Penguins’ Hallander and Silovs rout Flyers 7-0 on dominant night

The Pittsburgh Penguins opened their campaign with a one-sided performance in Philadelphia, overwhelming the Flyers 7-0 on Wednesday night. Filip Hallander led the way offensively with three points, while Arturs Silovs turned aside every shot he faced in a 19-save shutout.

Hallander breaks out as new Penguins impress

Hallander finished the game with one goal and two assists, a career-best outing at the NHL level after entering the night with only four points in 16 games. The breakout performance gives Pittsburgh added depth scoring behind its established stars.

Quebec forward Hendrix Lapierre made an immediate impact in his first appearance with the Penguins, scoring once and chipping in an assist. Lapierre, drafted 25th overall by the Washington Capitals in 2020, arrived in Pittsburgh in June in a trade that sent two draft picks the other way.

Nick Robertson was another newcomer to hit the scoresheet, striking twice in his Penguins debut. Ville Koivunen, Evgeni Malkin and Egor Chinakhov also found the back of the net, while Quebec defenceman Samuel Girard collected two assists. Captain Sidney Crosby added a helper in the convincing victory.

For Silovs, the shutout was the third of his NHL career and came on a relatively quiet night in terms of workload. At the other end, Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar faced 38 shots and was beaten seven times as Philadelphia struggled to contain Pittsburgh’s attack.

Cowan’s winner lifts Maple Leafs over Islanders

In Toronto, Easton Cowan provided the decisive offence in a tight contest, scoring the game-winning goal and adding an assist in a 2-1 Maple Leafs victory over the New York Islanders. The win gave the Maple Leafs their first two points of the season after a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens the previous night.

Colton Sissons scored the other Toronto goal, while Anthony Stolarz handled 26 shots to secure the result in front of the home crowd. The steady goaltending helped the Maple Leafs protect a narrow lead down the stretch.

Defenceman Morgan Rielly picked up a point on Cowan’s winner, marking the 75th game-winning goal he has helped create in his career. That achievement moves him into a tie with Tomas Kaberle for third place in franchise history in that category.

Former Montreal Canadiens forward Emil Heineman scored the lone goal for the Islanders, cutting the deficit late in the third period. New York could not complete the comeback despite a 24-save effort from goaltender Ilya Sorokin.