Jonathan Bombulie stories, Page 28
Jared McCann scores twice; Penguins earn confidence-boosting win in ColumbusVideo
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets, by most accounts, won the NHL trade deadline with a flurry of high-profile acquisitions. All the Pittsburgh Penguins did was plug a hole or two caused by injuries on the blue line. Consequently, and for good reason, pundits are talking with great excitement...
Penguins’ defenseman Zach Trotman gets chance to show he fits in
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Every time the Pittsburgh Penguins have suffered an injury on defense this season, general manager Jim Rutherford has said he’s pleased with his organization’s depth at the position. And every time he’s talked about that depth, he’s mentioned Zach Trotman. On Tuesday night, Trotman will get a...
New Penguins defenseman Erik Gudbranson gets ex-teammate’s stamp of approval
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Since they were teammates with the Florida Panthers for four seasons, Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bjugstad is well qualified to give a scouting report on newly acquired defenseman Erik Gudbranson. He did that after morning skate as the Penguins prepared to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets...
Jack Johnson set for first game in Columbus since signing with Penguins
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Around this time of year, it’s not uncommon for players swapped at the NHL trade deadline to talk about wanting to prove their old teams wrong for letting them go. There’s none of that in Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson. On Tuesday night, Johnson will face his...
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford hangs onto first-round draft pick at trade deadline
Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has a win-now mandate with his star players creeping into their 30s, but even that has its limits. In the build-up to Monday’s NHL trade deadline, Rutherford said he was trying as hard as he could to hold onto his first-round pick in June’s...
Penguins add Chris Wideman from Florida to beef up depth on blue line
While the acquisition of 6-foot-5 Erik Gudbranson at Monday’s NHL trade deadline was about adding size and strength to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ blue line, a trade for Chris Wideman was meant to provide depth. The Penguins acquired Wideman from the Florida Panthers in exchange for center Jean-Sebastien Dea. Wideman, 29,...
Trade-deadline wrangling forces Penguins’ Teddy Blueger to the minors
Promising rookie Teddy Blueger was sent down to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Monday, but his reassignment had more to do with roster wrangling than any dissatisfaction with his play. Because the Penguins are hopeful that defensemen Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin won’t be out long, they haven’t yet been placed on the...
Penguins acquire defensemen Gudbranson, Wideman; Pearson, Dea shipped outVideo
In the estimation of general manager Jim Rutherford, the Pittsburgh Penguins are “on the bubble” to make the playoffs this season. His strategy for getting off the bubble includes adding some muscle to his blue line. Rutherford brought physicality to his injured defense corps just before Monday’s NHL trade deadline,...
Penguins get ‘encouraging’ news on injured defensemen Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin
The most important development in Pittsburgh Penguins camp Monday afternoon probably wasn’t anything that happened at the NHL trade deadline. It was when the injury report was released. The Penguins lost both of their top-pair defensemen, Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin, to injuries during Saturday’s outdoor game in Philadelphia. Dumoulin...
Less could be more for Penguins at NHL trade deadline
At the NHL trade deadline, less is usually more. In 2017, the Washington Capitals made a splashy move at the deadline, picking up Kevin Shattenkirk from the St. Louis Blues. In 2018, they added only depth defensemen Michal Kempny and Jakub Jerabek. Which year did they win the Stanley Cup?...
5 things we learned from Penguins’ loss to Flyers
Moments after the Pittsburgh Penguins lost 4-3 in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL Stadium Series on Saturday night, coach Mike Sullivan said he would be able to better assess his team’s performance after watching the game on video. Here’s some unsolicited advice for Sullivan: Don’t bother. An...
Injuries on defense ramp up trade deadline pressure on Penguins
A little more than a week ago, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford was in a somewhat enviable position as it relates to Monday’s NHL trade deadline. Oh, his team hadn’t yet lived up to its potential, playing maddeningly inconsistent hockey and hovering around the fringes of the Eastern Conference...
Sidney Crosby: Penguins must learn from outdoor lossVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has a philosophy about losses. Given how this season has gone, it’s almost become a mantra. It applies to the gut-wrenching 4-3 overtime loss the Penguins suffered in an NHL Stadium Series game Saturday night in Philadelphia the same way it applies to...
Penguins lose Brian Dumoulin, Kris Letang to injuryVideo
PHILADELPHIA — In the midst of a phenomenal season, Kris Letang might be the Pittsburgh Penguins’ MVP. Brian Dumoulin could be one of the most underrated defensemen in the league. In a development that could prove monumentally detrimental to the team’s playoff hopes, both were injured on the same play...
Penguins let late lead slip away, lose Stadium Series game to FlyersVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A rainy mess of a Stadium Series game at Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night was mostly disastrous for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Claude Giroux scored with 3 minutes, 1 second left in overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a 4-3 victory. The Penguins led by two goals with...
Penguins’ Patric Hornqvist gets top-line assignment for outdoor game
PHILADELPHIA — Having failed to record a point in his previous 14 games, Patric Hornqvist received a serious boost before Saturday’s Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. He was bumped up to the right-wing spot on the team’s top line with Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel....
Pulling the goalie in the second period? Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has considered it
PHILADELPHIA – When the NHL announced Saturday afternoon that the Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers would be played as scheduled, the press release contained a long list of contingencies. The one with the greatest potential impact on the outcome of the game was straight out...
For Penguins, taking it outside requires some adjustments
PHILADELPHIA — As he manned his Lincoln Financial Field net at practice for the NHL Stadium Series matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers scheduled for Saturday night, goalie Matt Murray was first struck by the similarities to, not the differences from, a regular indoor rink. “I’ve only played...
Outdoor game between Penguins, Flyers still scheduled for Saturday night faceoff
Opening faceoff for the Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field remains scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday night. “While we are expecting a chance of a relatively light amount of precipitation in and around the game window, current forecasts are indicating that we...
Penguins’ Evgeni Malkin to meet Flyers for first time since stick-swinging suspension
PHILADELPHIA – In the old days of the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, there’s little doubt Evgeni Malkin would have been starting off Saturday’s Stadium Series game with a fight. These days, it’s no sure thing. The last time the teams met Feb. 11 at Wells Fargo...
Penguins make changes after humbling loss to San Jose
PHILADELPHIA – Putting aside the extracurricular activities associated with a Stadium Series game, the Pittsburgh Penguins had some work to do at Friday’s practice at Lincoln Financial Field. They had to make some changes after a particularly uninspired 4-0 loss to San Jose on Thursday. Most notably, coach Mike Sullivan...
Penguins, Sidney Crosby hope to dodge raindrops in outdoor game
PHILADELPHIA – Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan didn’t major in meteorology at Boston University. That much was clear after his team practiced at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday afternoon. “From our standpoint, we can’t get distracted by the things we can’t control,” Sullivan said. “We’re not going to worry about...
Penguins-Flyers Stadium Series game still set for Saturday night … for now
The NHL Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers is still set for 8 p.m. Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field, the league announced Friday afternoon. In a press release, the league said “despite there being some level of precipitation in the forecast,” preparations are ongoing to...
Pearson, Penguins watching weather in advance of outdoor game in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA – After coming close twice before, Pittsburgh Penguins winger Tanner Pearson is anxious to play in his first outdoor NHL game, an NHL Stadium Series matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field scheduled for Saturday night. Give the weather forecast, though, his wait might extend another day....
Penguins have no choice but to treat outdoor game as serious business
PHILADELPHIA — As the Pittsburgh Penguins practiced Friday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field in preparation for their Stadium Series game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a wave of pleasant nostalgia came over goalie Matt Murray. In his mind, he was a kid again, breathing in the cold air of Thunder Bay,...
