Crosby and Letang strike as the Penguins stave off a sweep with a 4-2 Game 4 win over Flyers

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang each scored goals and the three-time Stanley Cup champion teammates are headed back to Pittsburgh after they helped the Penguins avoid a first-round series sweep with a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 4 on Saturday night.

Game 5 is Monday in Pittsburgh.

“It's only one,” Crosby said. “But I think it gives us some life. That looked more like our game.”

Rickard Rakell also scored, and Connor Dewar sealed the win with a late empty-netter for the Penguins. Penguins coach Dan Muse made the right call with the season on the line to bench starting goalie Stuart Skinner in favor of Arturs Silovs, who responded with 25 saves.

“I thought he played great," Muse said. “Big saves. I got a lot of confidence in both guys.”

The 38-year-old Crosby, a career-long foil for the Flyers, not only scored his first goal of the series, but he also set a savvy screen in the third period on defenseman Travis Sanheim that allowed Letang to have a clean look when he ripped his first goal of the series past Dan Vladar for a 3-1 lead.

The goal was crucial after Travis Konecny scored to make it 3-2 and ignite the “Let's go Flyers!” chants that had largely been dormant with the Flyers down early.

The Penguins received a solid effort from Silovs in the net after Skinner was ineffective with three losses and an .873 save percentage. Silovs, who went 19-12-8 this season, made his 11th career playoff start; the previous 10 came with Vancouver in 2023-24 when it was coached by Rick Tocchet.

Tocchet worked wonders with the Flyers in his first season on the bench and it was his fiery postgame speech after an overtime win in March that sparked an R-rated rallying cry.

The Flyers winked at the unprintable battle cry and gave away Game 4 T-shirts to every fan that read: “Puck Everybody.”

Crosby said, not tonight.

Crosby scored on a one-timer against Vladar only 5 seconds into a power play late in the first period for a 1-0 lead.

Vladar, voted the Bobby Clarke team MVP, stayed in the lineup after he suffered an unspecified arm injury in Game 3. Vladar took off both days of the series break and showed no sign of any physical discomfort.

Vladar, incredulously, let a mental gaffe cost the Flyers a goal only 63 seconds into the second period when he misplayed the puck behind the net. Well out of place, an aggressive Rakell jostled the puck free and poked in an empty-netter for the 2-0 lead for Pittsburgh’s first multigoal lead of the series.

“Nobody's perfect,” Vladar said.

Denver Barkey deflected Trevor Zegras’ shot past Silvos that cut it to 2-1 with 4:20 left in the second period. Barkey and Zegras are roommates — and jelled just as well as linemates.

They can now mull over what went wrong on the plane ride back to Pittsburgh. The Flyers won three straight games seven times this season but hadn’t won four straight games since February 2024.

“I like the fight back,” Tocchet said. "That’s a good hockey team over there. It’s hard to win every game.”

NHL playoff history is still against Crosby and the Penguins. Only four teams that trailed 3-0 in a seven-game series have come all the way back to win — the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1980 New York Islanders, 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and 2014 Los Angeles Kings.

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

Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin, left, and Philadelphia Flyers' Noah Cates, right, collide during the first period of Game 4 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoff series Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Philadelphia Flyers' Denver Barkey, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring during the second period of Game 4 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoff series Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Kris Letang, right, tries to get past Philadelphia Flyers' Cam York during the first period of Game 4 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoffs Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, center, celebrates with Evgeni Malkin, left, and Rickard Rakell after scoring during the first period of Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoff series Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, right, reacts behind Philadelphia Flyers' Luke Glendening after scoring during the first period of Game 4 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup hockey playoff series Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Donte DiVincenzo's season is over with an Achilles tendon injury and the severity of Anthony Edwards' left knee injury remains unclear, an emotional Minnesota coach Chris Finch said Saturday night after the Timberwolves' playoff win over the Denver Nuggets.

DiVincenzo was lost 1:19 into Game 4, the nature of his injury immediately suggesting that it was an Achilles issue. Edwards was lost late in the first half, and even without their starting guards the Timberwolves — behind 43 points from Ayu Dosunmu — beat the Nuggets for a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference quarterfinal series.

“I feel completely devastated for Donte,” Finch said.

Edwards’ left knee appeared to buckle as he landed after contesting a layup late in the second quarter. He was helped to the locker room and the Timberwolves ruled him out for the rest of the game with a left knee injury.

DiVincenzo appeared to injure his lower right leg in the game’s opening minutes when he slipped to the court as he raced to chase a ball. He immediately waved to the bench for help and put little to no weight on his right foot as he was helped to the locker room, and he eventually left the arena in a wheelchair.

“Losing those two guys is really tough, tough emotionally for our guys,” Finch said.

Edwards came into Saturday averaging 23 points and eight rebounds in the series, as the sixth-seeded Timberwolves look to upset the third-seeded Nuggets. DiVincenzo averaged 14.3 points and made 11 of 22 3-pointers in the first three games.

“I was heartbroken,” Dosunmu said in the televised on-court postgame interview when asked about the injuries to DiVincenzo and Edwards. “This is for them. Ant, Donte, they mean so much to the organization. I’m sending them prayers. I hope for a speedy recovery. I hope they’re fine, but this game, personally, was for them.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) is helped off the court after sustaining an injury during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards kneels on the court after sustaining an injury during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)