Kris Letang’s fluky go-ahead goal late in the second period proved to be the difference as the Pittsburgh Penguins posted a 3-2 home victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series.

Sidney Crosby had two assists for Pittsburgh despite missing some action after taking a shot off his leg in the second period. Arturs Silovs turned aside 18 shots for the Penguins, including a quality pad save on Porter Martone in the final minute, to help the hosts stay alive in the best-of-seven series.

Dan Vladar made 18 saves for the Flyers, who will get a third chance to win the series Wednesday when the teams reconvene in Philadelphia for Game 6. Alex Bump scored for the visitors in his first career playoff game, while Travis Sanheim also tallied for the Flyers.

Elmer Soderblom’s goal was the only tally of the first period. Just under three minutes into the contest, Anthony Mantha won a battle behind the net and sent the puck into the slot for Soderblom, who launched a one-timer past Vladar.

Early in the second, Connor Dewar beat Vladar with a wrister to make it 2-0 Pittsburgh, although Bump scored 12 seconds later to bring Philadelphia back within a goal.

The score remained 2-1 until the Flyers tied it with 4:54 left in the second period. Sanheim took a seemingly innocent shot from near the boards that skimmed off the stick of Pittsburgh defenseman Erik Karlsson and past a helpless Silovs.

Letang gave Pittsburgh the lead just over two minutes later, following another apparently harmless shot that found its way into the net.

The veteran defenseman lofted the puck from the right point, and the floater went past Vladar’s glove. The puck then bounced off the end boards, caromed back in front, got lost in Vladar’s skates and slid into the goal.

Vladar kept the game close with a sprawling pad save on Rust in the opening minute of the third period.

Philadelphia pressured throughout the final session and had a couple of chances down the stretch with Vladar pulled for an extra skater, but Silovs and the Penguins held firm.

–Field Level Media

A highly-anticipated vote this week by the NWSL Board of Governors on a calendar flip is now not expected to take place, according to a Monday report by CBS Sports.

On April 17, reports indicated that the board of governors would vote on the issue, but those went unconfirmed by the league.

Currently, the NWSL season runs from March to November. Top circuits in Europe start in late summer or early fall and end in late spring. MLS is making the transition to that format next season.

The NWSL board previously voted against a calendar shift in 2024, according to ESPN.

In a response to media inquiries, a league spokesman seemed to indicate the status quo regarding the schedule.

“The NWSL has been actively evaluating its competition calendar, including the potential to align more closely with the international soccer landscape,” a league spokesperson said in a statement to CBS Sports. “No decision has been made at this time. Any change of this magnitude will be thoughtfully considered and we are taking input from all key stakeholders.”

One of those stakeholder are the players, who responded through the NWSL Players Union a day after the April 17 ESPN report.

“We recognize the pros and cons of each and acknowledge that factors outside our control — including the Women’s International Match Calendar and limited control over facilities — are driving this conversation,” began the statement given to The Athletic.

“We remain concerned, however, that the issue is being framed around the wrong question. The right question is not whether the league should flip the calendar, but whether the right conditions exist to do so responsibly. Right now, they do not. The ability to navigate weather-related disruptions depends on consistent control over facilities and operational flexibility across clubs, and that standard has not been met league-wide.

“Our top priorities in any scenario are protecting and promoting Player health, safety, and performance. As a general matter, a majority of Players polled on this question currently oppose flipping the calendar.”

Although the NWSL has complete authority to alter the schedule to fall-to-spring, the league’s CBA with the union specifies that the league is required to provide the union at least one year’s notice.

Moreover, since many franchise are in the northeast and the schedule would include playing in winter months, the CBA would require the league to implement an “extreme cold policy.”

–Field Level Media

The Cleveland Guardians are expected to call up second baseman Travis Bazzana, the top overall selection in the 2024 draft, on Tuesday for the second game of a home series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

According to multiple media reports, rookie Juan Brito, who had started five of the last seven games at second base, will be optioned to Triple-A Columbus in a corresponding move.

Bazzana, a 23-year old native of Sydney, Australia, has appeared in 24 games for Columbus, batting .287 with two homers and 10 RBIs. He has 15 extra-base hits and has drawn 21 walks, and he possesses a .511 slugging percentage and a .933 OPS.

The Oregon State product (2022-24) rose quickly through the minor league ranks in 2025 but sustained oblique injuries in the summer and only got into 26 games in Columbus.

Bazzana is the lone No. 1 overall draft selection in Cleveland’s franchise history. The Guardians had a 2% chance of landing the top pick but won the draft lottery in December 2023.

Brito, who is hitting .176 with no homers and three RBIs in 51 at-bats, didn’t play in the Guardians’ 3-2 loss to the Rays on Monday. The 24-year old also has committed four errors.

–Field Level Media