PITTSBURGH — Monday’s Game 5 could have been the last game of the Penguins’ Big Three era, with Evgeni Malkin’s future in Pittsburgh unclear and his team trailing the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1, in a first-round series.

The PPG Paints Arena glass wasn’t ready to see it end.

A miracle bounce off the glass behind the Flyers’ net gave Kris Letang perhaps the luckiest goal of his career. It went down as the game-winner, and the Penguins kept their season alive with a 3-2 victory.

Now, the series will return to Philadelphia for Game 6 as Pittsburgh continues its quest to become the fifth team in NHL history to overcome a 3-0 deficit.

The Penguins surrendered several excellent chances to the Flyers in the opening minutes of the game, but Arturs Silovs made some critical saves and Owen Tippett missed a nearly open net from in tight.

And Pittsburgh buried its first shot on the cage. Anthony Mantha flew in on the forecheck, won a puck battle along the boards and slid it to Elmer Soderblom, who fired in his first career playoff goal 2:45 into the game.

It was a tally for the Penguins’ third line, which has been their worst trio in the postseason.

From there, the teams proceeded to play the most wide-open period of the series. They traded Grade-A chances. Trevor Zegras nearly scored on a between-the-legs move. Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell each had multiple looks from the slot.

After the Penguins made a concerted effort to avoid the Flyers’ after-the-whistle instigation in Game 4, Malkin got into it with Travis Konecny and Garnet Hathaway following a Philadelphia penalty. Malkin and Mantha were both sent to the box. The Penguins were lucky to still get a power play out of it.

Pittsburgh did not score but looked better than they have in most of their man-advantages in the series.

Earlier in the period, Malkin backhanded a puck into the Flyers bench after the whistle and somehow avoided a penalty.

The Penguins’ 1-0 lead held to the first intermission. Silovs stopped all nine first-period shots in his second consecutive start.

Pittsburgh dominated the early moments of the second period and, just as in Game 4, quickly grabbed a 2-0 advantage. Connor Dewar scored his second goal in as many games, snapping in a feed from Sidney Crosby who had just hopped over the boards.

It capped off an impressive sequence of shifts for the Penguins.

But the Flyers cut their deficit in half 12 seconds later. Alex Bump, appearing in his first playoff game, skated around Parker Wotherspoon off the ensuing faceoff and beat Silovs from in tight.

It was a goal Silovs surely wants back.

The period turned batty in the waning minutes. A heavy shot from Ryan Shea hit Crosby in the left knee, and the Penguins captain headed down the tunnel in pain.

Crosby returned to the bench shortly after. But as he did, Philadelphia tied the game on a very unfortunate bounce for Pittsburgh. Travis Sanheim’s shot deflected off Erik Karlsson’s stick and past Silovs.

Two minutes later, the Penguins took the lead again on an even more improbable bounce. Letang’s shot from the point bounded off the glass, hit Flyers goalie Dan Vladar in the back of the leg and trickled past him for the luckiest goal of Pittsburgh’s season.

Shea and Crosby picked up the assists within minutes of their nearly disastrous connection. The PPG Paints Arena glass was robbed of a well-deserved helper on the play.

The Penguins carried a 3-2 lead into the third period.

Pittsburgh had chances to extend that advantage early in the final frame. Vladar made an incredible pad stop on Rust. The Penguins got a power play but did little with it.

Pittsburgh hit the post on multiple empty-netter opportunities but closed it out anyway.

It was over when …

The clock ran out on the Flyers’ frantic late comeback attempt.

Stat of the game

25: Career playoff goals for Letang, the most by an active NHL defenseman.

Around the boards

— The Penguins rolled with the same lineup they used in Game 4. Ilya Solovyov remained on the third defensive pair with Shea. Soderblom was again on the third line with Ben Kindel and Mantha, as Justin Brazeau was scratched for the fourth time in five games.

— Matvei Michkov was a healthy scratch for the Flyers. He was tied for third on the team with 51 points in the regular season. Bump entered the lineup and quickly stamped his impact on the series.

Up next

The Penguins’ season will continue for at least two more days. The teams will head across the state again for Game 6 in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

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