Penguins/NHL category, Page 158
Penguins name forward Sidney Crosby team MVP for 10th time
Forward Sidney Crosby was named the team’s MVP as voted on by his teammates on Thursday. It marks the 10th time in his career Crosby has garnered that recognition. Only franchise icon Mario Lemieux has claimed it more often (12). Crosby was also selected for the Players’ Player Award, also...
Penguins are enjoying the NHL’s increase in offense
Things were different when Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin played his first career postseason game. Especially in front of him. When Dumoulin made his playoff debut — Game 1 of a first-round series with the New York Rangers on April 16, 2015 — the Penguins’ fourth line was composed of veteran...
First Call: Steelers assistant coach tips hand about interest in QB; potential Baltimore trade may impact Steelers
Thursday’s “First Call” advances some late draft rumblings from Steelers headquarters. A potential Ravens trade may influence the Steelers’ draft options. And we are keeping an eye on a possible first-round playoff opponent for the Penguins. Second-hand endorsement This will make Poison singer Bret Michaels happy. According to NFL Network...
U mad, bro?: Steelers fans’ pre-draft complaints; Pens fans’ pre-playoff concerns; Pitt fans have Kenny Pickett angst
It’s a “Draft Day” edition of “U mad, bro?” So, of course, Steelers fans are a little riled up. Pitt fans are, too, since Kenny Pickett is in play for the hometown NFL team. And Penguins fans are starting to think about the draft as well — before the playoffs...
Minor league report: Nailers drop Game 3 to Komets
Goaltender Louis-Philip Guindon made 46 saves on 50 shots for the Wheeling Nailers in a 4-1 home loss to the Fort Wayne Komets in Game 3 of a Central Division semifinal playoff series at WesBanco Arena in Wheeling, W.Va. on Wednesday. Forward Cam Hausinger scored the lone goal for Wheeling....
Penguins CEO and president David Morehouse steps down
David Morehouse often used the term “Ron and Mario” when executing the duties of his position as CEO and president of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He leaned on that phrase to sing the praises of co-owners Ron Burkle and Mario Lemieux and their roles in elevating the Penguins from a bankrupt...
Mark Madden: Penguins can’t be fixed before playoffs, but here are some ideas anyway
If the Pittsburgh Penguins continue performing as they have for the past month, they’re going to get swept in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Not just eliminated, but swept. The Penguins have lost 11 of 17 and appear to be slowing down with every game. They nearly ground...
Tim Benz: For Penguins, water is finding its level as playoffs approach
Following the Pittsburgh Penguins’ latest defeat — a 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night — winger Kasperi Kapanen provided this assessment. “We know we are a good team,” Kapanen said. “Good teams have bad games, and today was one of those. … We know we are a...
Sputtering Penguins suffer rare home loss to Oilers, lose Jason Zucker to injury
The Penguins’ 5-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday was rare. As in, “Sidney Crosby’s rookie season” rare. That’s how long it has been since the Oilers claimed a regulation win in Pittsburgh. On Jan. 10, 2006, they triumphed, 3-1, against an 18-year-old Crosby and...
Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen returns to lineup
Forward Kasperi Kapanen returned to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup for Tuesday’s home game against the Edmonton Oilers at PPG Paints Arena. He was a healthy scratch during Sunday’s 4-1 road loss to the rival Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center. By any measure, Kapanen’s season has been underwhelming. Before...
Penguins to start goaltender Casey DeSmith against OilersVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins are expected to start goaltender Casey DeSmith in Tuesday’s home game against the Edmonton Oilers. In 24 games this season, DeSmith has a 10-5-5 record, a 2.72 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage and three shutouts. Aside from the Penguins, the Oilers are the only NHL franchise...
Tim Benz: NHL playoff expansion ideas are unnecessary, reward mediocrity
There has been a lot of talk this year about the NHL expanding its postseason format so that it becomes akin to what we see in the NBA. A “play-in” type of model that allows for the ninth and 10th seeds in each conference to play their way into the...
Forward Brian Boyle selected as Penguins’ Masterton Trophy nominee
Penguins management has been satisfied with what it has gotten out of veteran forward Brian Boyle this season. A 10-goal effort out of a player who — after sitting out of professional hockey for an entire season — came into the 2021 training camp on a tryout basis and signed...
Madden Monday: Penguins will ‘lose their first-round playoff series … no matter who they play’
For a while now, I’ve held the opinion that the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be clear underdogs against whatever team they play in the first round of the NHL playoffs. That thought became further entrenched when it became likely that goaltender Tristan Jarry was going to be out —...
Flat Penguins fall to Flyers in Philadelphia
Mike Sullivan didn’t have much to say Sunday evening. And that reticent tone more than matched what his team offered Sunday afternoon. In their final road game of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins largely looked somnolent in their 4-1 loss to the rival Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center...
Minor league report: Filip Hallander scores twice as Penguins lose to Wolf Pack
Forward Filip Hallander scored two goals for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 6-3 road loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. on Sunday. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (35-31-4-4) also got a goal and an assist from forward Alex Nylander while goaltender Tommy Nappier made 25 saves on...
Minor league report: Penguins lose in Joel Blomqvist’s debut, Nailers take Game 2Video
In his North American debut, goaltender Joel Blomqvist made 25 saves on 27 shots for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins who lost to the Springfield Thunderbirds, 3-1, at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday. A native of Finland, the 20-year-old Blomqvist was the Pittsburgh Penguins’ second-round pick (No. 52 overall)...
Penguins reach 100 points by routing Red Wings
Several Pittsburgh Penguins reached milestones Saturday through their 7-2 rout of the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Captain Sidney Crosby reached the 30-goal mark. His linemate, Rickard Rakell, netted his 20th goal of the season. All-Star defenseman Kris Letang matched his career-high in points (67). Future...
Minor league report: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton clinches 1st playoff berth since 2018; Nailers win Game 1Video
Two goals by forward Radim Zohorna led the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to a 4-1 road win against the Providence Bruins at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. on Friday. The victory helped the Penguins clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2018. Forward Drew O’Connor recorded two assists...
Penguins forward Jake Guentzel reaches 40-goal mark again
Jake Guentzel doesn’t emote often. He is pretty straight-laced and largely keeps his thoughts to himself. On the occasions he speaks with media, he adheres to a frugal economy of words. But on Thursday, during a 4-0 home win against the Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena, Guentzel was quite...
What can the Penguins expect in Evgeni Malkin’s return from suspension?Video
Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin has an eye for trends. Particularly among his teammates. To wit, the last time forward Evgeni Malkin missed a game, he returned to the lineup and erupted for a hat trick against the Detroit Red Wings. After being sidelined for a 5-1 road loss to...
Mark Madden: Can the Penguins win a playoff series with Casey DeSmith in goal?
After Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith made 52 saves to shut out Boston, 4-0, at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday, coach Mike Sullivan wouldn’t directly address the possibility of DeSmith starting in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Nor would winger Jake Guentzel. Nor would winger Jason Zucker. Nor would DeSmith himself....
Tim Benz: The ‘assists before the assists’ make the difference as Penguins blank Boston
Sometimes two assists just aren’t enough. And sometimes it’s the assists before the assists that can help make a difference. That’s something the Penguins personified during Thursday night’s 4-0 victory over the Boston Bruins at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday night. On the Penguins’ first goal in the first period,...
Penguins’ Casey DeSmith makes franchise-record 52 saves in shutout of Bruins
Mike Sullivan’s demands for what he wanted to see out of the Penguins to open Thursday’s home game against the Boston Bruins weren’t all that complicated. “Just energy and simplifying the game,” the team’s coach said following Thursday’s morning skate at PPG Paints Arena. “I think it’s important that we...
Penguins goalies Casey DeSmith, Louis Domingue each likely to see action by season’s end
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ approach for their final four games of the regular season will be simple. After all, it’s pretty much the same approach they adopted for the previous 78 games. “We’re going to win every game in front of us,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday. “That’s the way...
