Is Goaltending Pittsburgh’s Biggest Concern in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs?
Penguins’ goaltender Stuart Skinner will start Pittsburgh's Game One matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers. Skinner joined the Penguins in a trade with the Oilers on December 12th, 2025, in which Tristan Jarry was sent to Edmonton. In his half-season with Pittsburgh, Skinner started 27 games, recording a 12-9-5 record, a .885 save percentage, and a 2.99 GAA. Since late January, he has a 4-4-5 record with a .870 save percentage. The Penguins also have Arturs Silovs, who started 38 games this season. Silovs posted a 19-12-8 record, a .887 save percentage, and a 3.07 GAA. In his last 11 games, Silovs allowed four or five goals seven times. Both goalies have struggled, making goaltending a major concern for Pittsburgh, which ended the regular season with three losses to teams not in the playoffs.
The Penguins scored 293 goals in the 2025 season, good for second-best in the Eastern Conference behind the Carolina Hurricanes. However, Pittsburgh also allowed 268 goals, the third-most in the Eastern Conference and the most in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh's offensive attack has been stellar, led by veterans Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who ranked first and fifth on the team in points with 74 and 61, respectively. New additions such as Anthony Mantha, Egor Chinakhov, and 2025 11th overall pick Ben Kindel have reinforced Pittsburgh's second through fourth lines, along with Rickard Rakell and Erik Karlsson. Still, Pittsburgh's defense and goaltending have led to them losing many games they had the lead, and have cost them even more in overtime and shootouts. The black and yellow had a terrible shootout record of 3-10, and repeatedly allowed teams to come back and win or force overtime after leading by three or four goals.
As the series against the Flyers goes on, Pittsburgh will have to face the tough decision each game on who to start in goal between Skinner and Silovs. Goaltending is the most probable issue with the Penguins' potential Stanley Cup run. Crosby, Malkin, and others are returning after resting out in Pittsburgh's last game against the St. Louis Blues, and with their first matchup in the Eastern Conference Playoffs being against their in-state rivals, tensions and aggression will be high. Flyers goalie Dan Vladar had a phenomenal year for the Orange and Black, posting a 29-14-7 record through 51 games started. Vladar had a .906 save percentage and a 2.42 GAA, good for third in the NHL. If Vladar stays tough against Pittsburgh's fast attack, the Pens could get down quickly, regardless of which goaltender is in net. Silovs and Skinner have both shown capability, but are often accompanied by a lackluster defense and misfortune, as Pittsburgh finished the season with zero wins in its nine goalie interference challenges. Each game, Pittsburgh will have a question to answer: Who starts in the net? It's not an easy one.
