Jonathan Bombulie stories, Page 22

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — When Zach Aston-Reese was cleared to return from a lower-body injury before the start of a first-round series with the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan had to decide what kind of identity he wanted his fourth line to take. He opted for physicality. For...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – When the Pittsburgh Penguins went 5-9 in overtime in the regular season, it was easy to chalk up the poor record to the peculiarities of the tiebreaking format. From the difficulty of making sensible line changes to the outsized impact a turnover can have, three-on-three hockey provides...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – When he went crashing into the boards in the third period of Game 1 against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night, his availability for Game 2 wasn’t the first thing on the mind of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Gudbranson. He was more concerned with making sure...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – In the first round of last year’s playoffs, Philadelphia Flyers fans yelled profanities so profane that they would make a Teamster blush. In the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, Nashville Predators fans were chucking catfish in their general direction. For most of the Pittsburgh Penguins roster, a playoff...

Teams that play successful playoff hockey often talk about doing enough little things right that they become big things. Here are three not-so-obvious things the Pittsburgh Penguins could do in Game 2 on Friday night to even their first-round playoff series with the New York Islanders. Tips, not screens Justin...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Matt Murray has a mantra about the mental side of the game that he repeats all season long. His focus is on stopping the next shot and nothing else. Ask him about his mindset during any stretch of a game — from the moment...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — With coach Mike Sullivan facing a significant roster decision and the New York Islanders trying to stab at their softest spots, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ defense corps has opened the postseason under siege. How they handle the adversity very well could determine if this playoff run is a...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Jack Johnson has been a healthy scratch before in his career. As recently as last season, he sat on the sidelines while his Columbus Blue Jackets teammates faced the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. Did that experience make it easier to deal with...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – For large chunks of this season, Sidney Crosby’s line did the heavy lifting for the Pittsburgh Penguins while Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel were mired in long slumps. In the playoff opener Wednesday night on Long Island, the opposite was true. Malkin and Kessel scored goals and...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Brian Dumoulin was in the lineup and Jack Johnson was out as the Pittsburgh Penguins opened the playoffs against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night. Dumoulin, who missed the last three games of the regular season with a lower-body injury, was set to open Game 1...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The idea that the intensity of the game increases exponentially once the regular season ends and the Stanley Cup playoffs begin is an accepted fact around the NHL. Players treat it like an article of faith. Fans, huddled around their televisions, swear by it. Entire ad campaigns...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – While the increased intensity among players is plain to see for anyone watching even one shift of playoff hockey, this is also the most intense time of the year for coaches. One coach comes out with a wrinkle in his forecheck or breakout for Game 1. His...

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The status of defenseman Brian Dumoulin remained up in the air as the Pittsburgh Penguins prepared for Wednesday night’s playoff opener against the New York Islanders. Dumoulin did not participate in an optional morning skate Wednesday and coach Mike Sullivan said his status would be a game-time...

In 16 practice rinks across North America, players gathered Tuesday morning to make final preparations for the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. As they pulled on their shoulder pads and laced up their skates, they peered around the locker room and wondered if they and the teammates looking back...

A look at a key matchup in the first-round playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. Before almost every game of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2016 Stanley Cup run, home or road, a ruckus would break out in the vicinity of the team’s locker room. It was Bryan...

The Pittsburgh Penguins spent a good portion of their final practice before the start of the playoffs working on the power play. The team does power-play drills at the end of most practices, but usually, they are limited to offensive-zone play. On this occasion, the Penguins also worked on bringing...

A look at a key matchup in the first-round playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. Even as they’ve squared off in each of the past four postseasons, coaches Mike Sullivan and Barry Trotz have routinely professed respect for each other. We’ll see how well that holds...

When the Pittsburgh Penguins began preparations for a first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders with a practice Monday morning in Cranberry, Jack Johnson was alongside Kris Letang on the team’s top defense pair. Why did coach Mike Sullivan put Johnson in such a prominent spot? A conservative explanation...

The greatest playoff success the Pittsburgh Penguins have enjoyed during their recent championship era came with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel anchoring their own lines. Coach Mike Sullivan hasn’t forgotten. As the Penguins began preparations for a first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders with a Monday...

Fans will be able to watch Pittsburgh Penguins playoff home games from outside PPG Paints Arena again this season, albeit at a new location. A large video screen will be set up in a parking lot at the corner of Centre Avenue and Logan Street. The big screen is back...

Ultimately, the success of the 2018-19 Pittsburgh Penguins will be determined by how they fare in the Stanley Cup playoffs. That’s life for a team with championship aspirations. But as the Penguins prepare for a first-round series with the New York Islanders that starts Wednesday, one interesting question regarding the...

A look at a key matchup in the first-round playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. When Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang arrived as the Penguins’ representatives at the NHL All-Star Game in San Jose in January, they were in search of a linemate for the three-on-three...

Evgeni Malkin takes a short pass from a defenseman and begins to gallop through the neutral zone with trusty linemate Phil Kessel on his right hip. As he crosses the red line, he’s met by a wall of three defenders spaced evenly across the blue line. Malkin has choices. He...

The Pittsburgh Penguins will open their quest for the Stanley Cup in New York. Game 1 of a Metropolitan Division semifinals series between the Penguins and New York Islanders will open at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum. While waiting for construction of a new arena at Belmont...