PITTSBURGH — The PPG Paints Arena crowd was roaring with towels waving long before puck drop. It took little time for the “Flyers suck” chants to echo through the building.

Playoff hockey returned to Pittsburgh for the first time in four years Saturday. The fans did their part. But the Penguins were overwhelmed by Philadelphia’s speed and physicality in a deflating Game 1 loss.

Travis Sanheim and Porter Martone scored third-period goals to give the Flyers a 3-2 road win over the Penguins. Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead in the first-round series.

Not surprisingly, the first period was extremely physical. The Flyers welcomed Egor Chinakhov to playoff hockey by repeatedly crushing the speedy winger during the opening frame. Philadelphia was credited with 20 hits in the period.

And they were nearly credited with the game’s opening goal, but for once, a goalie interference call went the Penguins’ way. It didn’t even take a challenge. Christian Dvorak appeared to score after flying into the zone on a power play. But he also flew into Skinner, and the referees immediately waved the would-be goal off.

The Flyers outshot the Penguins 9-5 in the scoreless first period and had the better chances.

That continued in the second. Philadelphia had multiple breakaways in the first 10 minutes of the period that Skinner turned away. The Flyers’ speed and physicality was clearly taking a toll on the Penguins.

And it eventually led the visitors to the first goal of the series. Jamie Drysdale fired a shot from the right circle that Skinner couldn’t locate through a heavy screen in front of the net 9:19 into the second.

The Flyers kept controlling play after the goal. But the Penguins finally started stacking some shifts together late in the period — and Evgeni Malkin paid it off with a rifle from the right circle that tied the game with about four minutes remaining in the period.

The Penguins were again lucky to be tied entering the intermission. They gift-wrapped Grade-A looks on the rush with ill-advised turnovers throughout the period. They struggled to even complete passes against the Flyers’ relentless pressure. But Malkin’s equalizer brought the PPG Paints Arena crowd back to life.

Philadelphia took control again in the third period. Skinner stopped more breakaways as the Flyers repeatedly burned the Penguins with speed.

And Skinner couldn’t bail them out after defenseman Sanheim made a brilliant play to get around Elmer Soderblom and Anthony Mantha and flipped in a wrister from the slot to give the Flyers the lead again.

Martone essentially iced the game with a heavy wrister from the right circle to put the Flyers up 3-1 with less than three minutes left. The 19-year-old was playing college hockey less than a month ago. But he’s been operating at a point-per-game pace in the NHL, and that continued in his first playoff game.

Bryan Rust scored with a minute to play to bring the Penguins back within one.

It was over when …

Martone showed why he was such a massive late-season addition with an incredible shot to give the Flyers a late two-goal lead.

Stat of the game

17: The Penguins’ shots on goal, unofficially. The Flyers completely dominated in their own zone and let very little make it through to Dan Vladar.

Around the boards

— Penguins forward Justin Brazeau was scratched despite a 17-goal, 34-point season, as fourth-line forwards Connor Dewar and Blake Lizotte returned to the lineup after injuries held them out through the end of the regular season.

— The Penguins have used a game-by-game goalie rotation with Skinner and Arturs Silovs throughout the season. At Saturday’s morning skate, coach Dan Muse did not comment on whether that would continue in this series.

Up next

Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. ET Monday at PPG Paints Arena. It’s essentially a must-win for the Penguins to tie the series before it shifts to Philadelphia.

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