Artūrs Šilovs has once again proven to be a playoff hero. The former Vancouver Canucks goaltender made 18 saves on Monday as he helped keep the Pittsburgh Penguins' season alive in Game 5. Šilovs made his debut in Game 4 and is now 2-0 in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
If the Penguins are going to pull off the reverse sweep, they will need Šilovs to continue standing on his head. The 25-year-old has stopped 46 of the 50 shots he has faced over the past two games, which is good enough for a .920 save percentage. Šilovs is now 7-5 in his post-season career with a save percentage of .901.
Šilovs continues to come up clutch when his team needs him the most. He helped the Canucks to Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and led the Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup championship last year. Ultimately, if Šilovs can pull off two more wins against the Philadelphia Flyers, he will go down in history as one of the few goaltenders in NHL history who have helped their team erase a 3-0 series deficit.
Apr 5, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs (37) looks on against the Florida Panthers during the second period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Alberti-Imagn Images
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New York Islanders top forward prospect Victor Eklund will not be playing for Team Sweden at the 2026 World Championships, per industry sources.
The 19-year-old represented his country at the 2025 and 2026 World Junior Championships.
After the Islanders selected Eklund 16th overall at the 2025 NHL Draft, he's had a long, grinding season.
He attended the development camp a few days after the draft, then returned to Sweden to prepare for his first SHL season with Djurgården, which had earned promotion from Sweden's second-tier league.
After playing 43 regular-season games (six goals, 18 assists) and another eight playoff games (three assists), Eklund elected to come over to North America to join the Bridgeport Islanders during their playoff push.
He recorded nine points (two goals, seven assists) through his first seven AHL games, earning himself an NHL call-up for the Islanders' regular-season finale against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Despite a 4-1 loss, Eklund recorded his first career NHL point, a secondary assist on a Bo Horvat goal.
The next day, Eklund was sent back to Bridgeport, adding a goal over his final two AHL regular-season games before going pointless in their two-game playoff series against the Hershey Bears.
Given what Eklund showed, he'll have a strong chance to crack the Islanders' roster for the 2026-27 season.
Even after completing a first-round sweep, Cale Makar made sure to acknowledge that the Los Angeles Kings were far tougher than a four-game se would ever suggest.
The Colorado Avalanche became the first Western Conference team to punch its ticket past the opening round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, closing out Los Angeles with a commanding 5-1 victory at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday. The final score looked decisive. The series itself was anything but.
Colorado now earns valuable rest before facing either the Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild in Round 2, but Makar’s postgame remarks reflected the grind required to survive a disciplined, stubborn opponent.
“It’s a good test for us. That’s a stingy defensive team over there that has a lot of offensive threats, and we found different ways to be able to shut them down,” Makar told reporters afterwards, per NHL.com's Dan Greenspan.
“They played us really well defensively, and it felt like these last couple games we did a better job at finding different ways to get to the net. For us, again, it’s a lot of internal stuff. We got to make sure that we’re working together as a team, and there’s no individual in here, that’s for sure.”
Closer Than A Sweep Suggests
Although Colorado won the series in four games, Los Angeles consistently forced the Avalanche to work for every inch of ice.
Games 1 and 2 were each decided by a single goal, while Game 3 remained within reach until Brock Nelson iced it with a late empty-netter. The Kings defended with structure, battled through traffic, and refused to allow Colorado the kind of easy rhythm elite teams often thrive on.
But the Avalanche never blinked.
Their depth surfaced at the right moments, their stars dictated stretches of play, and Scott Wedgewood delivered calm, reliable goaltending throughout the matchup. Colorado’s netminder surrendered just five total goals in the series, a number that ultimately became impossible for Los Angeles to overcome.
Kings Exit With Questions
For the Kings, the ending lands with disappointment.
Artemi Panarin provided offensive push after arriving from the New York Rangers at the trade deadline, but the absence of Kevin Fiala loomed heavily in a series where goals were scarce and margins razor-thin.
The loss also marked the final chapter of Anze Kopitar’s NHL career. Though he was unable to secure one last playoff victory, the future Hall of Famer leaves the game with two Stanley Cups and the admiration of a fan base that gave him a thunderous sendoff after Game 4.
Colorado moves on looking every bit like a championship threat. Los Angeles departs knowing it made the favorite earn every win.
For more than half of Monday night, the Utah Mammoth looked poised to seize complete control of their first-round series. After erasing a three-goal deficit in front of a roaring Delta Center crowd and surging ahead in the third period, Utah had all the momentum, all the emotion, and a chance to put the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights on the brink.
Instead, they were left with silence.
Shea Theodore scored at 19:08 of overtime to lift Vegas to a dramatic 5-4 victory in Game 4, turning what felt like a defining Utah comeback into a crushing missed opportunity. Rather than carrying a 3-1 series lead to Las Vegas, the Mammoth now head back to Nevada with the Western Conference First Round tied 2-2.
Utah showed admirable resilience after a lifeless opening stretch, clawing back from a 3-0 hole and briefly wresting command of the game in the third period. But against a veteran opponent built for moments like these, the Mammoth could not deliver the final blow.
A Stunning Response
Vegas struck early and often.
Pavel Dorofeyev opened the scoring just 1:12 into the first period after finishing a loose puck near the crease. Brett Howden doubled the lead late in the opening frame with a short-handed goal after a costly Utah turnover, then Cole Smith redirected a Noah Hanifin point shot early in the second to make it 3-0.
At that point, Utah appeared rattled and in danger of being overwhelmed.
Then the game changed.
Nick Schmaltz ignited the rally at 8:04 of the second period by burying a rebound at the left post after sustained offensive-zone pressure. Just 29 seconds later, Ian Cole hammered a slap shot through traffic to cut the deficit to 3-2 and awaken the building.
The Mammoth carried that energy into the third.
Michael Carcone tied the game 3-3 at 1:45 with a sharp one-timer from the right circle, beating Carter Hart short side. Minutes later, Clayton Keller put Utah in front 4-3 when a dangerous feed toward the crease deflected off Theodore and slipped underneath Hart.
From dead in the water to leading on home ice, Utah had authored the kind of response that can reshape a series.
Vegas Answers Late
But the Golden Knights never unraveled.
Howden struck again at 10:25 of the third, redirecting another Hanifin shot from the point to even the score at 4-4 and drain some of the momentum from the arena.
In overtime, Utah survived one scare when Dorofeyev appeared to win it for Vegas, only for the goal to be overturned after an offside review.
The reprieve did not last.
With under a minute remaining in the extra session, Jack Eichel created chaos around the crease, recovered the puck below the goal line, and found Theodore in the high slot. With Karel Vejmelka scrambling and his stick out of position, Theodore blasted a one-timer into an open net to end it.
The Mammoth received 31 saves from Vejmelka, a goal and an assist from Schmaltz, and three assists from Mikhail Sergachev, but the final result overshadowed a spirited pushback that nearly became the signature win of their season.
Instead of celebration, Utah is left searching for a response.
Game 5 shifts to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Wednesday night with the series now reduced to a best-of-three.
Sunday morning, the Montreal Canadiens told the media that they would have an update on Noah Dobson within 48 hours. In other words, we should know more about Dobson’s status on Tuesday morning. Practice is scheduled for 10:30, so we should have some news then, or at the end of the on-ice session, when Martin St-Louis will speak to the media.
While the coach had given a day off to his players after their 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of their series, there was one player who took to the ice on Monday morning: Dobson. It wasn’t the first time he had hit the ice since his injury. On Saturday, RDS’ Luc Gelinas reported that he was skating, which is an encouraging sign given that he skated twice in the last three days.
However, his skating session on Monday morning was limited to just 25 minutes under the watchful eye of Adam Nicholas, and while he did do some puck handling, he didn’t take any shots. Watching Marc-Olivier Cook’s footage on X, the right-shot rearguard doesn’t look like a player who’s on the verge of coming back to play. Besides, he has yet to take part in a single practice with the group.
Noah Dobson patine ce matin et il est aussi capable de manier la rondelle.
Il n’a pas l’air confortable à 100%, ce qui est normal. C’est très mollo, mettons.
It will be interesting to see if he does take to the ice with his teammates on Tuesday morning, but even if he does, his return shouldn’t be rushed. The Canadiens are tied 2-2 in their series with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the defense corps has done very well so far. Of course, his transition game could help the attack to get in gear, but looking at his puck handling, he doesn’t seem ready to launch long passes up ice.
All eyes will be on the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Tuesday morning as fans will eagerly await a complete update on the defenseman’s status.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 27: Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Rickard Rakell (67) skates with the puck against Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York (8) during the second period in Game Five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 27, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Facing another win or go home game, the Pittsburgh Penguins returned to the friendly confines of PPG Paints Arena on Monday night and delivered for the hometown crowd for the first time this series, squeezing out a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 5 to stave off elimination once again and force a Game 6 back across the state in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
After leading 2-0 in the second period, the Penguins did see that lead erased by the Flyers, but a good bounce off the glass from a shot by Kris Letang found its way behind Dan Vladar and turned into the game winning goal as the Penguins defense played lock down hockey in the final period to seal the victory. [Pensburgh]
Pens Points…
One area that Sidney Crosby struggled in during this series with the Flyers has been in the face-off dot, an area where he is typically among one of the best. In fairness to Sid, faceoff struggles have not just been limited to him as the entire team has battled issues in the series. [Trib Live]
Facing a 0-3 series hole and needing a victory in Game 4 to keep their season alive, the Penguins remained lighthearted at practice despite the task ahead of them. When Crosby caught an errant puck to the head at Friday’s practice the players let out a laugh, giving off a relaxed state before staying alive the next day. [The Athletic $$]
Very few players in franchise history have exemplified what it means to be a Pittsburgh Penguin better than Bryan Rust. Over the course of his 12-year career, Rust has risen from a bottom-six grinder to a mainstay on the Penguins top line alongside Sidney Crosby. [PPG]
While the Penguins have been getting contributions from all over this series, one name is still missing from the score sheet. That name is Egor Chinakhov, who has been snake bitten now through five games, but the looks are there, he just needs to start converting those looks into goals. [Pensburgh]
NHL News and Notes…
Starting today and running through May 11th, minus weekends, the NHL will being announcing the finalists for the league’s annual awards. The Ted Lindsay Award will kick off the nominations later today, with all awards to follow and concluding with the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award. [NHL]
After being swept in the first round by the Carolina Hurricanes, the Ottawa Senators and captain Brady Tkachuk are facing speculation the two sides could be heading for a parting of ways this offseason, rumors that team general manager Steve Staios was quick to shoot down. [NHL]
John Tortorella, head coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, stood in a scrum on Monday morning before an optional skate. He fielded five different questions, but the message remained consistent throughout his various answers.
“We’re ready to play,” he said simply.
Tortorella was right. His Golden Knights were indeed ready to play. They scored just 72 seconds into the first period, survived a three-goal collapse, and scored in overtime to tie their series against the Utah Mammoth at two heading back to Vegas.
After sitting and stewing in their Game 3 loss for two days, the Golden Knights came out flying. They didn’t allow the Mammoth to record a shot on goal for nearly six minutes, and outshot them 8-3 in the first despite two Utah power plays. They generated eight high-danger scoring chances in the first period while holding the Mammoth to one.
The Golden Knights broke the ice just 1:12 into the first. Jack Eichel held onto the puck in the corner, drawing three Mammoth defenders out of position before finding Ivan Barbashev all alone at the left dot. Barbashev one-touched a pass to Pavel Dorofeyev, who finished off the back-door play.
Quick one. Pavel Dorofeyev has his first of the playoffs.
The Golden Knights doubled their lead while shorthanded at 18:38 in the first. Mitch Marner pressured JJ Peterka into a turnover and found Brett Howden all alone in the slot. Howden pulled to the forehand, pivoted, and elevated his shot over Karel Vejmelka’s pad.
This Mammoth power play is not good. Brett Howden takes advantage and scores a nifty one in tight.
The second period was all about momentum swings. To begin the period, the Golden Knights were hot again and outshot the Mammoth 7-2 through the first seven minutes.
The Golden Knights extended their lead 3:26 into the second. Noah Hanifin fired a shot from the point, and Cole Smith redirected it home.
Smith’s goal gave the Golden Knights life, but in hockey, momentum can change on a dime.
The Mammoth got on the board at 8:04 in the second. Lawson Crouse fired a shot from the top of the left circle, and Nick Schmaltz chipped the rebound over Carter Hart’s pad.
Insane goal by Nick Schmaltz. Hart made the initial save, and maybe the second, and Schmaltz batted it out of the air baseball style.
Just 29 seconds later, while Utah’s PA was still calling the goal, the Mammoth struck again. The Golden Knights were unable to clear the puck, and Ian Cole fired a slap shot from the point that found its way home.
And while I was writing the last tweet, Utah rides that momentum wave. Ian Cole with the blast from the point and it gets through.
Just 1:45 into the third period, the Golden Knights let the remainder of a once seemingly insurmountable lead slip away. Dylan Guenther found Michael Carcone all alone in the right circle, and the winger redeemed himself for an earlier miss.
Clayton Keller, Christ in a side car. Catches an errant pass, drops it, centers, for Mikhail Sergachev… and it trickles in. Keller’s goal. VGK have blown a three-goal lead.
The Mammoth continued to swarm and took their first lead of the night at 5:10 in the third. Clayton Keller gloved down an errant pass and threw a centering pass towards the net. The puck took a fortuitous bounce off Mitch Marner’s stick and into a sliding Shea Theodore before trickling into the back of the net.
Clayton Keller, Christ in a side car. Catches an errant pass, drops it, centers, for Mikhail Sergachev… and it trickles in. Keller’s goal. VGK have blown a three-goal lead.
From that point on, the Golden Knights played at the level required for what had just occurred. They outshot the Mammoth 7-5 and generated four high-danger chances.
“When you trail, you’re making plays you don’t make normally,” said Mammoth head coach André Tourigny postgame. “You’re pushing the pace, and you’re a little bit careless defensively. You’re taking more chances, you’re putting more numbers in the rush… It’s not just that [we’re] sitting back, it’s that they’re tougher to defend.”
The Golden Knights netted the equalizer at 10:25 in the third. Noah Hanifin fired a blast from the point, and Brett Howden redirected it home for his second of the night.
Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever truly dies. The Golden Knights have scored four goals on a goalie for the first time this postseason. Brett Howden with the tip.
The Golden Knights thought Pavel Dorofeyev ended the game 10 minutes into overtime, but after a lengthy review, officials determined that Jack Eichel was offside prior to the goal. He redeemed himself less than nine minutes later and recorded the assist on the overtime game-winning goal.
With less than a minute remaining in overtime, Ivan Barbashev found Eichel cutting to the net. Karel Vejmelka made the save, but lost his stick in the process. Brett Howden made a play to get the puck back to Eichel behind the net, and Eichel found Shea Theodore all alone on the slot for the game-winner.
1. The Golden Knights absolutely needed to win the special teams battle tonight. They debuted two new power play units, but went 0-fer on four opportunities, including one that came just 2:28 into overtime. However, they were also a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, gave the Mammoth power play very little to work with, and scored a shorthanded goal.
2. Jack Eichel answered the call for the Golden Knights today. Tomáš Hertl, on the other hand, rode the bench for a telling amount of time in such a pivotal game. Hertl took just 18 shifts and played less than 12 minutes in a game that nearly went to double overtime.
Pavel Dorofeyev, too, saw very little ice time in the third period. He did, however, return for the start of overtime and scored a goal that was ultimately disallowed.
3. During the regular season, the Golden Knights struggled with starts, riding out momentum swings, and finding a way to stop the bleeding. Tonight, they came out on top in all three areas.
First, they scored just 72 seconds into the first to jump out to an early lead against the Mammoth, and added another at the end of the period. When the Mammoth scored four unanswered to take the lead, the Golden Knights managed to rally and turn what would have been a crushing loss into a victory.
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 😱🚨
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Apr 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) moves the puck against Philadelphia Flyers center Luke Glendening (41) during the third period in game five of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
PITTSBURGH — 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.
“We know it’s a big challenge going into there,” Crosby said. “But I think we have a lot of belief in our group, and we’ve done it time and time again.”
Alex Bump scored in his playoff debut 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.
“Bounces are part of the game,” Penguins coach Dan Muse said. “But I think you earn them when you’re working and you try to do the right things. That’s usually when the bounces go your way.”
After four games of mostly low-event hockey, Game 5 started with a frantic pace, a style that favors the Penguins, who finished as the NHL’s third-highest-scoring team during the regular season.
That offense went largely missing while Pittsburgh fell into a 3-0 hole. Pushed to the brink, it has returned with a flourish, and this time it wasn’t just Crosby, Letang and Evgeni Malkin shouldering the burden.
Soderblom’s first goal of the playoffs and Dewar’s second gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead in the second period. Philadelphia responded behind Bump and Sanheim, but Letang’s fluky score late in the second was the difference.
Pittsburgh will take the ice on Wednesday, having all the momentum after two games in which they looked like the resilient, resourceful group that was among the NHL’s biggest surprises.
The Flyers and their late playoff surge were one of the others, though Philadelphia and its talented young core will have the difficult task of finishing off a more experienced group with Hall of Famers scattered across the roster.
“They are a veteran team, they know what it takes to win,” Vladar said. “We are still a young team. We’ve got to learn that. We’ve got to bounce back. Still try to play our game, not their game.”
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.
PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 27: Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar (80) has the puck bounce of him for a goal by Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang (58) (not pictured) during the second period in Game Five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 27, 2026, at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Pregame
The Penguins use the same players, lines and goalie from Game 4 for Game 5.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
