Seth Rorabaugh stories, Page 132
Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen finds a ‘home’
Kasperi Kapanen’s first campaign as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t go smoothly. When your individual season is delayed because you’re stuck on another continent because of a bureaucratic snafu related to a global pandemic, nothing is smooth. But when the talented winger was on the ice, he more...
Penguins players brace for changes after latest playoff flameout
Bryan Rust’s future came into focus this week. He became a father. With his wife, Kelsey, welcoming son Hunter to the world, the Pittsburgh Penguins winger was succinct on what Sunday was like. “It’s the best day of my life.” As for life at the rink? That’s another matter for...
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin ‘was not 100%’ during playoffsVideo
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan shed some light on the injuries his team was dealing with during its first-round playoff series with the New York Islanders. Forward Evgeni Malkin missed the first two games of the series with a right knee injury. It was the first time the team publicly identified...
Change is coming to the Penguins, but how much?
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — A few days before the opening of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ron Hextall acknowledged the reality looming in the upcoming offseason. There is an expansion draft, likely a flat salary cap and some of his team’s top players are entering the final year...
Minor league report: Nailers win 1,000th game since arriving in WheelingVideo
Two goals by forward Tim Doherty led the Wheeling Nailers to a 5-1 home win against the Indy Fuel at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. The victory was the 1,000th for the franchise since it arrived in Wheeling in 1992 as the Thunderbirds. Forward Patrick Watling added a goal and...
Empty Thoughts: Islanders 5, Penguins 3
Observations from the Penguins’ 5-3 loss to the Islanders in Game 6: There’s going to be quite a bit written about what the Penguins will do over the next four months. This little corner of the Internet won’t delve into that too much. For the time being, let’s just focus...
Penguins enter uncertain offseason after being eliminated by Islanders
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — A favorite idiom of Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is “high stakes.” He refers to it often when he evaluates his players and how they perform in “high-stakes” games. On Wednesday, the Penguins played in a game with the highest of stakes. Survival. They were unable to...
Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom a ‘game-time decision’ for Game 6
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Officially, New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom is a “game-time decision” for Game 6 of his team’s first-round playoff series with the Penguins at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Wednesday. Unofficially, it’s difficult to envision seeing him suit up less than 48 hours after he suffered a...
Empty Thoughts: Islanders 3, Penguins 2 (2OT)Video
Observations from the Penguins’ 3-2 double overtime loss to the Islanders in Game 5: The Penguins traded to get Tristan Jarry. Twice. At the 2013 draft, without many high selections thanks to the organization’s seemingly never-ending practice of dealing away future assets to “win now,” the Penguins did the reverse...
Penguins fall in double overtime, 1 loss away from elimination
Even though they won the East Division title — and did so partially thanks to a 6-2-0 record against the New York Islanders during the regular season — the Pittsburgh Penguins did not anticipate an easy go of things in their first-round series with the fourth-seeded Islanders. They were fully...
Offense hard to find for Penguins forwards Jake Guentzel, Jared McCann
You won’t find Jake Guentzel’s name in the NHL’s record books. That’s because the NHL quit publishing such tomes a handful of years ago in the pursuit of posting that information exclusively online. But Guentzel always will have a place in NHL history, having introduced himself to the hockey world...
Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith misses morning skate
Penguins backup goaltender Casey DeSmith is not expected to dress for Game 5 of his team’s first-round series against the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena on Monday. He did not participate in Monday’s morning skate. Coach Mike Sullivan did not provide an update on DeSmith’s status. Should DeSmith...
Empty Thoughts: Islanders 4, Penguins 1Video
Observations from the Penguins’ 4-1 loss to the Islanders in Game 4: For all the well-deserved criticism the Penguins received after this game, particularly from Western Pennsylvania, Islanders forward Mathew Barzal provided a profoundly pragmatic observation of the team that he had just defeated. “That’s a pretty veteran group over...
Minor league report: Nailers beaten in overtime
Forward Cody Sylvester had two goals for the Wheeling Nailers in a 4-3 road overtime loss to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. on Saturday. Goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon made 33 saves on 37 shots for Wheeling (19-34-6-1) which has lost five consecutive games. Highlights:...
Penguins top line struggling to produce goals
UNIONDALE, N.Y — Arguably, the most consistent offensive force for the Pittsburgh Penguins over the course of the regular season was their top line of Jake Guentzel, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. Guentzel and Rust were the only members of the team who appeared in all 56 games during the...
Penalties, mistakes cost Penguins in Game 4 loss to Islanders
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — If there was any doubt Evgeni Malkin truly has returned, he answered that question fairly quickly Saturday. To be precise, the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar center made his presence abundantly clear 4 minutes, 7 seconds into regulation during Game 4 of his team’s first-round playoff series against the...
Islanders to start goaltender Ilya Sorokin for Game 4 against Penguins
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The New York Islanders are expected to start rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin for Game 4 of their first-round series against the Penguins at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday. Sorokin made his postseason debut during Game 1 on Sunday, a 4-3 overtime win at PPG Paints Arena....
Brandon Tanev became voice of calm for the Penguins late in Game 3Video
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Penguins forward Brandon Tanev has become something of a local cult hero early in the playoffs due to his frantic (or maniacal) approach to his vocation. Yet, when Game 3 of the Penguins’ first-round series against the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum devolved into...
Minor league report: Nailers fall to Swamp RabbitsVideo
Goaltender Tommy Nappier made 21 saves on 26 shots for the Wheeling Nailers in a 5-2 road loss to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. on Friday. Defenseman Jesse Lees and forward Brady Tomlak each scored goals for Wheeling (19-34-5-1), which has lost four...
Penguins forward Jason Zucker comfortable contributing ‘in other ways’
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jason Zucker got his first goal of the postseason Thursday during the Penguins’ 5-4 road win against the New York Islanders in Game 3 of their first-round series at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Having reached the 20-goal mark five times in his career, Zucker’s...
Penguins have ‘3-headed monster’ at centerVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The Pittsburgh Penguins’ two-headed monster hasn’t been slain. Far from it. But it’s been in hibernation through the first three games of their first-round series with the New York Islanders. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin — long dubbed as a dual-craniumed leviathan at the center position for...
Empty Thoughts: Penguins 5, Islanders 4Video
Observations from the Penguins’ 5-4 win against the Islanders in Game 3: Sidney Crosby has been limited thus far in this series, at least in terms of producing offense. Through three games, he has one stinking goal. In contrast, Islanders fourth-liner Cal Clutterbuck had two in Game 3 alone. But...
Penguins outlast Islanders in wild Game 3 as Evgeni Malkin returns
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The Penguins wanted a good start to Game 3 of their first-round playoff series with the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Thursday. But they wound up with a chaotic conclusion. Most importantly, they got a win. With forward Evgeni Malkin returning to the...
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin returns for Game 3
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup for Game 3 of his team’s first-round series against the New York Islanders on Thursday at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Malkin had missed the first two games of the series with a presumed right knee injury. That ailment also...
Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin a ‘game-time decision’ for Game 3
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin was a full participant in Thursday’s morning skate at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in advance of Game 3 in his team’s first-round series against the New York Islanders. Coach Mike Sullivan labeled Malkin as a “game-time decision” during a video conference with media...
