PITTSBURGH (AP) — Connor Dewar, Kris Letang and Elmer Soderblom scored and the Pittsburgh Penguins avoided elimination for the second time in 48 hours with a 3-2 win over Philadelphia in Game 5 of their first-round series on Monday night.

Sidney Crosby shook off a shot to his left knee to add two assists for the Penguins, who cut the Flyers lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-2.

Game 6 is Wednesday in Philadelphia, where the pressure will be on the Flyers to avoid putting themselves in danger of becoming just the fifth team in NHL history to blow a series after winning the first three games.

Alex Bump scored his first goal of the playoffs for Philadelphia, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit to tie it on Travis Sanheim’s second goal of the series 15:06 into the second.

Crosby, who limped to the bench and then to the training room for treatment minutes earlier after a blast from the point by teammate Ryan Shea appeared to hit the top of his left knee, helped put the Penguins back in front just over two minutes later when he fed the puck to Letang at the top of the Philadelphia zone.

Letang sent a shot toward Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar that sailed wide of the net before bouncing back toward Vladar. The puck smacked off Vladar’s left pad, then his right and across the goal line to give Pittsburgh the lead for good.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS 5, MAMMOTH 4, OT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Shea Theodore scored on a snap shot from the high slot with 51.5 seconds left in overtime as Vegas beat Utah after squandering a three-goal lead, tying the first-round playoff series at two games apiece.

Game 5 of the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

The Golden Knights appeared to have won the game earlier in OT when Pavel Dorofeyev tapped in a loose puck with 9:41 left, but the apparent score was waved off when it was determined Vegas was offsides.

Vegas’ Brett Howden scored his second goal of the game on a tip-in with 9:35 remaining in the third period, and the goal forced overtime after Utah had stormed back with four straight goals.

The Golden Knights raced out to a 3-0 lead with two goals in the first and one early in the second by Dorofeyev, Howden, and Cole Smith.

Utah countered with four straight scores, capped by Clayton Keller’s wrist shot off a deflection for a 4-3 lead at the 5:10 mark of the third period.

Utah’s Karel Vejmelka had 31 stops. Carter Hart had 27 saves for Vegas.

The Vegas Golden Knights missed out when an apparent overtime goal that was waved off for offsides.

But they pushed through and eventually scored a goal that counted to tie their first-round playoff series against the Utah Mammoth at two games apiece.

Shea Theodore got the official goal at 19:08 of the first overtime to give the Golden Knights a 5-4 victory in a game in which they blew a 3-0 lead but tied the game 4-4.

The Golden Knights took advantage of Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka losing his stick on the winning goal. Though a teammate tried to get the stick back to him, the goalie wasn't able to grab it and Theodore blasted the puck past him at 19:08 into the first overtime.

OH NO Cole knocks away Vejmelka's stick and then Theodore rips it home 😱🚨

VEGAS TIES UP THE SERIES!!!! ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/YHBuTb805Z

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 28, 2026

The Golden Knights were celebrating earlier in overtime but all OT goals are reviewed and officials zeroed in on a potential offsides.

It was determined after a long review that Jack Eichel entered the zone ahead of the puck and the goal was wiped out.

VEGAS SCORED THE OT WINNER BUT AFTER A REVIEW... OFFSIDE, NO GOAL 🙅‍♂️🚫

WE PLAY ON! pic.twitter.com/0nVyoil7ml

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 28, 2026

But Eichel made up for it. He drew an assist on Theodore's game-winner.

The series will head back to Las Vegas on Wednesday, April 29 for Game 5.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Golden Knights rebound from overturned goal to beat Mammoth in OT

Follow Michael Whitaker On X

While the Detroit Red Wings are watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs at home for the 10th straight season, a pair of forwards who wore the Winged Wheel earlier in their careers are helping their current team stay alive in postseason competition. 

Former Red Wings forwards Anthony Mantha and Elmer Soderblom, now with the Pittsburgh Penguins, factored into the scoring in Monday evening's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Penguins squeaked out a 3-2 victory at PPG Paints Arena, cutting what was once a three games to none series lead for the Flyers down to three to two. 

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

Soderblom, who was traded to the Penguins by the Red Wings in March, opened the scoring with his first career goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, whistling a snap shot past the blocker of Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar early in the first period. 

ELMER SODERBLOM SCORES ON THE FIRST SHOT OF THE GAME!!! #StanleyCup

📺: @espn, @Sportsnet, & @TVASportspic.twitter.com/5OPSLHB8br

— NHL (@NHL) April 27, 2026

Picking up the assist on Soderblom's goal was none other than Anthony Mantha, who enjoyed a career season in Pittsburgh. He set new personal highs in both goals (33) and assists (31), and is in line for a raise on the $2.5 million he earned for this year. 

Soderblom, who was the tallest player in Red Wings history at towering at an imposing 6'9", was never able to realize his full potential in Detroit, and after registering just two goals and an assist in 39 games played this season, was traded to Pittsburgh on March 6 for a 2026 third-round draft pick.

Mantha, who spent the first several years of his NHL career with Detroit but often had time giving a full effort on the ice, was traded to the Washington Capitals in April 2021 for Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, a 2021 first-round pick, and a 2022 second-round pick. 

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Well, folks, we officially have ourselves a series. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins made the trip back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Monday after a gutsy Game 4 win that finally put a dent into that 3-0 series lead for the Philadelphia Flyers. Like Game 4, it was do-or-die, as they had to come away with the "W" in order to survive.

And after Monday's game, that small dent has become quite a bit larger. 

The Penguins put on a defensive clinic in the third period to best the Flyers, 3-2, and force Game 6 in Philadelphia on Wednesday. Goaltender Arturs Silovs - despite allowing a goal he'd probably want back - was strong yet again, stopping 18 of 20 Flyers' shots on goal and, for the most part, coming up big when he had to.

It is also the second-straight game where the Penguins have locked down defensively in the third period, and head coach Dan Muse gives credit to the Penguins' ability to largely maintain possession of the puck, even late in both games with the empty net. 

"I think you us giving up less there in both of the third periods, which I think it's a credit to the group," Muse said. "Just being able to make sure in the tight games, I think it's important, too - and I thought for the most part, we did a good job - but we still want to make plays. You don't want to just be throwing pucks away. The more you can be in the offensive zone and have possession, that's always the best defense.

"Overall, the guys did a really good job at the end of the games that we've won."

The Penguins opened up the scoring pretty early in this one despite the Flyers getting some early opportunities. Defenseman Parker Wotherspoon dumped the puck into the zone, and Anthony Mantha won the footrace to it behind the net as well as the battle for the puck. He quickly and decisively found Elmer Soderblom breaking into the slot, and Soderblom put home the Penguins' first shot of the game to give them a 1-0 lead. 

Give it up for Glue Guy's first-ever playoff goal 🙌 pic.twitter.com/AjLCbPCMHe

— x - Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 27, 2026

Pittsburgh controlled most of the first period, and that continued in the early stages of the second, when the team's third line had a good shift where they maintained possession of the puck. That continued with the fourth line, and toward the end of their shift, Blake Lizotte fed Sidney Crosby - fresh off the bench - and he found Connor Dewar breaking down the left side. 

Dewar fired a top-shelf snipe to the upper-left corner of the net, hitting the back bar and coming out just as fast as it went in. The Penguins realized they scored right away - even if the officials didn't - and after a short gathering, they confirmed the goal, which put the Penguins up, 2-0, just over three minutes into the second period. 

We would once again, like to remind you...

YOU CAN'T OUTDO THE DEWAR. pic.twitter.com/Lh60gSqLU3

— x - Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 28, 2026

However, things got a bit dicey when the Flyers responded just 12 seconds later. Alex Bump - taking the place of young Flyers' forward Matvei Michkov in the lineup - broke down the right side and gained positional advantage, and he put a puck on net that somehow found its way through Silovs's five-hole and into the net to cut into the Penguins' lead.

From there, much of the middle frame was played in the neutral zone, with each team not giving the other a ton of space. Later in the period, Sidney Crosby absorbed a heavy blast from teammate Ryan Shea - he later confirmed he was okay - and briefly went down the runway.

Right upon his return to the bench, Travis Sanheim shot a puck from the left side that went through traffic and deflected off the stick of Erik Karlsson, going behind Silovs and tying the game at 2-2. 

But the Penguins responded with a goal of their own this time - and they got their lucky bounce as well.

A little more than two minutes later, the Penguins' first line was cycling in the offensive zone, and defenseman Kris Letang floated a puck toward the goal that hit off the stancheon and bounced back toward Vladar. Vladar backed himself onto the goal line - not knowing where it was - and accidentally slid the puck past the goal line to give the Penguins back the 3-2 lead late in the second. 

Second of the series for Tanger💪 pic.twitter.com/s5H7Gb6IDY

— x - Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 28, 2026

Then, in the third period, the Penguins simply didn't allow much at all. Even though they only registered four shots themselves in the final frame, they limited the Flyers to six and largely kept them to the perimeter. Again, the Penguins were especially good in the final few minutes, making it difficult for the Flyers to pull Vladar in the first place and not giving them much at all once he was finally pulled.

This win was a huge testament to the resiliency of this group, which is something that has been on display all season long.

"That's something we've prided ourselves on all year," Crosby said. "Throughout the season, we have been in different situations, and I think that we've done a great job at handling adversity. Again, here, we're faced with more. It doesn't get any easier, so we know it's a big challenge.

"I think we have a lot of belief in our group, and we've done it time and time again. So, we've got to do it again."

Game 6 between the Penguins and Flyers will be Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET in Philadelphia.

GAME BLOG: Pittsburgh Penguins V. Philadelphia Flyers, Game 5Follow along with the THN - Pittsburgh Penguins' LIVE game blog for Round 1, Game 5 against the Philadelphia Flyers

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Three Takeaways

- The fourth line did a whole lot of good things in this game. They were used quite a lot in the final frame, when the Penguins were tasked with shutting things down and holding their narrow lead. And they helped generate offensively, too.

But, boy, was the first line good on Monday, too.

Crosby, Rickard Rakell, and Bryan Rust were a threat nearly every time they touched the ice. They gave up some chances against, too, but they were able to cycle in the offensive zone for the majority of the game, which is a pretty big deal.

87 looked much more himself in this game, and he was in vintage form. He finished with two primary assists on the evening and nearly scored an empty-netter on a diving attempt near center ice.

"When things get hard, when backs are against the wall, there is no doubt in my mind that he's going to lead the charge in terms of elevating, finding a way to do everything possible to help this team win a hockey game," Muse said of Crosby after the game.

Honestly, all four lines were big contributors for the Penguins Monday, as the third line of Soderblom, Ben Kindel, and Mantha were excellent as well. I'd still like to see more from the second line, but it's only a matter of time before Egor Chinakhov finds the back of the net in this series. 

Penguins Going Back To Same Lineup From Game 4 Was The Right CallThe Pittsburgh Penguins are going back to what worked in Game 4 ahead of their must-win Game 5 matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers.

- That said, the best players on the ice Monday were Letang and Sam Girard.

This pairing was driving the bus for the Penguins all night long. According to Moneypuck, they had a 64.4 percent expected goals share, which, honestly, seems kind of low. Letang, in particular, looked confident while carrying the puck and was able to make a few key defensive plays as well. 

Girard's ability in transition led to several opportunities as well, and they both skated the puck out of trouble with relative ease.

Karlsson still has not found the next gear. Ilya Solovyov's shifts were limited, especially in the third period. And Wotherspoon has been a bit shaky at times in this series. But between those two and Shea - who saw some shifts with Karlsson during the third period in this one - the Penguins' blue line has been more than solid in the last two.

Once Karlsson elevates - and if Girard and Letang can maintain this level and keep generating - things should look pretty good on the backend for the Penguins.

3 Takeaways: Penguins Earn Desperation Win Against Flyers To Force Game 5The Pittsburgh Penguins - led by goaltender Arturs Silovs and captain Sidney Crosby - played well enough to force a Game 5 against the Philadelphia Flyers in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series.

- It's already been said a few times over, but I'm so impressed with the Penguins' shutdown play in both third periods during these last two games. 

Yes, they surrendered a third-period goal Saturday, but the response matters. They're not giving the Flyers any time and space. They've even deployed their own 1-1-3 in the neutral zone at times. They're giving the Flyers a taste of their own medicine from earlier on in the series, and even Flyers' coach Rick Tocchet is impressed with the Penguins' defensive effort.

"You've got to give them credit," Tocchet said. "They're defending really hard."

If the Penguins can get the first goal again and play this well defensively in Game 6 - and, perhaps, get their power play going - they could make things very, very interesting.

Stay tuned, folks.

'You Don't Really Have Anything To Lose': With 3-0 Odds Stacked Against Them, Penguins Still Believe Comeback Is PossibleIt's no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in a precarious spot down 3-0 in their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers. But they're not ready to give up or give in.

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Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!   

The Buffalo Sabres now have a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Boston Bruins in their first-round series. With this, the Sabres only need one more win to advance to the second round. 

The Sabres have won each of their last two games to get into this position, and a massive reason behind it has been the play of goaltender Alex Lyon.

Since taking over the Sabres' crease from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen this series, Lyon has been nothing short of fantastic. In three appearances this playoffs, he has a 2-0 record, a 0.89 goals-against average, and a .964 save percentage. 

In Game 3 against the Bruins, Lyon stopped an impressive 24 out of 25 shots. Then, in Game 4, Lyon stopped 23 out of 24 shots. With this, there is no question that Lyon has been helping carry the Sabres and should continue to have the net for the time being because of it.

Lyon's strong start to the postseason comes after he had a 20-10-4 record, a 2.77 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and three shutouts. With this, the Sabres' decision to sign Lyon to a two-year, $3 million contract during this past offseason has been simply outstanding. 

Pregame

The Penguins use the same players, lines and goalie from Game 4 for Game 5.

How we're lining up for Game 5 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/um0bocTicF

— x – Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 27, 2026

The Flyers make a few changes, Alex Bump is in and Matvei Michkov is out up front. On the blueline Emil Andrae is in and Noah Juulsen takes a seat.

#Flyers lines in warmups vs. PIT 🐧

Alex Bump and Emil Andrae in.
Matvei Michkov is a healthy scratch

Barkey-Zegras-Tippett
Konecny-Dvorak-Martone
Bump-Cates-Foerster
Glendening-Couturier-Hathaway

Sanheim-Ristolainen
York-Drysdale
Seeler-Andrae

Vladař

— Jackie Spiegel (@jackiespiegel93) April 27, 2026

First period

The Flyers get a few chances early and some close calls when Arturs Silovs makes the first stop and leaves a couple of rebounds just in front of him. It’s the Penguins who strike first, almost out of no where on their first shot of the game. Elmer Soderblom dumps the puck, looks routine until Anthony Mantha barges in on the forecheck and wins the puck from Rasmus Ristolainen. Mantha centers the puck and it ends up on the stick of Soderblom who hammers it by Dan Vladar. Pittsburgh up 1-0 just 2:45 into the game.

ELMER SODERBLOM SCORES ON THE FIRST SHOT OF THE GAME!!! #StanleyCup

📺: @espn, @Sportsnet, & @TVASportspic.twitter.com/5OPSLHB8br

— NHL (@NHL) April 27, 2026

Sam Girard takes the first penalty of the game with a tripping call early, the Pens’ PK kills it off.

Soderblom gets tripped to draw a penalty then shenanigans ensue after the whistle. Travis Konecny goads Evgeni Malkin into punching him, Mantha gets tied up with someone. Both the Pens go off, Konecny joins them, Pittsburgh ends up with a 5v4 power play out of it, nothing comes of it.

The Flyers get a push at the end, Trevor Zegras has a puck roll off his stick when he tries to lift a backhand shot, then tries to shoot after pulling the puck between his legs but misses wide.

Time runs out in a hectic first. Philadelphia has an 11-9 edge in shots, Pittsburgh has a 1-0 lead where it counts.

Second period

The Pens’ third line stacks another tremendous shift with zone time to trap the Flyers in. They start getting a change and Connor Dewar gets a pass from Sidney Crosby that he blows a wrist shot over the shoulder of Vladar. It’s in and out so quickly the refs on the ice didn’t see it was a good goal. A quick review confirms it was. 2-0 Pens.

We would once again, like to remind you…

YOU CAN'T OUTDO THE DEWAR. pic.twitter.com/Lh60gSqLU3

— x – Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 28, 2026

Before the crowd stops cheering, Alex Bump zooms by Parker Wotherspoon and flips a shot that leaks through Silovs. 2-1 just 12 seconds after the last goal.

BUMP IT UP. #PHIvsPIT | #IgniteTheOrangepic.twitter.com/0UdtSrThBC

— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 28, 2026

Erik Karlsson has to trip a player to prevent a rush and he’s the next to the penalty box, his teammates kill it off without giving up as much as a shot.

Chaotic ending, Crosby is felled by a Ryan Shea shot to his knee. He’d leave the game and return momentarily.

Momentum shifts to the Flyers, they catch the Pittsburgh fourth line for a long d-zone shift where they just can’t clear the puck. Eventually that comes back to haunt them, Travis Sanheim shoots the puck, it clicks off the stick of Karlsson and in. 2-2 game.

The blueliners keep doing damage. 👊#PHIvsPIT | #IgniteTheOrangepic.twitter.com/039nikdfBZ

— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 28, 2026

Then it’s the Pens turn for a good bounce, Kris Letang shoots from deep, the puck bounces off the end wall and Vladar’s skate and into trickle into the net with the Flyer goalie unable to find where it went. 3-2, Pens back in front.

SANNY BLAST. #PHIvsPIT | #IgniteTheOrangepic.twitter.com/BXvTGKdAT1

— x – Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 28, 2026

The second period amped up quickly. Both teams scored two goals, a couple of zany bounces along the way and this game heads into the third period at 3-2 Penguins.

Third period

Bryan Rust dekes around a defender and tries to go forehand but Vladar gets the big leg outstretched to it in the first minute. The Pens stay on their front foot with zone time and Andrae trips Malkin to send the Pens to their second power play of the game. They mainly just pass it around, getting only a long and predictable shot that’s easy to stop/

The rest of the period moves quickly, both teams battle along the walls and middle of the ice but few shots are found for either side. The clock runs for about 7 minutes straight in the second half of the period and that becomes a big ally for Pittsburgh.

Whistles come, the Pens hang on with a few icings and Crosby has narrow misses on a few chances at the empty net after the Flyers pull Vladar. The crowd roars as the time grows short and runs out. Pittsburgh forces a Game 6.

Some thoughts

• The Pens have kept the Flyers off the scoreboard in the first period of all five games. First period scoring was a major edge to Pittsburgh in the regular season and that’s held up in this series so far.
• The second periods on the other hand have been tough goes. The Flyers have been very strong in the middle period.
• Great to see Mantha show up and finally make something happen. That line was devoid of offense in the series until that point and they got back to basics. Dump the puck, create some havoc on the forecheck, get to the net. Worked out well.
• It seems like as this series has gone on the Penguins are finding more ways to break through the Flyer trap and neutral zone. The weak side outlet is often there and they’re starting to find it more for some easier releases into space all the way up to entering the offensive zone.
• Kudos to whoever put Crosby out for a change on the fly in the second period instead of Acciari to play with the other fourth liners. It was the perfect moment for it with so much momentum building and paid off when Crosby made a great play to glove done a clearing attempt and then Dewar finished for the second goal.
• Two game winning goals for Kris Letang. This one was a fluky one, but they count just the same. By hook or crook the Pens have found some unusual ways to manufacture goals in the last few games.
• Another multi-point night for Crosby, the formula was kinda the same as Game 4 with the captain finding a way to help create offense.
• On that note, Ilya Solovyov only played 10 shifts and 6:09 total in this game. Exactly like last time, the Pens are going to be leaning on Karlsson and Letang for as far as that will take them.
• Another solid night from Silovs too. The first goal against was one he’ll want back, not much can be done about the deflection on the second. Kudos to him that was all there was to talk about, if he can keep finding ways to keep the goals against to 2 then you gotta like the Pens’ chances. (That said, the Flyers missed the net on 22 shots tonight, including several very good looks. Again, might be classified as by any means necessary but for now you gotta take what you can get).

The Flyers were always going back to Philadelphia after tonight. What they didn’t want is for the Penguins to follow them. Well, that’s happening, courtesy of Pittsburgh’s big win that will start to shift the pressure a bit to the other team that haven’t been able to close things out. Game 6 on Wednesday night.

We’ve hit another significant date in Florida Panthers history.

This time, the moment that occurred on this particular date was one that remained the lasting image of any early success found by the franchise for decade upon decade.

We’re talking, of course, about the diving, series-clinching goal scored by Billy Lindsay during Game 5 of the first playoff series the Panthers ever played, against the Boston Bruins.

The game was played on Saturday, April 27, 1996 at Miami Arena in Downtown Miami. 

With the game tied at three late in the third period, Lindsay picked up the puck in the neutral zone and zoomed up the right-side boards.

With the puck on his stick, Lindsay drove toward the net and past Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque, who tripped Lindsay just as he reached the goal.

Lindsay managed to tip the puck between the legs of Bruins goaltender Bill Ranford as he slid through the crease and out the other side.

Miami Arena exploded in jubilation, and the Panthers went on to knock out the Bruins in five games.

Florida then took out the high-flying Philadelphia Flyers in six games and the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins in seven, making the team’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance in just its third season of existence.

Unfortunately, the lack of playoff success in the coming decades would keep the image of Lindsay’s goal as the quintessential moment of ultimate Panthers postseason glory, a reminder of their improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Stay tuned for more reminders of fun Panthers playoff successs in the coming weeks and months. 

In the meantime, let us know in the comments where you were when Lindsay scored his remarkable goal and how you remember seeing it go down!

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Pittsburgh Penguins v. Philadelphia Flyers - Game 5 (PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa.)  |  Monday, Apr. 27, 2026

Puck Drop: 7:10 p.m. ET

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Penguins' projected lines and pairings:

Forwards

Rickard Rakell-Sidney Crosby-Bryan Rust

Egor Chinakhov-Tommy Novak-Evgeni Malkin

Elmer Soderblom-Ben Kindel-Anthony Mantha 

Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Noel Acciari

Defensemen

Parker Wotherspoon - Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard - Kris Letang

Ryan Shea - Ilya Solovyov

Goaltenders

Arturs Silovs (starter) 

Stuart Skinner (backup)

Flyers' projected lines and pairings:

Tyson Foerster-Trevor Zegras-Owen Tippett

Travis Konecny-Christian Dvorak-Porter Martone

Denver Barkey-Noah Cates-Alex Bump

Luke Glendening-Sean Couturier-Garnet Hathaway

Defensemen

Travis Sanheim-Rasmus Ristolainen

Cam York-Jamie Drysdale

Nick Seeler-Noah Juulsen

Goaltenders

Dan Vladar (starter) 

Sam Ersson (backup)

---

First period

- Philadelphia with a chance from the jump, and Silovs was ready for it. 

- Early on, Penguins are having a hard time entering the o-zone. Philly not giving them much winning a lot of board battles, and taking it the other way. Don't seem very willing to play dump-and-chase.

- GOAL (PITTSBURGH): Elmer Soderblom (1), from Anthony Mantha and Parker Wotherspoon (2:45). Penguins lead the Flyers, 1-0. 

- THAT is what the Penguins need to see more of from Mantha. He won the puck battle down low and fed it to Soderblom, who was breaking in the slot. The Penguins are going to need to be willing to play dump-and-chase and win a whole lot more of those battles if they expect to come back in this series. 

- Sam Girard for tripping (4:17). Philadelphia to the power play. 

- Penguins' fans are booing Trevor Zegras every time he touches the puck. 

- The PK gets it done, and the Penguins are feeding off that momentum. They have a lot of jump now, and it would be in their best interest to take advantage of that. 

- What a route by Rakell to get to a puck and get the cycle going after a Crosby dump. About 12 and a half to go in the first period. 

- Silovs has come up with some stops early. The Penguins are, generally, getting the better of the play here in the first, but they are being outshot 7-3 at the midway point of the period. 

- Penguins getting a ton of chances now. First line is cooking. And they draw a tripping penalty on Garnet Hathaway, but some punches are thrown after, and Malkin goes, too. Penguins still head to the power play (14:27).

- Novak takes Malkin's spot on PP1. Actually liked the look of that. Decisive with the puck and a good distributor. Set up a few chances there. 

- Flyers kill off the Penguins' PP, get shorthanded chance that Silovs stops (when second unit was on). 

- Vladar almost Vladar'd again (from Rakell in Game 4), this time from Blake Lizotte.

- Some chances exchanged in the closing minute of the period. Both goaltenders stood tall. 

- END OF FIRST PERIOD - 

Score: 1-0 Pittsburgh over Philadelphia  |  Goals from: Elmer Soderblom (PIT)  |  Shots on goal: Pittsburgh 11, Phildelphia 9

---

Second period

- Something I like about the Penguins' offensive zone attack today is that they're getting more bodies to the net. More traffic in front of Vladar. More chaos. 

They're going to need that in order to beat him. He's been that good. 

- GOAL (Pittsburgh): Connor Dewar (2), from Sidney Crosby and Blake Lizotte (3:17). Pittsburgh leads Philadelphia, 2-0

- What a snipe. That was in and out so fast that no one knew it went in the net at first. After a brief conversation amongst the officials, it was called a goal. 

- GOAL (Philadelphia): Alex Bump (1), from Rasmus Ristolainen and Noah Cates (3:29). Pittsburgh leads Philadelphia, 2-1. 

- Not a good goal from Silovs there. Leaked right through his five-hole. He's been outstanding in this series, but he'd want that one back. Time for his teammates to pick him up, just as he's done the same many times over in these two games. 

- Dewar just missed another one. Second-chance opportunity, backhand missed the top-left corner of the net. 

- Dan Vladar is really playing with fire. He almost gave up another one on a misplay, as Ben Kindel beat him to the puck and fired the puck to the left circle, where he was hoping a Penguin would be there. Luckily for Vladar, it was a teammate. 

- Lots of neutral zone play in this period, but Karlsson takes a tripping penalty after turning the puck over to Konecny. Would have been a breakaway otherwise. Flyers to the power play (9:23). 

- Really solid PK by the Penguins. Clogged shooting lanes and didn't give the Flyers too many looks. Forced them to the perimeter. (No shots on their PP).

- Chinakhov cannot hit the net for the life of him. He's overthinking it. Gotta just rip it. 

- That Shea blast hit Sid. Couldn't put any weight on his leg. Hobbles to the bench. 

- Crosby is back on the Penguins' bench. But the Flyers score in the meantime. Sanheim shoots one through traffic and off Karlsson's stick.

- GOAL (Philadelphia): Travis Sanheim (2), from Rasmus Ristolainen and Travis Konecny (15:06). Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are tied, 2-2. 

- GOAL (Pittsburgh): Kris Letang (2), from Sidney Crosby and Ryan Shea (17:06). Pittsburgh leads Philadelphia, 3-2. 

- And THAT, folks, is why you shoot the puck! Letang just floated that in the direction of Vladar, and it somehow finds its way behind him as he caved into the net. Throwing pucks at the net is never a bad thing. Case in point. 

Huge goal for the Penguins. They needed a response after that unfortunate bounce on the tying goal. This is something this team has done all season long, and they need to continue pressuring and putting their foot on the gas.

- Kris Letang is having himself a second consecutive nice game. I really liked what I've seen from him in this one. Managing the puck a whole lot better than he was in the first three.

- END OF SECOND PERIOD - 

Score: 3-2 Pittsburgh over Philadelphia  |  Goals from: Connor Dewar (PIT), Alex Bump (PHI), Travis Sanheim (PHI), Kris Letang (PIT)  |  Shots on goal: Pittsburgh 17, Philadelphia 14

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Third period

- Bryan Rust almost scored one of the more impressive playoff goals by a Penguin in recent memory. Crosby feeds it to him off a turnover, Rust dekes around a Flyer, and he goes cross-crease and tries to stuff it in. Vladar pad save. 

- Ryan Shea is out there with Karlsson to start the third. Interesting. 

- Malkin draws an early tripping penalty on Emil Andrae. Penguins to the power play (1:37). 

- Penguins possessing the puck well on the power play. Not shooting nearly enough. And not nearly enough movement. 

- Chinakhov really needs to get going here. He's just playing way too nervous and gripping the stick a bit too tight. The floodgates will open if he just puts one in. 

- The Crosby line has been a problem for the Flyers all game long. They're giving them fits. They're dominating in the offensive zone. Winning every battle and forechecking the heck out of this thing. Excellent stuff from them tonight. 

- The Penguins have iced the puck three times in a row here midway through the third. Not ideal. 

- Flyers had a hard time pulling Vladar at first because of Pens' pressure. Then, once they did, Pens had several opportunities to put the puck in the empty net and didn't. 

- This is such a tight, tight contest. Pens are going to have to come up big here in the final 40 seconds. 

- Sid dives for a puck and hits the post on the empty net. Icing with 9.9 seconds left. 

- END OF GAME - 

FINAL SCORE: Penguins 3, Flyers 2  |  Flyers lead series, 3-2

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When a team goes down 3-0 in a Stanley Cup Playoff series, there typically isn't a whole lot going right. And it typically takes something close to divine intervention to come all the way back, as it's only happened four times in the history of the NHL.

So, when that fourth game ends up in the "W" column, it makes sense not to change anything and roll with whatever was working game-by-game.

And the Pittsburgh Penguins are doing exactly that.

After finding themselves in that 3-0 opening-round series hole against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Penguins managed to stave off elimination with a 4-2 win in Game 4 to force a fifth game on Monday in Pittsburgh. And, understandably, they're going with the same exact lineup they went with on Saturday, which includes rookie Arturs Silovs getting the nod between the pipes for the second consecutive game. 

3 Takeaways: Penguins Earn Desperation Win Against Flyers To Force Game 5The Pittsburgh Penguins - led by goaltender Arturs Silovs and captain Sidney Crosby - played well enough to force a Game 5 against the Philadelphia Flyers in their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series.

"I think both [Silovs and Stuart Skinner] have done a really great job," head coach Dan Muse said. "I think it's good that both guys were always engaged, they're always ready to go. There's never that long lull with anybody not playing for a really long time, and so there's a rhythm that guys were able to keep throughout the course of the year. And they were able to build off the rhythm with the games they were playing."

And, while that tandem worked in the regular season, the Penguins simply have to ride whoever has the momentum from game to game in the playoffs. Silovs was brilliant Saturday, stopping 28 of 30 Flyers' shots on goal and making some key saves on odd-man breaks that could have buried the Penguins, much like Skinner was doing in the first three games of the series.

But the Penguins won the hockey game with Silovs in net, and they won the hockey game with a slightly adjusted lineup, too. Elmer Soderblom was back in for Justin Brazeau, the top line of Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby, and Bryan Rust was reunited - as was the second line of Egor Chinakhov, Tommy Novak, and Evgeni Malkin - and Ilya Solovyov took the place of Connor Clifton on the third defensive pairing. 

Philadelphia Flyers At Pittsburgh Penguins Game 5 Preview: Penguins Keep Same Lineup Ahead Of Another Elimination GameThe Pittsburgh Penguins will try to extend their season again on Monday.

Going back to what worked in Game 4 - even if there is still more to build on - was absolutely the right call, as the Penguins were finally able to get to the game that was working for them all season long and break through Philadelphia's neutral zone trap. 

Crosby's line had a 100 percent chances for share - meaning they gave up no scoring chances against - and the second line had their fair share of looks as well. The power play is still something that the Penguins will need to work on, though, as is making sure they don't give up too many high-danger looks.

"I still think that there's another level that we can get to. I believe strongly in that," Muse said. "I think it just [starts] with the play with the puck, the puck support, I thought that was better. When you have that, I think it leads you to be in better positions as you navigate through the neutral zone.

Flyers Stick with Vladar, Make Lineup Shift Ahead of Potential Closer Against PenguinsThe lineup decisions that define a playoff series are going to be scrutinized.

"Overall, some of the decisions being made to try to set up the o-zone overall - it was better, but there's still room for even more there. I think we have to continue to take steps, continue to tighten things up defensively. We gave up too many odd-man rushes. Some of the chances we gave up last game, I think we can definitely clean up as well. But, it was more in line with the way we want to play."

If the Penguins are to keep their season alive, they absolutely need to improve upon those fundamentals from last game, and they are going to have to see yet another "W" in the result column. Going back to what worked in Game 4 - without a doubt - gives them the best chance to repeat victory and extend the series.

'You Don't Really Have Anything To Lose': With 3-0 Odds Stacked Against Them, Penguins Still Believe Comeback Is PossibleIt's no secret that the Pittsburgh Penguins find themselves in a precarious spot down 3-0 in their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers. But they're not ready to give up or give in.

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Flyers again can't close out Penguins, come home for massive Game 6 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PITTSBURGH — So much for the Flyers’ commanding lead.

They have themselves a series.

The Flyers suffered a 3-2 loss Monday night to the Penguins at PPG Paints Arena in Game 5 of this best-of-seven first-round playoff matchup.

Rick Tocchet’s club now heads home with its series advantage whittled down to 3-2. The Flyers knew eliminating a team like Pittsburgh was going to be a challenge.

“There’s no way that group’s going to go away,” Tocchet said before the game. “No chance.”

The Flyers showed some resolve, but they couldn’t overcome multiple deficits. They erased a 2-0 hole in the second period on goals from Alex Bump and Travis Sanheim.

Kris Letang, though, responded to regain the Penguins their lead before intermission. Pittsburgh closed the door in the third period.

The Penguins are trying to become just the fifth team in NHL history to win a series when down 3-0.

“They’re an experienced group that has been in this situation before,” Cam York said before the game. “They’re not just going to go away easy. I think we wanted them to go away a little bit easy last game and that obviously wasn’t the case. … We’ve got to bring our A-plus game to take these guys out.”

The Flyers dropped consecutive games for just the second time since Feb. 26.

The scene at PPG Paints Arena ahead of Flyers-Penguins Game 5. pic.twitter.com/xki4g7W7Cd

— Jordan Hall (@JHallNBCS) April 27, 2026

• Dan Vladar converted 18 saves on 21 shots.

On Letang’s goal, the Flyers’ netminder tried to glove a high shot. The puck ended up ricocheting off the boards and then Vladar’s skate as Pittsburgh took its lead back.

The Penguins struck just 2:45 minutes into the game. Elmer Soderblom scored from the slot after Anthony Mantha had a textbook forecheck on Rasmus Ristolainen.

Vladar gave his team a really solid third period, but the Flyers couldn’t rally.

Arturs Silovs, making his second straight start for Pittsburgh, stopped 18 of the Flyers’ 20 shots.

He denied Porter Martone with under a minute to go.

The Flyers’ league-worst power play went 0 for 2 and is just 2 for 15 in the series.

• As expected, Matvei Michkov was a healthy scratch. Bump entered the lineup for his first career NHL playoff game.

The 22-year-old said he was “stoked” to play and he looked it. His second-period goal came just 12 seconds after Connor Dewar had the building abuzz. The Penguins’ fourth-line winger took advantage of the Flyers failing to clear the zone and cushioned his team’s lead to 2-0.

But Bump quickly quieted the crowd with an excellent move to the net.

The rookie winger was noticeable from the onset. On his first shift, he fired a shot and had a hit.

Bump did exactly what the Flyers were hoping for in his postseason debut. He’ll definitely always remember PPG Paints Arena. His first goal in both the regular season and playoffs came here.

• Sidney Crosby exited briefly in the second period when a shot from his teammate nailed his left leg.

The future Hall of Fame center returned and assisted Letang’s go-ahead goal.

Crosby has put up back-to-back multi-point efforts after recording just an assist through the first three games.

• The series shifts back to Philadelphia for Game 6 on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET/NBCSP).

The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to bounce back after falling behind 2-1 in their series against the Utah Mammoth. They’ll get their chance in Game 4 on Monday at the Delta Center.

Game 3 was last on Friday at the Delta Center. The Golden Knights started strong, outshooting the Mammoth 12-2 through the first 12 minutes. However, the Mammoth made the most of their limited scoring chances and jumped out to a crushing 4-0 lead in the second period. The Golden Knights pushed, but couldn’t mount a comeback and lost 4-2.

Puck drop for Game 4 is scheduled for 6:50 p.m. PST.

Carter Hart will start in goal for the Golden Knights. Hart has a 1-2 record and a .892 average save percentage in three games this postseason.

Karel Vejmelka will start in goal for the Mammoth. Vejmelka has a 2-1 record and a .916 average save percentage in three games this postseason.

Golden Knights Lines

Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Pavel Dorofeyev

Reilly Smith — Mitch Marner — Mark Stone

Brett Howden — Tomáš Hertl — Keegan Kolesar

Cole Smith — Nic Dowd — Colton Sissons

Defense

Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore

Noah Hanifin — Rasmus Andersson

Jeremy Lauzon — Kaedan Korczak

Goaltenders: Carter Hart / Adin Hill

Mammoth Lines

Clayton Keller — Nick Schmaltz — Lawson Crouse

Kailer Yamamoto — Logan Cooley — Dylan Guenther

JJ Peterka — Alex Kerfoot — Michael Carcone

Liam O’Brien — Kevin Stenlund — Brandon Tanev

Defense

Mikhail Sergachev — MacKenzie Weegar

Nate Schmidt — John Marino

Ian Cole — Sean Durzi

Goaltenders: Karel Vejmelka / Vitek Vaněček

Special Teams

VGK power play: 22.2%, 5th

VGK penalty kill: 83.3%, 8th

Mammoth power play: 16.7%, 9th

Mammoth penalty kill: 77.8%, 12th

Game Notes

Tonight’s game could very well decide the fate of the Golden Knights’ season. Historically, teams that go up 3-1 go on to win the series 91.0% of the time.

The Golden Knights are 10-8in Game 4s in franchise history.

With an assist in Game 3, Mark Stone recorded his 75th playoff point (38-37-75) with the Golden Knights. He’s tied with Jonathan Marchessault for the most in franchise history.

After going 0-fer their last five power play opportunities, the Golden Knights are changing up their units.

Despite a shaky performance from Carter Hart in Game 3, Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella remains fully confident in his starting goaltender.

How to Watch

TV: Vegas 34, ESPN

Streaming: KnightTime+

Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 94.7/1340, Deportes Vegas 1460

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While the Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing, the Detroit Red Wings are once again watching from home after they extended their absence to a 10th straight season.

Not only are the Red Wings in the midst of the longest playoff drought in franchise history, now spanning 100 years, but they also hold the NHL’s longest active postseason drought.

That distinction comes after the Buffalo Sabres ended their 14-year drought earlier this spring and are now one win away from advancing to the second round.

Last week, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman held his season-ending media availability session and made it clear that not only is he disappointed with how things played out, but that he recognized warning signs even amidst what was an advantageous position in the standings for Detroit in January and February. 

He also made it clear that the club simply needs more talent on the roster. 

“We need better players,” Yzerman said. “We need to improve specifically in certain areas. We can talk about goal scoring; we need to improve in that area, particularly five-on-five.

“Collectively, if you’re watching the playoffs, and I’m assuming and I’m hoping our players are, to play with the intensity and determination needed to be successful to make the playoffs and get there," he continued. "But ultimately it’s incumbent upon me and my staff to improve the team.”

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Yzerman's press conference was addressed by noted NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman during a recent airing of his "32 Thoughts" podcast. In Friedman's mind, the door is open for a "big" move for the Red Wings during the offseason, especially given Yzerman's blunt assessment of needing better players. 

Moritz Seider Joined Elite Company With 1st Red Wings Defensive Scoring Benchmark Since Nicklas LidstromDetroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider set new career-highs in goals and assists, and equaled a pair of scoring benchmarks not seen by a Red Wings defenseman since Nicklas Lidstrom.

“I think when you take a look at how hard Todd McLellan was on the Red Wings players after that last game, the 8-1 loss to Florida, and I think everyone understood why he felt that way, Yzerman and McLellan up there together and Yzerman giving him a 100 percent vote of confidence, that was a message,” Friedman said.

“And the message was, the team I put together, it's not good enough. And we already knew that from the fact that they didn't get in. But you know how sometimes managers will defend it, saying they weren't ready or had injuries, nope. He didn't sugarcoat anything."

Friedman concluded: 

“Big summer for him," he said. "He's put everyone on notice. It's tough to predict. I think it's one of those things that if they don't make a big trade this summer of some kind, or a big move this summer of some kind, people are going to be shocked. And he's walked himself into a position where he almost has to do it.”

It appears as though the door is open this offseason for a major upgrade to the Red Wings roster. 

They were linked to multiple names in the weeks and days leading up to the March NHL Trade Deadline, including Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks and Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues, though both players ultimately remained with their current clubs.

The Red Wings were also reported heavy frontrunners to land defenseman Quinn Hughes before he was ultimately traded from the Canucks to the Minnesota Wild in December. 

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The season is on the line for the Boston Bruins when they face the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 at the KeyBank Center on Tuesday, April 28.

My top Bruins vs. Sabres predictions and NHL picks are calling for Buffalo to come through on home ice and send Boston packing.

Bruins vs Sabres Game 5 prediction

Bruins vs Sabres best bet: Sabres moneyline (-155)

The gap in five-on-five play between the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins at TD Garden the past two games has been astronomical, so I love the Sabres finishing the series off in Game 5.

Buffalo drove possession with a 61.9 Corsi For percentage and generated an eye-poping 68.4% of the expected goals when adjusted for score and venue at 5-on-5, and most importantly, the Sabres solved Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman with six goals in Game 4.

Hats off to Boston for rallying to their Game 2 win after gifting away the series opener, but this has turned ugly for the Bruins with the Sabres outscoring them 9-2 over the past two games to take a commanding 3-1 lead back home to the KeyBank Center.

Bruins vs Sabres Game 5 same-game parlay

While the Buffalo moneyline is my preference as a standalone best bet, the puck line provides a nice odds boost for this same-game parlay.

Boston hasn’t had an answer for the Tage Thompson-Alex Tuch duo, and they’ve clicked with winger Peyton Krebs for a 55.8 CF% and 63.3 xGF% at 5-on-5 while combining for 10 points during the series.

Tuch has been particularly dangerous with 2.52 expected goals and five high-danger scoring chances, with Thompson just as effective with 1.94 ixG and five HDSC, and the Bruins have also allowed the second-most goals and expected goals per 60 minutes this postseason.

Bruins vs Sabres SGP

• Sabres -1.5
• Tage Thompson Over 0.5 points
• Alex Tuch Over 0.5 points

Bruins vs Sabres odds for Game 5

• Moneyline: Bruins +140 | Sabres -170
• Puck Line: Bruins +1.5 (-180) | Sabres -1.5 (+145)
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-125) | Under 5.5 (+105)

Bruins vs Sabres trend

The Buffalo Sabres have covered the puck line in seven of their last nine games (+7.00 Units / 48% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Bruins vs. Sabres.

How to watch Bruins vs Sabres Game 5

Bruins vs Sabres latest injuries

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