Vlad the imperfect: Costly goalie gaffe stings Flyers in Game 4

PHILADELPHIA -- When Sidney Crosby does Sidney Crosby things for the Pittsburgh Penguins, a game most likely will tilt in their favor.

When a rock-solid goalie like Dan Vladar does something that rarely happens with him, it should, and most likely is, overcome by his Flyers teammates.

The first was true in Game 4 on Saturday night at the Xfinity Mobile Arena as Crosby had a goal and an assist and was one of the best players on the ice. The second was not and the Penguins were able to stave off elimination with a 4-2 win over the Flyers to force a Game 5, which will be played at 7 p.m. on Monday in Pittsburgh.

Vladar, who has been superb all series, suffered an injury to his right arm in a scrum on Wednesday and was given a couple days off before Saturday's game. His availability was somewhat uncertain, as coach Rick Tocchet had said during the week that they would see how he felt on Saturday. He was a go for Game 4 and was his usual solid self. Except for one play that happens to every goalie at some point, the hope being it doesn't happen on this big a stage. But it did.

A sluggish first period by the orange and black dug them a 1-0 deficit as they headed to the locker room like a boxer headed to his corner after a bad round. It could have been worse had Vladar not made a couple of big saves to keep his team in the game. Early in the second, however, the unexpected happened.

RICKARD RAKELL STRIPS THE PUCK FROM DAN VLADAR AND DOUBLES THE PENGUINS LEAD 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L6cowe5Rts

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 26, 2026

As Vladar settled a dump-in puck behind his net, Pittsburgh center Rickard Rakell joined the Flyers goalie behind the net in what seemed to be an innocent play. But as Vladar tried to throw the puck up the left boards to waiting defenseman Cam York, Rakell snuffed it out and the puck leaked out towards the front of the Flyers net. Though Vladar did his best to keep Rakell from retrieving the puck, he couldn't as Rakell dove and was able to sweep the puck into the net for a 2-0 Penguins lead just 1:03 into the second period.

Any momentum the Flyers had gathered with the first intermission was gone that quickly.

"It was my fault, but that's hockey," said Vladar, who turned away 17 of the 20 shots he faced. "It happens to every single goalie. Obviously, ideally not in a type of game like that. The only thing we can do is try to focus on the next play. Everybody saw it. My bad hitting him. You do it in practice. You do it 20 times and 20 times it goes past him. This is just what it is. Nobody's perfect."

Vladar was also miffed with himself on the first goal of the game by Crosby. With Pittsburgh on the power play, Crosby won a puck along the boards and kicked out to defenseman Erik Karlsson at the point. Karlsson then shoveled a pass to Crosby, positioned directly in front of him at the right faceoff circle. Crosby blasted a shot off Vladar's glove and into the net for that all-important first goal.

SIDNEY CROSBY OPENS THE SCORING FOR THE PENGUINS IN GAME 4 👀🚨 pic.twitter.com/gfdBvoHf7X

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 26, 2026

"I was ready to go," said Vladar. "Obviously, the first two weren't great from my end, but hopefully I'll be better on Monday. If somebody told you guys before the season that we were going to be up 3-1 after four games you wouldn't believe us, so we feel good. Nothing's changing for us. Still being positive. 

"They have a really good team. It's not easy to win four in a row against a team like that. We'll be fine here. We're good. We're going to be great on Monday. I thought our guys played a really good game in front of me. First two goals weren't great on my end. If I didn't let those two happen we would have won, 2-1."

Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse made the first big move of the series when he started Arturs Silovs in goal in favor of Stuart Skinner, who had started the first three games. Though not tested tremendously throughout, Silovs was good enough in making 25 saves and helping his team get their first win of the series. It was Silovs 11th career playoff start. His previous 10 wereI with Vancouver during the 2023-24 season with head coach Rick Tocchet. 

As solid as Silovs was, it was the gaffe by Vladar that was the game-changer.

"It was a miscommunication," said Tocchet of the second goal. "They were yelling 'up' and I think Vlady just held on to it too long. Those things happen. It's just a misfortune. He'll be fine. Just a miscommunication on the play. Somebody barked out an order and it just was a little bit slow on the pass."

In the other goal, Tocchet was looking at a familiar figure all night in Silovs.

"He's capable," he said. "He's a good goaltender. We have our hands full."

All in all, it was just a play that happened with Vladar but is so magnified when it comes to the playoffs. Every play of the goalie is at this time of the year, and on Saturday it just so happened that the backup for Pittsburgh wasn't the one in the spotlight for an unfortunate goal.

"He works really hard, competes hard in practice and obviously, you see it in games transfer over," said Crosby of Silovs. "Tonight was the situation that we were in and in a loud building like this he was really poised and made some big saves for us at different points when they pushed, when they got some chances shorthanded there when they could have got a lot of momentum. I thought he made some big saves to hold it off and to give us a chance to get back in it."

Crosby's words on Silovs are ones that could be echoed by the Flyers on Vladar most nights. Even on Saturday night, if it wasn't for the one gaffe.