Playoffs in Brief: A celebration worthy of a spot in the second round of the playoffs
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In Montreal, everyone was obviously watching the Canadiens' game against the Lightning last night.
But the Flyers were also trying to end the Penguins' season, and in Vegas, the Golden Knights hosted the Mammoth for Game 5 of their series.
Let's see what caught our attention:
Wednesday wrapped up with the @NHLFlyers advancing to the Second Round of the #StanleyCup Playoffs, while the @CanadiensMTL and @GoldenKnights took a 3-2 series lead.#NHLStats: https://t.co/lOTwcDfKDJ pic.twitter.com/IGqtKjlfvM
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) April 30, 2026
1: A celebration worthy of a ticket to the second round of the playoffs
The Philadelphia Flyers were trying to end the Pittsburgh Penguins' season.
And the two teams delivered a very, very close game. After 60 minutes, the score was 0-0, and overtime was needed to determine a winner…
In overtime, it was Cam York who secured the win for the Flyers with a beautiful shot from the point. The defenseman scored his first goal since… January 21.
He picked the perfect moment:
CAM FREAKIN' YORK. WHAT A CELLY pic.twitter.com/nMJ0Udz97Y
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 30, 2026
In celebration, Cam York decided to throw his stick with all his might into the stands. A true rockstar celebration:
YORK SEND HIS STICK TO ANOTHER PLANET pic.twitter.com/ldtHP8jK0p
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 30, 2026
Oh… and his stick was found by a fan who was just waiting for that:
THE CAM YORK STICK HAS BEEN FOUND IN THE CROWD
(via @cam_rez) pic.twitter.com/rheg5Adw0e
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 30, 2026
It's worth noting that the Flyers' victory would never have been possible without Dan Vladar's brilliance.
The Philadelphia goaltender stopped all 42 shots he faced to earn the shutout and eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games.
A MONSTER 42-SAVE SHUTOUT BY DAN VLADAR
His incredible performance was pivotal in the @NHLFlyers moving on to the Second Round! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/3dQV3tqnvS
— NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2026
Sidney Crosby's season is now over.
Seeing his team make the playoffs was quite an achievement in itself…
Better luck next time, Sid:
That's a wrap on the Battle of Pennsylvania
pic.twitter.com/bX7V4b0IiB
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 30, 2026
2: Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Hodwen: Vegas's two heroes of the day
Last night, the Golden Knights hosted the Utah Mammoth. It was the fifth game of the series between the two teams, which was tied 2-2 heading into yesterday's game.
And clearly, there are two names making headlines this morning in Vegas: Pavel Dorofeyev… and Brett Howden.
Dorofeyev scored a goal…
You might not want to leave Pavel Dorofeyev that open…
He ties this game up 1-1 in the final minute of the opening frame!
#StanleyCup
: @NHL_On_TNT
: @Sportsnet & @TVASports pic.twitter.com/gwHoWFeBmV
— NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2026
He added another one…
PAVEL DOROFEYEV IS ON HAT-TRICK WATCH IN GAME 5
pic.twitter.com/GeDDoODAg6
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2026
And he completed his hat trick with less than a minute left to tie the game. Just like in the Flyers-Penguins game, the match went into overtime:
PAVEL DOROFEYEV HAS TIED THE GAME IN THE FINAL MINUTE OF REGULATION WITH HIS THIRD OF THE GAME!
#StanleyCup
— NHL (@NHL) April 30, 2026
No goals were scored in the first twenty minutes of overtime.
In the second overtime period… Brett Howden secured the win for the Golden Knights with a perfect shot into the top corner, right where Mom hides the cookies:
DOUBLE OT CLASSIC
Brett Howden wins Game 5 for the Golden Knights with the Subway Canada OT winner! pic.twitter.com/CcuJKI4Qke
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 30, 2026
The Golden Knights won 5-4 and took a 3-2 lead in the series against the Mammoth.
The series will now head to Utah for Game 6 between the two teams. Will André Tourigny's men be able to avoid elimination and force a decisive Game 7?
Stay tuned…
Overtime
– Top scorers from last night's game:
– Two games tonight:
