Penguins/NHL category, Page 297
Tim Benz: How Penguins could climb out of 3-0 hole vs. Islanders
So how do they do it? The truth is, it almost assuredly won’t happen. But … If the Penguins are to come back from a 3-0 hole against the New York Islanders in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, how will it happen? The usual empty explanations were thrown around the...
Muted Penguins offense facing now-or-never Game 4 with Islanders
In explaining the Pittsburgh Penguins impotent offensive production, it’s easy to point to the New York Islanders and the Penguins’ obvious troubles in solving their first-round opponent’s commitment to defense. But in reality, the Penguins’ struggles with scoring goals extend well back beyond the start of the postseason. Though winning...
Penguins’ Sidney Crosby: ‘I’d love to be a part of a team that comes back from (down 3-0)’
Sidney Crosby has made an indelible permanent mark on the NHL. He’s carved out a place in the hockey history books. So, the way he sees it, why not embrace an opportunity to make more history? The Pittsburgh Penguins captain recognizes the dire situation and the long odds the Penguins...
Down 3-0, Penguins try to take their minds off hockey
Mike Sullivan’s viewing of choice was Game of Thrones. For Justin Schultz, Masters post-tournament coverage. The routine-oriented Matt Murray and Sidney Crosby planned on spending time with family. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ season is on the line Tuesday. But Monday, players and coaches mostly were electing to keep from dwelling too...
With Penguins’ season on the line, Mike Sullivan cancels practice
What possibly was the Pittsburgh Penguins’ final practice of the season became not a practice at all Monday. Though the team gathered Monday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, players did not take the ice on the eve of Game 4 of their first-round playoff series they trail...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden discuss how good Islanders are, Penguins’ issues
It’s the day after another Penguins loss, and Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss the state of the team, how good the Islanders are and what, if anything, can be done to salvage this first-round playoff series for Pittsburgh. Benz and Madden discuss the Penguins’ issues maintaining momentum, the stars...
Islanders not the first team to smother Penguins in playoffs
The extent to which the New York Islanders have suffocated the Pittsburgh Penguins in their first-round playoff series is surprising. The Penguins had the sixth-best offense in the league in the regular season, boasting a roster that included four 70-point scorers. They’ve managed a total of two goals in the...
The other side: Islanders thinking ‘Game of Thrones’ before coup of Penguins
Penguins fans might have “Game of Thrones” on their minds watching this series against the New York Islanders. Because it has been a massacre akin to “The Red Wedding.” Apparently, the Islanders players have been thinking about “G.O.T.,” too. Instead of wondering about what a sweep of the Penguins would...
Tim Benz: Penguins’ biggest problem vs. Islanders is clearVideo
There are plenty of reasons why the Penguins are down 3-0 to the New York Islanders in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. • A scoring slump for Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel • An ineffective power play • Hot goaltending from Robin Lehner • Trouble in the faceoff circle during...
John Steigerwald: Miracles not unheard of in Penguins-Islanders history
Do you believe in miracles? If the Pittsburgh Penguins win the next three games against the New York Islanders and are leading in Game 7 with 10 seconds to go, whoever is calling the game shouldn’t feel guilty about stealing Al Michaels’ line from 1980. Coming back to win this...
Kevin Gorman: Not even Sidney Crosby can save the Penguins this timeVideo
The Pittsburgh Penguins had just missed a golden goal-scoring opportunity Sunday when the television camera zoomed in on Sidney Crosby chewing on his mouthpiece on the bench. That was supposed to be a sign of Sid’s frustration. Or it could have been just a bad habit that was magnified in...
Islanders’ Robin Lehner shines after beating off-ice ‘demons’
Barry Trotz appreciates and respects what Robin Lehner has done for the New York Islanders in the first three games of their playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. But the Islanders coach isn’t kidding when he says, “Playing goal for us is the easy thing.” Lehner has stopped 98 shots...
Penguins notebook: Garrett Wilson’s ‘greasy’ goal a bright spotVideo
In one sense, the fact Garrett Wilson scored the team’s lone goal in Game 3 against the New York Islanders on Sunday is a bad sign for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Couple that with Erik Gudbranson being the only scorer in a 3-1 loss in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference...
Tim Benz, Mark Madden break down Penguins’ 3-0 hole vs. Islanders
We bring you this week’s Madden Monday from PPG Paints Arena after the Penguins drop a 4-1 decision in Game 3 to the New York Islanders. Mark Madden of 105.9 the X and TribLIVE joins me as we figure out how the Isles have built a commanding 3-0 series lead...
Penguins in hole they’ve never climbed out of in Crosby-Malkin era
For the third time since Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin joined the Pittsburgh Penguins, the team has lost the first three games of a playoff series. The first time, they made it a series. The second time, they were swept. Which path they take this time will be determined in...
Islanders again stymie Penguins to take 3-0 series leadVideo
Enticed into making mistake after costly mistake by a disciplined opponent, the Pittsburgh Penguins are one loss from leaving the playoffs in a stunning first-round sweep. Jordan Eberle and Brock Nelson scored 62 seconds apart in the first period, leading the New York Islanders to a 4-1 victory Sunday afternoon...
Playoffs by period: After missing shots to score, Penguins running out of chances
THIRD PERIOD: Islanders 4, Penguins 1 It comes down to chances. When the Penguins got theirs, they missed. Sidney Crosby had the puck behind the net and slid a pass to Jake Guentzel at the bottom of the left circle. Guentzel fired a shot off the left shoulder of Islanders...
Penguins viewing party Downtown will depend on the weather
This afternoon’s weather will determine if Penguins fans can enjoy Sunday’s Game 3 outdoors. The KeyBank Big Screen will be in operation for all home playoff games at the corner of Centre Avenue and Logan Street, with activation beginning two hours before game time. But with rough weather in the...
These aren’t ‘desperate’ times for Penguins, coach Mike Sullivan says
A large percentage of NHL players, including Sidney Crosby, often talk about the need to play the game with desperation. It may just be a matter of semantics, but Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan isn’t a fan of that approach. Trailing 2-0, the Penguins will face the New York Islanders...
Mark Madden: Expect Penguins to play better, fix this series
The New York Islanders are better than I figured. (Perhaps I should have taken a closer look at the standings.) The Islanders won two close games on Long Island because they were able to impose their style. The Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t stink. They just couldn’t get going. The Penguins pay...
3 overrated, underrated developments in Penguins-Islanders series
When the postseason begins, the playoff spotlight shines bright on multiple aspects of every series. As the Pittsburgh Penguins return home for Game 3 down 2-0 to the New York Islanders, here’s a look at three developments that have been overrated in their impact on the series and three that...
Last change swings in Penguins’ favor in Game 3
Without the benefit of the last change, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top line featuring Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust was held without a point in consecutive losses to open a first-round playoff series against the New York Islanders. That will change Sunday in Game 3 at PPG Paints Arena...
Simon moves to top line with Crosby, GuentzelVideo
From a statistical standpoint, Dominik Simon would appear to be the last player deserving of a promotion to the top scoring line for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After all, he has scored only two goals in his past 40 games. But there was Simon skating alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel...
Crosby: Penguins need ‘urgency and desperation’ in Game 3
Nobody needed to remind the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday that only four teams in NHL history have won a playoff series after losing the first three games. In the locker room at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry, the players were keenly aware of what is at stake Sunday. Defeat...
Penguins’ Jared McCann ‘optimistic’ about returning for Game 3
It took four seasons for Jared McCann to play in his first career postseason game. Nobody took it harder than McCann when his experience was blunted after one game because of an upper body injury. McCann was scratched from Game 2 of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first-round playoff series against the...
