Penguins/NHL category, Page 298
The other side: Could the Islanders really sweep the Penguins?
Are the Islanders destined for a sweep? That’s the question crossing minds in New York after Friday night’s 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins gave the Islanders a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The best-of-seven first-round series shifts from Nassau Coliseum to PPG Paints Arena for Game...
Kevin Gorman: Penguins shouldn’t panic, but they need to show some urgencyVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The Pittsburgh Penguins say they aren’t about to press the panic button, even after they blew a lead against the New York Islanders and a critical chance to even their Stanley Cup playoffs first-round series. Maybe they already did. Not only did the Penguins make a lineup...
Evgeni Malkin takes responsibility, vows improvement after Penguins loss
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Whenever the Pittsburgh Penguins have found themselves in a tough spot in the playoffs in recent years, Evgeni Malkin has been a voice of motivation in the locker room. It was no different after they lost 3-1 Friday night to drop the first two games of a...
Penguins falter late as Islanders take 2-0 series leadVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — In the rafters hang the numbers of some of the game’s all-time greats: Bossy, Potvin, Trottier, Smith. On the other side of the ice stand some of the most decorated players in today’s game: Crosby, Malkin, Kessel and Letang. Through two games of a first-round playoff series...
Playoffs by period: Paging Sidney Crosby — Penguins’ top line remains pointless
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — THIRD PERIOD: Islanders 3, Penguins 1 This tells you everything you need to know about the way this first-round series is going at Nassau Coliseum: Jordan Eberle and Josh Bailey have scored two goals each. Sidney Crosby has none. Crosby came into these Stanley Cup playoffs with...
Jack Johnson in for Olli Maatta, Jared McCann out with injury in Game 2 for Penguins
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The Pittsburgh Penguins made a couple of significant lineup changes for Game 2 of their first-round playoff series with the New York Islanders. Jack Johnson was in for Olli Maatta on defense, and Jared McCann missed the game due to an upper-body injury. McCann, who took a...
Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: For Penguins, everyone is a game-time decision
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The Pittsburgh Penguins had an optional skate Friday at Nassau Coliseum, so the absence of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist, Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang didn’t raise any eyebrows. When Matt Murray did not participate, however, it begged an obvious question: Is he still starting...
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan opts for physicality on 4th line
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...
Overtime woes grow into troubling trend for Penguins
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...
After playoffs debut, Penguins’ Jared McCann ready for moreVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — After getting his first taste of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Game 1 against the New York Islanders, Jared McCann is ready for more. The 22-year-old forward was the only Pittsburgh Penguins player in the Game 1 lineup who hadn’t participated in the postseason, so the 4-3...
Penguins’ Erik Gudbranson breathes sigh of relief after ugly Game 1 injury
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...
Why Penguins coach Mike Sullivan might stick with Game 1 lineup
In Friday’s Sided.co podcast, Jonathan Bombulie, the Trib’s Penguins beat writer, joins me from Long Island to preview Game 2 of the Penguins-Islanders series. We figure out why Mike Sullivan may stick with his failed lineup decisions from Game 1 against the Islanders. We also talk about why Phil Kessel...
Penguins forced to thrive in Long Island hornet’s nest
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...
3 not-so-obvious keys for Penguins in Game 2 vs. Islanders
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...
Penguins notebook: History indicates Matt Murray primed for bounceback
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...
Kevin Gorman: Islanders should be alarmed by Sidney Crosby’s scoreless gameVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. Something was missing next to Sidney Crosby’s name on the score sheet for the opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, as the 100-point scorer went scoreless. Statistically speaking, Game 1 against the New York Islanders wasn’t a great showing for the Pittsburgh Penguins captain. He didn’t produce...
Penguins seek improvement from blue line in Game 2 vs. Islanders
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...
Penguins defenseman Jack Johnson grapples with sitting out playoff opener
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...
Ex-Penguins winger Tom Kuhnhackl plays surprising role in Islanders’ Game 1 win
Where Penguins coach Mike Sullivan is getting criticized for his lineup decisions in Game 1 of the Penguins’ playoff series against the Islanders, Barry Trotz is getting praise for one of his. The Islanders coach decided to dress former Penguins winger and two-time Stanley Cup champion Tom Kuhnhackl. And he...
Islanders keep Sidney Crosby in check in series opener vs. Penguins
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...
Podcast: What went wrong for Penguins vs. Islanders in Game 1?
It’s our weekly Sided.co hockey podcast with Pens Radio Network host Brian Metzer. He worked the postgame show Wednesday night on 105.9 the X after the Penguins lost 4-3 in overtime on Long Island in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Metzer and I picked it apart top-to-bottom. LISTEN:...
Tim Benz: Plenty to anger Penguins fans in Game 1 loss to Islanders
What does it mean? Big picture. That Game 1 loss of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs for the Penguins against the Islanders. For me, it means a series that I thought would go Pittsburgh’s way in five games will now end in six. That’s all. Otherwise, that 4-3 overtime defeat...
Kevin Gorman: Penguins provide no defense for Mike Sullivan’s scratchVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Mike Sullivan made a double-edged decision on his defensemen that he kept calling difficult, one that ultimately backfired on the Pittsburgh Penguins. The first part was simple: If Brian Dumoulin was good to go, playing him was a no-brainer. The second part was a struggle: Making Jack...
Islanders capitalize on Penguins missteps for Game 1 overtime winVideo
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Facing the league’s best defensive team, the Pittsburgh Penguins came into Wednesday night’s playoff opener against the New York Islanders knowing they’d have to be patient. They talked about it all week in practice. They couldn’t force things in the offensive zone. They needed to made prudent...
Penguins Game 1: Josh Bailey’s rebound goal sends Islanders to OT win
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — OVERTIME: Josh Bailey was denied by the post in the final seconds of regulation. He scored on a shot after the puck bounced off the post at 4:39 into overtime to give the New York Islanders a 4-3 victory over the Penguins in Game 1 of their...
