Sports
Surging Flyers, Sidney Crosby-led Pens bring rivalry back to playoffs
Mar 31, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) and center Sidney Crosby (87) talk on the ice against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images For the first time in eight seasons and the eighth time overall, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will meet in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with the opening game of their first-round series taking place Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
The latest chapter of the Battle of Pennsylvania features a couple teams ending lengthy postseason droughts. The Penguins last made the playoffs in 2022, but beyond that, the franchise’s last series win came in 2018 against the Flyers.
Philadelphia last made the playoffs in 2020. However, Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier and Travis Sanheim are the only players remaining from that squad.
This Flyers team surprised some by reaching the postseason, but they earned their spot thanks to their strong play down the stretch. Coach Rick Tocchet’s club went 18-7-1 after the Olympics, going from sixth in the Metropolitan — eight points back of the then-third-place New York Islanders — to leapfrogging the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and Islanders for the division’s final playoff spot.
The Flyers may be the third-youngest team by average age in the postseason, according to EliteProspects.com, but Tocchet said the past few weeks have been a playoff-like atmosphere. Now, the question becomes how much slack the coach gives his younger players when the pressure increases, especially when playing a veteran-laden group like the Penguins.
“I don’t want these guys to be nervous if they make a mistake,” Tocchet said. “Then I’m not doing my job if I’m making these guys nervous.”
One young player who has stood out is Porter Martone, who joined the club in late March. He scored 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the Flyers’ last eight games, with points in each of the last six.
Tocchet has already made his choice in goal in Dan Vladar, who played six straight games earlier this month and went 5-1 with a .921 save percentage. He allowed a total of six goals in the five wins and will making his first career playoff start.
The Czech goalie has played the Penguins six times in his career. He is 2-3-1 with an .899 save percentage and a 3.10 goals-against average.
Pittsburgh does have a question of who will be its netminder. Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner shared that role during the regular season. Skinner, acquired during the season from Edmonton for Tristan Jarry, has made back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances, but Silovs also has postseason experience from his time in Vancouver.
While Skinner has more experience, both have fared well against the Flyers. Skinner is 5-1-2 in eight games with a .913 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA, while Silovs is 1-0-1 with a .944 save percentage and a 1.92 GAA.
While the Flyers have youth, the Penguins have a core of 30-somethings looking to make one last run to the Cup. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have three titles in their nearly two decades together in the Steel City. Despite being 38 and 39, respectively, they continue to lead; Crosby put up a team-hgh 74 points in 68 games, while Malkin had 61 in 56.
First-year coach Dan Muse said that leadership has its advantages.
“I don’t have to say anything,” Muse said Friday. “I know for sure that the guys that have the significant playoff experience … are going to be playing a big role there in just terms of helping along the guys that this is their first time.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cody Bellinger hits 2 of Yanks' 4 HRs in rout of Royals
Apr 18, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits a two run home run against the Kansas City Royals during the third inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Cody Bellinger homered twice and collected five RBIs as the New York Yankees easily recorded a 13-4 victory over the visiting Kansas City Royals on Saturday afternoon.
The Yankees notched their most lopsided win this season after their previous five victories were decided in the final at-bat.
Amed Rosario hit a two-run homer and Ben Rice hit a solo shot during a five-run third off Kansas City left-hander Noah Cameron (1-1).
Rosario started the scoring with his two-run blast to left after a three-base error by Kansas City center fielder Kyle Isbel.
J.C. Escarra hit a fly ball to the warning track in center field, and the ball was not caught when Isbel and right fielder Jac Caglianone converged. Isbel knocked the ball out of Caglianone’s glove and was charged with a three-base error.
After Rosario’s homer, Aaron Judge walked, then Bellinger sent a first-pitch slider into the second deck in right. Rice homered two batters later when he hit a fastball into the right field seats for his third straight game with a homer.
Bellinger homered again in the sixth off Mitch Spence for a 10-0 lead. It was Bellinger’s 20th career multi-homer game and his eighth game with at least five RBIs.
Bellinger also had an RBI single in between homers. Rosario added a run-scoring single in the sixth and Escarra contributed an RBI double in the fourth.
Escarra also drove in two with his first career triple in the seventh as the Yankees collected 11 hits. Randal Grichuk added a sacrifice fly in the eighth for his first RBI with New York.
New York’s Will Warren (2-0) allowed two runs on five hits in seven innings. The right-hander matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts and walked none.
The Royals dropped their sixth straight. Kansas City was blanked until Carter Jensen hit a two-run homer in the seventh and got a two-run double from Michael Massey in the ninth.
Cameron was shelled for a career-worst seven runs (five earned) on seven hits in four innings.
Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro was tossed by second base umpire Nestor Ceja before Cameron threw a pitch after the Royals batted in the first.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NHL roundup: Flyers win Game 1 of in-state playoff series vs. Penguins
Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) celebrates his goal with the Flyers bench against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the third period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Porter Martone scored a timely goal late for the Philadelphia Flyers, who skated away with a 3-2 road victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven, first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Martone, a 19-year-old playing in his 10th NHL game, scored an insurance goal to make it 3-1 with 2:37 left in the Battle of Pennsylvania rivalry series. That proved crucial when the Penguins’ Bryan Rust found the net with 1:01 left.
Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale also scored for Philadelphia in the franchise’s first playoff game in six years. The Flyers got 15 saves from Dan Vladar in his playoff debut, including one on a point-blank shot from Anthony Mantha in the closing seconds.
Evgeni Malkin scored his 68th postseason goal for the Penguins and assisted on Rust’s goal. Stuart Skinner made 17 saves. Game 2 is Monday in Pittsburgh.
Wild 6, Stars 1
Matt Boldy had two goals and an assist for visiting Minnesota in a win against Dallas in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series.
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice, Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist and Mats Zuccarello had three assists for the Wild, who are trying to win their first playoff series since 2015 after getting eliminated in the opening round eight times since then. Rookie Jesper Wallstedt got the start and made 27 saves.
Jason Robertson scored and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for Dallas, which lost Game 1 of its first-round series 5-1 against the Colorado Avalanche last season before rebounding and eventually reaching the Western Conference finals. Game 2 is Monday in Dallas.
Hurricanes 2, Senators 0
Frederik Andersen made 22 saves and Logan Stankoven had a goal and an assist as Carolina overcame a slow start to defeat Ottawa in the opener of the first-round series in Raleigh, N.C.
Andersen recorded his sixth career playoff shutout after not having any in 35 regular-season starts this season. Taylor Hall also scored and Jackson Blake had two assists for the Hurricanes.
Linus Ullmark made 27 saves for the Senators, who saw 13 of their 22 shots on goal come in the third period but were unable to get on the board, even with a late power-play opportunity. Game 2 is Monday in Raleigh.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Padres halt Angels' scorching offense, even series
Apr 18, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) runs after hitting a RBI single during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images Fernando Tatis Jr. had two hits and two RBIs and Mason Miller struck out two en route to his seventh save to lead the San Diego Padres to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night in Anaheim.
Ramon Laureano also drove in two runs, Jake Cronenworth scored a run and reached base four times with a single, two walks and a hit by a pitch and Freddy Fermin scored twice for San Diego, which won for the 12th time in its last 14 games.
Adrian Morejon (2-0) delivered 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief while Miller pitched around a leadoff single by Yoan Moncada and a walk to Vaughn Grissom in the ninth to extend his scoreless streak to 31 2/3 innings dating back to Aug. 6, 2025.
Zach Neto and Mike Trout each doubled and Nolan Schanuel had an RBI single for Los Angeles, which finished with just six hits. Ryan Zeferjahn (1-1) allowed two runs on three hits and two walks in one inning immediately after Yusei Kikuchi wrapped his scoreless six-inning start for Los Angeles.
Kikuchi allowed four hits, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, striking out eight.
The Angels, who entered the contest having hit 16 home runs while scoring 49 runs in their previous six games, managed just two hits over 5 2/3 innings against San Diego starter German Marquez.
However, they nearly took a 1-0 lead in the second. Moncada led off the inning with a deep drive to right-center that Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill made a highlight-reel grab on, reaching above the fence to deny Moncada of a home run. It was the third time this season that Merrill robbed a batter of a home run.
The Padres took a 2-0 lead in the eighth inning against Zeferjahn, who walked Fermin and Cronenworth on eight straight balls to open the inning. Laureano then grounded a single to center to drive in Fermin, and Tatis followed with a slow roller into shallow right to drive in Cronenworth.
Los Angeles cut the lead to 2-1 in the eighth on Schanuel’s single, driving in Logan O’Hoppe who had singled and advanced to second on a single by Adam Frazier.
San Diego then added a pair of insurance runs in the ninth on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Laureano followed by an RBI single from Tatis.
–Field Level Media
Cody Bellinger hits 2 of Yanks' 4 HRs in rout of Royals
NHL roundup: Flyers win Game 1 of in-state playoff series vs. Penguins
