Crosby, Penguins aim to extend season again vs. Flyers. Mammoth look for 3-1 lead on Golden Knights

At one point, Sidney Crosby could have seen more of himself on an interstate billboard than on a playoff highlight reel for the Penguins.

Ask anyone who has followed his career, the two-time NHL MVP doesn’t stay down for long.

Crosby responded like a captain should with his Pittsburgh Penguins in a 0-3 series hole to the in-state rival Philadelphia Flyers, notching his first goal, an assist and a screen that set up longtime teammate Kris Letang’s crucial goal in Saturday's 4-2 series-extending win.

“With every game of the series, it’s more difficult," Crosby said. "But we’ve got some life and we’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity of going back home now.”

The 38-year-old Crosby, now in his 21st NHL season, has long tormented the Flyers. He has more points against them than any other player has scored against Philadelphia, along with thrice raising the Stanley Cup since the Flyers won their two titles in 1974 and 1975.

He still has to absorb the boos and profane chants directed at him from the moment he hits the ice for warmups to his final shift. The sports travel group Phans of Philly even paid for a billboard of Crosby lying face down on the ice along with the definition of embellishment after he was penalized for it in Game 3. And he managed one assist through the first three games.

But he made a heads-up play Saturday when he kicked the puck to Letang and also set a savvy screen on defenseman Travis Sanheim, allowing Letang to have a clean look when beating Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar for a 3-1 third-period lead.

“It’s all those little details sometimes,” Letang said. “It’s not the crazy play or the passes. Finding a guy back post sometimes, it’s little details, like, picking the guy giving me a lot of time to pick my shot was an amazing play. So it just shows you how much IQ he has on the ice and, you know, what to do at every moment in every situation.”

When/Where to Watch: Game 5, Monday, 7 p.m. EDT (ESPN)

Series: Flyers lead 3-1

The Flyers missed their chance to advance to play the Carolina Hurricanes, who never trailed at any point in the series in their four-game sweep of Ottawa. The Hurricanes will take the breather — while the NHL will gladly take at least one extra game in the first round’s signature rivalry series.

The Flyers are still in control with a significant lead. Coach Rick Tocchet preached in the moments after Game 3 that clinchers are often the toughest to win. The Flyers proved their coach right once.

“I don’t know if it’s complacent, we didn’t do the little small things,” Tocchet said.

The Flyers overcame youth and inconsistencies to reach the playoffs courtesy of a 14-4-1 run, becoming the NHL’s first team to make it after being 10 points out of contention with 22 or fewer games remaining. Then they surprised the NHL — and probably themselves — by winning twice in Pittsburgh and then Game 3 at home in their first postseason appearance since 2020.

“If somebody told you before the series it was going to be 3-1 after four games, you guys wouldn’t believe us,” Vladar said. “So we are good. Nothing’s changing for us. Still being positive in here. They are a really good team. It’s not easy to win four in a row against a team like that.”

When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Monday, 9:30 pm EDT (ESPN)

Series: Mammoth lead 2-1

Utah won its first-ever home playoff game Friday by maximizing limited scoring chances.

Vegas allowed only 12 shots on goal, a franchise low for any playoff game. The Golden Knights even held the Mammoth to a single shot in the third period. It didn’t matter. Utah ripped off four unanswered goals over the first 30 minutes — converting half of their first eight shots on goal — while cruising to a 4-2 victory for the 2-1 lead in the first-round series. Lawson Crouse led the way, scoring twice over a six-minute span early in the second period.

“I think we stuck with it,” Utah forward Clayton Keller said. “They’re a great team, and they make you work for everything.”

Vegas allowed far fewer chances to score than it did during its Game 2 loss at home. The Golden Knights are feeling confident that’s a trend they can carry into Game 4 and perhaps steal a road win in Salt Lake City.

“We defend the proper way, then our offense will come, and I have full trust in the guys that way,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said.

AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia and AP freelance writer John Coon in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

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

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) scores against Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) during the second period of Game 3 of the first round in an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Melissa Majchrzak)

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)

TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — The California man arrested in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer opposed to the policies of President Donald Trump.

A photo of Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, posted to social media last year shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills. His face appears to match the appearance of the alleged attacker taken into custody at the dinner Saturday night in Washington that was attended by Trump and top members of his administration.

In writings sent to family members minutes before the attack, the 31-year-old described himself as “Friendly Federal Assassin” and railed against recent actions taken by the U.S. government under Trump, though he did not name the Republican president directly, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Voter registration records from California lists Allen's home address as his parent's house on a tree-lined street in one of the most historic neighborhoods in Torrance, a city within the Los Angeles metro area. Public records show he is the oldest of four adult siblings, with two younger sisters and a brother.

Two cars were parked in the driveway Sunday morning. A blue scooter that a neighbor said Allen rode was on the front lawn. No one answered the door when an Associated Press reporter knocked.

Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records. A yard sign displayed at the family home supported a local candidate for judge that was endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

Law enforcement officials told the AP that Cole Allen legally bought a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun last year.

Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, according to his profile on the social networking site LinkedIn. He also listed his involvement there in a campus group that battled with Nerf guns and a Christian student fellowship.

The suspect's father, Thomas Allen, is listed as an elder at Grace United Reformed Church Torrance. The webpage for the congregation describes it as a “Bible-believing church” following the “infallible Word of God.” Security guards posted at the sanctuary during worship services on Sunday escorted parishioners to the door and kept reporters at bay.

Bin Tang, a computer science professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, told The Associated Press that Allen took a few of his classes before graduating last year.

“He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions. Soft-spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news,” Tang wrote in an email.

A local ABC station in Los Angeles included an interview with Allen during his senior year of college as part of a story about new technologies to help people as they age. He had developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.

Allen's online resume says he worked for the last six years at C2 Education, a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. A 2024 post on the company’s Facebook page listed Allen as the company’s teacher of the month. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday night.

Allen also posted that he had developed a video game for the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry. A post under Allen’s name said he was working to develop a new “top-down shooter” combat game set in outer space.

Biesecker and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo and Michael Kunzelman in Washington contributed to this report.

Members of law enforcement respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

A law enforcement officer sets up police tape near an address connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Torrance, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)