message to the full bench that the standard has dropped and the response can't wait another night.
Dan Muse makes his biggest call yet sitting Stuart Skinner
Silovs now walks into the toughest spot possible: an elimination game, a rattled team, and a series that has already tilted toward Philadelphia's pace and pressure.
There's pressure on Skinner too, and not only because of this night.
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Once a coach makes a move like this in the playoffs, every save and every goal against becomes part of the larger conversation.
That's why the Penguins' room will be watched as closely as the crease.
A switch like this can spark a team, or it can confirm that the group is running out of answers.
Muse is betting on the first outcome.
He's betting that a fresh look in net can settle the bench, tighten the details in front of him, and give Pittsburgh one clean push back into the series.
The Flyers won't care about the theory behind it.
They've controlled too much of this matchup already, and they'll try to test Silovs early with traffic, rebounds, and quick pressure around the blue paint.
Now the Penguins have no room left to hide behind adjustments on paper.
Muse made the biggest move available to him, and Arturs Silovs is carrying all of that weight into Game 4.
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YESTERDAY
APRIL 24, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Mikael Granlund | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Lawson Crouse | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Leo Carlsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kirby Dach | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jackson Lacombe | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Connor McDavid | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alexandre Texier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Evan Bouchard | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Nic Dowd | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kasperi Kapanen | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexander Killorn | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mason McTavish | 1 | - | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||