Former Red Wings Help Penguins Stay Alive In Playoffs
Former Detroit Red Wings forwards Elmer Soderblom and Anthony Mantha helped the Pittsburgh Penguins stave off elimination from the postseason on Monday evening.
Follow Michael Whitaker On X While the Detroit Red Wings are watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs at home for the 10th straight season, a pair of forwards who wore the Winged Wheel earlier in their careers are helping their current team stay alive in postseason competition. Former Red Wings forwards Anthony Mantha and Elmer Soderblom, now with the Pittsburgh Penguins, factored into the scoring in Monday evening's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Penguins squeaked out a 3-2 victory at PPG Paints Arena, cutting what was once a three games to none series lead for the Flyers down to three to two.
Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news , game-day coverage, and player features . Soderblom, who was traded to the Penguins by the Red Wings in March, opened the scoring with his first career goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, whistling a snap shot past the blocker of Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar early in the first period. ELMER SODERBLOM SCORES ON THE FIRST SHOT OF THE GAME!!!
#StanleyCup šŗ: @espn , @Sportsnet , & @TVASports pic. twitter. com/5OPSLHB8br ā NHL (@NHL) April 27, 2026 Picking up the assist on Soderblom's goal was none other than Anthony Mantha, who enjoyed a career season in Pittsburgh.
He set new personal highs in both goals (33) and assists (31), and is in line for a raise on the $2. 5 million he earned for this year. Soderblom, who was the tallest player in Red Wings history at towering at an imposing 6'9", was never able to realize his full potential in Detroit, and after registering just two goals and an assist in 39 games played this season, was traded to Pittsburgh on March 6 for a 2026 third-round draft pick.