Sidney Crosby was a victim of friendly fire as he was in the receiving end of a shot from teammate Ryan Shea in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs‘ first round. After battling injuries all year long in the 2025-26 NHL season, the Pittsburgh Penguins‘ captain cleared the air and dismissed any setback.
“That’s something that happens sometimes. You try to go in front of the net. Sometimes [those shots] hit you, sometimes they go by and they don’t hit you. I feel good,” Crosby admitted after Game 5, via Pens Inside Scoop on X.
Crosby was also hit with an ill-intended cross-check by Travis Konecny after the buzzer sounded in Game 5. Despite falling to the ice and being slow to get up, Crosby made no mention of the incident, so all signs indicate he’s good to go for the next matchup against the Flyers.
Crosby is healthy for Penguins
Hearing Crosby is fully healthy is just what fans in Pittsburgh wanted to hear. The Penguins have battled back from down 3-0 in the series against the Philadelphia Flyers to force a Game 6 back in the City of Brotherly Love. Only one more win separates the Pens from forcing a win-or-go-home Game 7 back at PPG PAINTS Arena.
Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Pittsburgh may be operating with an advantage, as its last two outings in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have already been elimination games. Playing with their backs against the wall, Crosby and company finally showed their teeth, and the Flyers are sensing the pressure.
2012 flashback gives Flyers hope
Though the Flyers’ lineup looks nothing like it did back in the 2011–12 NHL campaign, there are many similarities between the two first-round matchups against the Penguins that year and this time around. Both times, Philly jumped to a 3-0 lead before Pittsburgh clawed its way back to force a Game 6 in South Philadelphia. The Flyers would go on to win that game and eliminate the Pens.
Over a decade has passed since, but the squad in the Birthplace of America is hanging on to the hope that history will repeat itself. It serves as consolation; if not, the panic meter would be at an all-time high. Perhaps it already is.
Flyers sense the pressure, Penguins feed off of it
The Flyers are young and lack playoff experience. Watching how Crosby and company refuse to go out puts an incredible amount of pressure on them. The Penguins are using that to their advantage.
Moreover, the fact Philadelphia is punishing its best players and pointing blaming fingers around the locker room may be the perfect sign for the Pens. Penguins may not be the apex predator, but even they can smell blood and decide to go in for the kill.
Series schedule
The Penguins will travel to the Cradle of Liberty for Game 6 on April 29. If they manage to come away with their third straight triumph in the series, the Pens will keep their Stanley Cup hopes alive in the 2025–26 NHL season and force a decisive Game 7 back home in the City of Bridges. The win-or-go-home showdown is scheduled for May 2.
