{"id":561863,"date":"2026-04-28T18:12:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T18:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/561863\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T18:12:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T18:12:24","slug":"penguins-stave-off-elimination-in-game-5-as-postgame-brawl-erupts-after-late-hit-on-sidney-crosby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/561863\/","title":{"rendered":"Penguins stave off elimination in Game 5 as postgame brawl erupts after late hit on Sidney Crosby"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Penguins<\/a> staved off elimination for the second straight game with a clutch Game 5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, but celebrations were briefly halted when a skirmish erupted over a controversial hit on Sidney Crosby after the final buzzer.<\/p>\n

Flyers forward Travis Konecny<\/a> found himself at the center of the scrum \u2014 and the controversy \u2014 after he appeared to cross-check Sidney Crosby after the game ended, marking the second incident involving Konecny this series to draw criticism.<\/p>\n

\"Sidney<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby collides with Philadelphia Flyers’ Travis Konecny during the first period of Game 2 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs in Pittsburgh on April 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

(AP Newsroom)<\/p>\n

A massive fight broke out with Crosby and Konecny at the bottom of the pileup.<\/p>\n

Click Here For More Sports Coverage On Foxnews.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Eventually, the players were separated, but fans on social media called out Konecny for his “dirty” plays in the first-round series.<\/p>\n

“No way Konecny would deliver one of the cheapest cross checks on Crosby to end the game,” one person wrote on X.<\/p>\n

Read On The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Travis<\/p>\n

Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers reacts after a Pittsburgh Penguins goal during the second period of Game 5 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., on April 27, 2026.<\/p>\n

“Examples are too numerous [to] count. But another example of the garage league @NHL @NHLPlayerSafety not protecting its stars and players,” another person added. “Nobody has ever bought a ticket or tuned in to watch Travis Konecny. A fine or supplemental discipline should occur. But won\u2019t.”<\/p>\n

Oilers Fan Throws Rotisserie Chicken On Ice In Loss To Anaheim<\/a><\/p>\n

The Athletic\u2019s Josh Yohe even accused Konecny of hitting Crosby with “clear intent to injure.”<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s a nasty series and both teams have crossed lines. But no one has been cheaper\/more dirty in this series than Konecny, whose cross check of Crosby after the game had ended was clear intent to injure. Earlier in this series, Konecny tried to kick Rust. Very dirty player.”<\/p>\n

The “kick” Yohe referenced took place in Game 3.<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Bryan Rust wrestles with Philadelphia Flyers’ Travis Konecny during the second period of Game 3 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs in Philadelphia on April 22, 2026.<\/p>\n

Konecny appeared to kick Bryan Rust during an altercation, but he denied it, telling reporters during his postgame presser that he did not recall any kicking.<\/p>\n

Click Here To Download The Fox News App<\/a><\/p>\n

Connor Dewar, Kris Letang and Elmer Soderblom scored and Crosby had two assists on Monday night to cut the Flyers’ lead to 3-2 and force Game 6 on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

“I think that\u2019s something we pride ourselves on all year. Throughout the season we\u2019ve been in different situations and I think that we\u2019ve done a great job of handling adversity and again here, we\u2019re faced with more,” Crosby said after the win. “It doesn\u2019t get any easier, so we know it’s a big challenge going into there. But we have a lot of belief in our group, we\u2019ve done it time and time again.”<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Follow Fox News Digital\u2019s sports coverage on X<\/a>, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Original article source: Penguins stave off elimination in Game 5 as postgame brawl erupts after late hit on Sidney Crosby<\/a><\/p>\n