The Pittsburgh Penguins are halfway to history.
Sidney Crosby and the Penguins are aiming to become just the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after trailing 3-0. They鈥檝e won two straight games to force Game 6 in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
鈥淚t鈥檚 quite clear the situation for us is win or go home,鈥� said Crosby, who had two assists in a Monday night. 鈥淚 think that urgency, that desperation, whatever you want to call it, I think has brought (out) some of our best hockey because of it. So, we just gotta keep going here.鈥�
The Flyers are among the four teams that have rallied to win a series after losing the first three games. They did it against Boston in the second round in 2010. Philadelphia ended up reaching the Stanley Cup Final that season, losing to Chicago.
鈥淲e knew it wasn鈥檛 going to be easy,鈥� Flyers forward Owen Tippett said. 鈥淲e knew we weren鈥檛 going to win every game. Reset and get back at it.鈥�
While Philadelphia aims to advance to the second round for the first time since 2020, there are two Game 5s on Wednesday night featuring series locked in a 2-2 tie.
The Tampa Bay Lightning rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Canadiens 3-2 in Montreal in Game 4, tying the series and regaining home-ice advantage.
The Vegas Golden Knights squandered a three-goal lead but came back to defeat the Utah Mammoth 5-4 on Shea Theodore鈥檚 goal with 51.5 seconds left in overtime Monday night to even their series.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers
When/Where to Watch: Game 6, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT (TNT).
Series: Flyers lead 3-2.
Philadelphia鈥檚 seemingly comfortable 3-0 series lead doesn鈥檛 feel quite so comfortable anymore, not after consecutive victories by the Penguins in which Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby has been at his brilliant best.
Crosby had a goal and an assist in Game 4, then backed it up with perhaps an even better performance in Game 5, dishing out a pair of helpers, the second of which set up Kris Letang鈥檚 game-winning goal just moments after Crosby took a slapshot to his left knee and limped to the training room.
While the Flyers are still in a solid position to do what all but four teams in NHL history have done 鈥� winning a series after taking the first three games 鈥� for a youth-laden club in its first playoff series in six years, the fourth win is proving to be the hardest.
鈥淓ven though 3-0 sounded nice, we knew it wasn鈥檛 going to be over,鈥� Philadelphia goaltender Dan Vladar said.
It鈥檚 not. The Penguins have steadily regained the form that made them one of the league鈥檚 biggest surprises during the regular season. They received secondary scoring in Game 5鈥� third-liner Elmer Soderblom scored his first of the playoffs and fourth-liner Connor Dewar notched his second 鈥� and then clamped down during the third period to extend their season.
A chance to shift all of the pressure on the Flyers awaits if Pittsburgh can find a way to force a Game 7.
鈥淚 think the last couple games we found our stride a bit,鈥� said Crosby, who now has 100 wins in the playoffs. 鈥淲e should feel good about that. … We鈥檙e playing good hockey and we鈥檝e got to go in there and find a way to win again.鈥�
Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning
When/Where to Watch: Game 5, Wednesday, 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN).
Series: Tied 2-2.
After three overtime games, one was finally decided in regulation when Brandon Hagel scored two goals to lift the Lightning to a 3-2 win on Sunday night. Hagel has six goals in the series.
鈥淗e鈥檚 definitely become the straw that stirs our drink,鈥� Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. 鈥淓ven when we went down 2-0, he stood up and looked both ways and, literally I think, captivated the bench with what he was saying and the message he was delivering.鈥�
Hagel鈥檚 words motivated his teammates and Max Crozier inspired them with his actions.
The Lightning were down 2-0 in the second period when Crozier flattened Montreal鈥檚 Juraj Slafkovsky with a hard hit in the middle of the ice. The legal check energized Tampa Bay and changed the momentum of the game.
鈥淭he hit obviously got our bench out of their seats,鈥� Cooper said. 鈥淏ut you still have to take advantage of that. We score in the last minute of the second, and in the first minute of the third, and all of a sudden the game鈥檚 completely changed. It helped take the crowd out of it.鈥�
The Canadiens have to rebound after wasting a two-goal lead at home and missing an opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. They can鈥檛 dwell on Game 4.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a veteran team. They鈥檙e very good at drawing penalties. They got talented players,鈥� Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a tough team and we knew it was going to be a tough series. We鈥檙e right in it. We鈥檙e in a battle. It鈥檚 a fine line between winning and losing in these games, but we鈥檙e battling.鈥�
Utah Mammoth at Vegas Golden Knights
When/Where to Watch: Game 5, Wednesday, 10 p.m. EDT (TNT, truTV HBO Max).
Series: Tied 2-2.
This opening-round series has a sense of deja vu for the Golden Knights, and Vegas hopes that鈥檚 a good sign of what鈥檚 to come.
The Golden Knights opened last year鈥檚 playoffs by . Vegas split the first two games at home, was blown out in Game 3 at Minnesota and won in overtime in Game 4 before going on to take the next two games and the series.
And the series with the Mammoth?
The almost exact beginning.
But financial advisers often warn that past performances aren鈥檛 necessarily indicative of future results, and the Golden Knights know they have a fight on their hands if they are to advance to the second round.
鈥淚 really like our squad,鈥� coach John Tortorella said. 鈥淭he most important thing for our team is to know who we are, know who you are as a club, and we are a really good hockey club. No matter what happens, we move forward with the highs and lows of a series.鈥�
There was plenty of both for both teams in Monday night鈥檚 at Salt Lake City.
The Golden Knights went up 3-0, Utah roared back with four unanswered goals and Vegas forced overtime in the third period. Then the Golden Knights thought they won in OT before an offside review wiped out Pavel Dorofeyev鈥檚 goal, and then actually won it on Jack Eichel鈥檚 sensational pass to Shea Theodore in the high slot for the winner with less than a minute left in overtime.
鈥淭here is plenty of hockey left in this series; a tied series going back,鈥� Mammoth defenseman Ian Cole said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a three-game series. (We鈥檙e) focusing on what we can control and where we stand right now. I think that will do us well.鈥�
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AP Sports Writers Will Graves and Mark Anderson contributed to this report.
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