Was it desperation? Was it the fact that the hockey world put their captain under a microscope for the past three days? Was it simply finally finding a groove after such a long layoff for the “A” lineup at the end of the regular season?
I’m not sure, but the Penguins finally started to look like themselves tonight. They not only scored the first goal of the game for the second time in a row but managed to open up a two-goal lead three times en route to beating the Flyers for the first time in this series.
The season still hangs in the balance but the Penguins’ 4-2 victory in Game 4 has given them hope. The win isn’t the only thing helping that hope grow. Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Rickard Rakell all scored their first goals of the playoffs in this game and Crosby was a key factor throughout.
The Penguins’ captain scored the game’s opening goal on the power play and added an amazing assist on Letang’s game winner.
He beat two Flyers off the wall and as the puck was starting to carom away from him, he kicked it perfectly to Letang and immediately dashed into the slot. There he slid down towards the net, leaped into the air and joined a Flyers’ defender in creating a perfect screen.
Letang fired the puck and beat Dan Vladar.
“It’s those little details, like taking the guy, giving me a lot of time to take my shot was an amazing play,” Letang said. “It just shows you how much IQ he has on the ice and knowing what to do in every situation.”
The goal was reminiscent of one scored by Evgeni Malkin against the Anaheim Ducks in which Crosby set a near identical leaping screen for.
“the history book on the shelf, is always repeating itself” #letsgopens
— G. (@CR0SBRINI) April 26, 2026
Crosby, who hasn’t always looked like himself in this series, or truthfully since returning from his Olympic injury, was in top form in this hockey game. He was skating and moving like himself and now leads the team in shots and ranks second on the roster with three points (1G-2A).
While his performance could be bad news for the Flyers if it continues, Crosby was quick to point out that this was just one step in the right direction.
“It’s only one, but I think it gives us some life,” Crosby said from the podium in Philadelphia. “That looked more like our game. And it’s probably taken us three games to look like ourselves a bit. So, I think that’s something that we can definitely build on.”
And build on it they will, as the series shifts back to Pittsburgh for Game 5 on Monday night. Game number 5, indeed, signals that the Penguins are alive.
We’ll see if they can make Crosby’s comments a reality and build upon their efforts.
Notes:
- Flyers’ coach Rick Tocchet wasn’t effusive in his praise of the Penguins or his critique of his own team. Though he wasn’t thrilled with his club’s start. He did credit the efforts of the Penguins, but said his team wasn’t desperate enough.“I don’t know if it’s complacent,” Tocchet said. “We didn’t do the little, small things like chipping the body and winning the puck battles. I think they were a little more desperate at times.”
- Dan Muse gave Artus Silvos the start in Game 4 and the young netminder rewarded his coach with one of his finest performances of the season. Silvos hadn’t started a game since April 11 – a 6-3 loss to the Washington Capitals – but he was sharp from the earliest moments of the game. He finished the night with 28 saves on 30 shots, posted a .933 save percentage and a 2.00 goals against average. He was also awarded the postgame helmet for his efforts.
First postgame helmet of the Playoffs 👏 pic.twitter.com/6G66Fjd4wu
— x – Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) April 26, 2026
- To come back in this series, the Penguins will have to rip off four victories in a row. They have one but can they manage three more? That’s yet to be determined and it’s best to take it one day at a time, however, they have pulled off the feat three times this season. They won four games in a row between October 16 and October 23. They won six games in a row between December 28 and January 8 and then won six games in a row again between January 19 and January 31. It’s also worth noting that they won three games in a row between April 4 and April 9, which is what they need to accomplish now.
- Egor Chinakhov has didn’t register a shot on goal in Game 4. He had one attempt blocked and missed the net five times. He now ranks second on the team in shot attempts with 27 but has only hit the net with seven of them. Chinakhov is still looking for his first point of the series.
- Speaking of first points of the series – Anthony Mantha is in the same boat. The Penguins’ regular season leading goalscorer is still looking for his first point of the series. He’s now played 18 playoff games in his career and is still looking for his first goal. He’s managed just six assists in those games, which were played for the Washington Capitals (11), the Vegas Golden Knights (3) and Penguins (4).
