Sidney Crosby wins 100th career playoff game as Penguins force Game 6 against Flyers

[p]Teams that start their respective series at home and go down 3-2 have only gone on to win it 22% of the time, leaving the odds in the Flyers' favor. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/crosby-sidney/UTbIZpKC/"]Crosby[/a] finished the game with two clutch assists, despite getting hurt in the second, and almost scored a goal after barely missing the empty net at the end of the game. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pittsburgh-penguins/AkN0nWU6/"]Pittsburgh[/a] now became the sixth team since 2016 to force a Game 6 after going down 3-0 in the series. [/p][p]The series now heads to Philadelphia for Game 6 on April 29th. [/p][h2]Recap & Highlights[/h2][p]It didn't even take two minutes for things to get heated between the two rivals. [/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/pittsburgh-penguins/AkN0nWU6/"]Pittsburgh[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/malkin-evgeni/l0fNz1jg/"]Evgeni Malkin[/a] flipped the puck into the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/philadelphia-flyers/QySGG7oT/"]Flyers[/a]' bench after a whistle before the two sides would get into it. [/p][embed guid="031d78f3-0453-4cb8-af7d-5cd97659db23" url="https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/2048905856935223554?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]It only took one shot and almost three minutes for the Penguins to get on the board first. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/soderblom-elmer/0xw5C0zo/"]Elmer Soderblom[/a] picked up his first career playoff goal, with assists by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mantha-anthony/63PyXONB/"]Anthony Mantha[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/wotherspoon-parker/SQ70hj2e/"]Parker Wotherspoon[/a], who both picked up their first, to make it a 1-0 game.[/b][/p][embed guid="faaa0799-b81b-4035-b084-4da89eac9f85" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2048905283175358474?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Almost 13 minutes after the goal, things got tense between Malkin and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hathaway-garnet/jF9H382g/"]Garnet Hathaway[/a], who received a two-minute penalty for tripping, then a two-minute minor for roughing after his scrum with Malkin.[/p][p]Mantha and Travis Konecny also received penalties after the heated exchange.[/p][embed guid="6ebdecf1-5195-45ae-992b-d74623bd80ac" url="https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/2048909933383385311?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Despite both teams putting up a combined 20 shots on goal and one power play each, the score remained at 1-0 heading into the second period, which also didn't waste any time getting to see numbers on the scoreboard. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dewar-connor/42m6BEpg/"]Connor Dewar[/a] scored his second of the playoffs, with assists by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/crosby-sidney/UTbIZpKC/"]Crosby[/a] (3) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lizotte-blake/x0cQkKkc/"]Blake Lizotte[/a] (2), to make it a 2-0 game just three minutes into the period. [/b][/p][embed guid="87379107-c598-4eea-8edb-711de756fe7c" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2048919542965870944?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Philadelphia grew tired quickly of the Penguins fans' cheers and decided to cut the lead back to one. [/p][p][b]Then, 12 seconds later, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bump-alex/SI8zwkcf/"]Alex Bump[/a] scored his first career playoff goal with assists by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ristolainen-rasmus/fL7FTDMh/"]Rasmus Ristolainen[/a] (3) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cates-noah/2eQleaaq/"]Noah Cates[/a] (2) to make it 2-1.[/b][/p][p]That is now the second-fastest time scored between both teams in a 'Battle of Pennsylvania' playoff game since their 2012 Conference Quarterfinals Game 2 matchup, when they scored six seconds apart. [/p][embed guid="4629b2d9-b720-4ad0-b8dc-a2f016c6fa37" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2048919686725742964?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Flyers' power play, which only got off one shot on goal in their first attempt, couldn't get anything done the second time around. Outside of going 2-for-3 on the power play in Game 3, the Flyers were 0-for-12 in all other chances during the series after another opportunity.[/p][p]Crosby hobbled towards the bench and exited the game with under seven minutes to go in the second after taking a wrist shot from teammate [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/shea-ryan/KQjlK5FO/"]Ryan Shea[/a]. [/p][embed guid="9f42de06-a60b-4304-8afc-ef7db5e5c196" url="https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/2048924508807901677?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]And, in the most typical Flyers-Penguins fashion, as soon as Crosby leaves the ice, the Flyers immediately tie things up and take advantage. [/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sanheim-travis/tALGiUtt/"]Travis Sanheim[/a] made it a 2-0 game with his second goal of the playoffs, with assists by Ristolainen (4), his second of the game, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/konecny-travis/dQgX6z2a/"]Travis Konecny[/a] (3).[/b][/p][p]Sanheim became the fourth Flyers defenseman in the past 20 years to score more than one goal in a single playoff series, joining [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/provorov-ivan/bPOll2MF/"]Ivan Provorov[/a] (2020), [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/macdonald-andrew/tS2CAeJ4/"]Andrew MacDonald[/a] (2018), and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pronger-chris/Ol7mLaCk/"]Chris Pronger[/a] (2010). [/p][embed guid="b5de7fa9-d283-4bf2-accf-aa89cb5352e9" url="https://x.com/NHLFlyers/status/2048925305948020858?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Then, two minutes later, Pittsburgh would score the most video-game-like goal humanly possibly after Crosby returned to the ice.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/letang-kris/MojSUVSQ/"]Kris Letang[/a] ripped one from the blue line that would bounce off the boards, hit Flyers goaltender [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vladar-daniel/AqbXiQ8C/"]Dan Vladar[/a] from behind, and bounce into the net behind him to make it 3-2. [/b][/p][p]Crosby recorded his second of the assist of the game, along with Rhea's first of the playoffs, who initially injured Crosby earlier.[/p][p]It marked Letang's 92nd playoff point with one franchise, tying the legend Bobby Orr for the eighth-most in NHL history. [/p][embed guid="34983080-0355-448d-b145-740a5759b6c6" url="https://x.com/NHL/status/2048926427974627683?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Nothing would be done in the third period as the Flyers held the Penguins to just four shots on goal, and the reverse to just six. [/p][p]Pittsburgh outshot Philly 21-20, while the latter led in hits 42-37. Both teams finished 0-for-2 on their respective power plays. [/p][embed guid="3f6dc94c-14ef-4f52-b7db-6b58e5a6e4e2" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5ypfIQjsM4" social-type="youtube" /]