Make room! Flyers, Penguins squeeze 11 players inside penalty box after Game 3 melee

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Flyers and Penguins put a squeeze on the penalty box in Game 3 of their playoff series — try, 11 total players cramped inside their designated punishment areas.

Each could have snapped a team photo after a melee broke out in the second period of the Flyers' 5-2 win over the Penguins on Wednesday night in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

“It was a party in there,” penalized Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler said.

The celebration extended into the joyous locker room after the Flyers took a 3-0 series lead.

Penguins forward Bryan Rust slammed Travis Konecny to the ice behind the net and smothered the Flyers forward in a hit that sparked all the lines to join the fray. Konecny ripped off his helmet and dropped his gloves and beckoned Rust to fight him.

Rust and Pittsburgh teammates Erik Karlsson, Samuel Girard, Connor Dewar and Ryan Shea went to the visiting box. Rust got an extra penalty that put the Flyers on the power play.

“I got elbowed, so I just kind of locked him, took him to the ground," Rust said. "He tried to kick me. We threw a couple punches back and forth. Not sure why I got an extra two (minutes).”

Konecny was joined by Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Matvei Michkov and Christian Dvorak in the home box. Dvorak turned to the group and said, “Imagine the celebration if we score one here.”

Trevor Zegras scored on the power play to tie it, and he went over to the penalty box to celebrate with his five teammates trapped inside.

“There was a lot of ‘em in there, and I figured they were going to be jumping around,” Zegras said. “I thought if I scored I was going right to them.”

Seeler joined them to make it six in there 61 seconds later when he was whistled for cross-checking, but that was after Zegras had tied it following a strong Pittsburgh start.

Penguins coach Dan Muse said the game changed “when they put all the players in the box.” Captain Sidney Crosby was similarly baffled.

“It kind of a turned into a bit of a circus there," Crosby said. “Not sure why they decided to put five guys in the box on each end.”

The photos of the Flyers-in-the-box turned into an instant social media hit around the NHL.

“I think you’ll be seeing that meme of the guys cellying in the box together for a long time,” Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway said.

Flyers fans went wild in celebration of the franchise's first home playoff game since 2018, and their first home playoff win since 2016. The Penguins were left to lament the penalty calls — and the lengthy delay.

“It took forever to get back playing hockey," goaltender Stuart Skinner said. “Everyone was just sitting around for what felt like forever. I don’t remember waiting that long for a puck drop maybe ever. Obviously circumstances had it that the refs had to take some time. It just took a while. ”

The Flyers lead the series 3-0 after winning both games in Pittsburgh. Game 4 is Saturday night.

It’s the second consecutive crowded penalty box night in the playoffs. Montreal and Tampa Bay each had all five skaters on the ice sent off at once following a similar postwhistle scrum in Canadiens-Lightning Game 2 on Tuesday.

Karlsson joined Muse and Crosby in his amazement after being sent off despite little to do with the melee.

“I didn’t do anything," Karlsson said. "They just decided to take everybody who was on the ice, which I’ve never seen in my 17 years (in the NHL). It’s unfortunate. It benefited them more than it benefited us. I don’t think that’s a question for me because I don’t fully understand what just happened.”

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins players fight during the second period of Game 3 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoffs Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Bryan Rust, left, wrestles with Philadelphia Flyers' Travis Konecny during the second period of Game 3 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoffs Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pittsburgh Penguins' players watch from the penalty box during the second period of Game 3 against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoffs Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Flyers' Trevor Zegras, right, celebrates with teammates in the penalty box after scoring a goal during the second period of Game 3 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoffs Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Six leading candidates for California governor jostled in a televised debate Wednesday as they sought advantage in a chaotic race with no clear leader.

It's the first time in a generation that California has a wide-open contest for the heavily Democratic state's highest office. Mail ballots are scheduled to go to voters early next month in advance of the June 2 primary election.

The debate brought together the two leading Republicans — conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco — and four Democrats: former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter,billionaire Tom Steyer, former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra and San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

Early questions about homelessness saw a clear break between candidates.

Democrats generally credited outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom for dealing with the long-running crisis — California has more people living on the street than any other state. But Republicans said the state has spent billions of dollars with little evidence of progress.

“Everything has taken us in the wrong direction,” Hilton said.

There also were some sharp exchanges, and candidates sought to distinguish themselves from rivals.

Mahan said "The only housing Tom Steyer’s built has been private prisons and ICE detention centers,” echoing criticism that Steyer, a hedge fund founder turned liberal activist, invested in private prisons that today house people picked up in federal immigration raids.

Under California election rules, only the top two vote-getters advance to the November election, regardless of party. Democrats have been fretting for months that a crowded field could result in two Republicans making it to November, a result that would be a historic calamity for Democrats in a famously left-leaning state.

The campaign has just come through an unstable period, with U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell — one of the leading Democrats — leaving the race and Congress following sexual assault allegations that he denies. Another Democrat, former state controller Betty Yee, dropped out Monday after lagging in polls since entering the race in 2024 and then endorsed Steyer. Meanwhile, Becerra picked up the support of Democratic Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas on Tuesday.

Becerra and Mahan were late additions to the debate lineup after Swalwell exited the race. Both candidates have been getting fresh attention — and endorsements — in the reordered contest.

Mahan, meanwhile, has been rolling out advertising to lift his campaign.

Democrats mostly agree on policy issues, including the need to bring down household costs and counter President Donald Trump's agenda. So they will be looking for ways to stand out on stage — either by stressing their own records or trying to sully those of competitors.

Porter, who became a social media celebrity by brandishing a whiteboard at congressional hearings while grilling CEOs, could become the state's first woman governor. Steyer, who in 2020 ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign, is known for his involvement in climate issues. Becerra is the most experienced politician in the group, having served in the Biden administration and as a state attorney general, a congressman and a state legislator. Mahan has been arguing that he has made gains against homelessness and crime while leading Northern California's largest city.

California itself quickly became part of the debate.

Democrats have dominated government in the nation's most populous state for years. Republicans haven't won a statewide election in two decades, and Hilton and Bianco faulted Sacramento's one-sided politics for the state's troubles.

Bianco said Democratic policies were driving up the cost of living. Hilton, while discussing the state's notoriously high tax rates, said, “All the Democrats here are part of this system that obviously isn’t working.”

Polling in late March and early April by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found a cluster of candidates in close competition: Democrats Steyer and Porter, Republicans Hilton and Bianco, and Swalwell. Other candidates were trailing. The polling was conducted before Swalwell withdrew.

Nexstar Media Group is hosting the debate and will air it on its local channels, as well as NewsNation, and stream online via The Hill.

California gubernatorial candidate Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco walks toward the podium to speak at the California Republican Party Convention in San Diego, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Steve Hilton speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Matt Mahan speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum on Latino and immigrant communities in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra walks down the steps after speaking at a campaign event in Los Angeles, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra speaks during a campaign event in Los Angeles, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Tom Steyer speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum on Latino and immigrant communities in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Katie Porter speaks during a gubernatorial candidate forum on Latino and immigrant communities in Sacramento, Calif., Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)