Penguins/NHL category, Page 98

The Pittsburgh Penguins were supposed to be off Friday. Typically, a day after their regular season finale, they take a respite to heal injuries and clear their heads before they gear up for the postseason. And that certainly did take place on Friday. Just without the part of preparing for...

Mike Sullivan’s job as Penguins coach is safe — for now. After the team’s ownership group Friday announced a major shakeup at the top of its front office, a Fenway Sports Group executive was complimentary of Sullivan’s work but said his fate would be left with the team’s next director...

More than six decades after its church was displaced to clear the way for construction of the former Civic Arena, Bethel AME Church will once again get land in Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District. The church is set to develop a 1.5-acre site at the corner of Crawford and Bedford avenues,...

As the Pittsburgh Penguins begin a crucial and difficult offseason, a lot must change. It started with GM Ron Hextall and president of hockey ops Brian Burke being fired. A good replacement GM won’t be easily found. It’s not an attractive job: An elderly roster encumbered by eight players with...

At the beginning, it was almost absurd. Comical, even. One of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ greatest villains became their general manager. In the end, he became vilified for completely different reasons few could laugh at (outside Philadelphia). On Friday, Ron Hextall’s tenure as the 11th general manager in the history of...

There was a macabre fascination to the way the Pittsburgh Penguins regular season finale played out in Columbus. The Pens lost to the awful Blue Jackets 3-2. In overtime. After blowing a third period lead. To a significantly inferior foe. While outshooting the opponent and making a journeyman goalie in...

Ron Hextall was almost indignant over the question. On July 13, less than a day after he had re-signed superstar center Evgeni Malkin — to say nothing of his successful efforts in re-signing franchise defenseman Kris Letang seven days earlier — Hextall was asked what gave him faith that retaining...

Three takeaways from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ season-ending 3-2 overtime loss at Columbus: One final blown lead The Penguins’ inability to protect third-period leads is a frustrating component within their overall performance this season that hardly needs elaborated upon. Entering Thursday night, their nine total losses in such situations led the...

Sidney Crosby did something he hasn’t accomplished with much frequency throughout his nonpareil career. Play every game of a regular season. With Thursday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in nearby Columbus, Ohio, Crosby suited up for this 82nd contest of the 2022-23 campaign. It marked...

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Mark Friedman was assigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL) after clearing waivers Thursday afternoon. Having bounced between the NHL and AHL rosters much of the season, Friedman, a right-handed shot, has appeared in 23 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins and scored three points (one...

When we first heard the “Fi-re Hex-tall” chants from Pittsburgh Penguins fans at PPG Paints Arena during a 7-2 beatdown from the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 24, they really resonated. As general manager of the Penguins, Ron Hextall assumed a job that can’t escape criticism. His predecessors — Craig Patrick,...

Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins will officially miss the playoffs for the first time since 2006, the angst from the fan base is thick. Wow! “U mad, bro?” is going to be stocked for weeks. It doesn’t even matter that no one cares about the Pirates anymore. And I don’t...

Two goals by forward Keltie Jeri-Leon led the Wheeling Nailers to a 5-2 road win against the Iowa Heartlanders at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa on Wednesday. Forward Ross Krieger had a goal and an assist for Wheeling (28-36-5-0) while defenseman Chris Ortiz contributed two assists. Goaltender Brad Barone made...

Perhaps the only thing sharper than Sidney Crosby’s dagger of a backhander is his comprehensive memory. Ask him about any random game in November 2008 or some mundane goal a long-departed teammate scored during the late winter of 2014, he can recall seemingly any nugatory detail such as what kind...

It has taken little time for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Tuesday night loss against Chicago to be assessed by fans and pundits as their worst defeat this season, one to be remembered for many years. The full impact of the loss was clear Wednesday night, after the Islanders beat the Canadiens,...

The Pittsburgh Penguins placed defenseman Mark Friedman on waivers Wednesday afternoon, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. The 27-year-old played 23 games with the Penguins this season, scoring a goal and two assists in a campaign spent between Pittsburgh and the club’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Friedman (PIT)...

Injured Penguins defenseman Marcus Pettersson and Drew O’Connor are expected to be “game-time” decisions for the team’s regular season finale, a road contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. Coach Mike Sullivan provided their statuses following a practice in Cranberry on Wednesday. Pettersson became eligible to be activated from...

Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Philip Samuelsson has signed with the Straubing Tigers of Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The Tigers announced the transaction via release. Samuelsson, 31, was a second-round pick (No. 61 overall) of the Penguins in the 2009 NHL Draft and appeared in five NHL games (with no points)...

The Pittsburgh Penguins aren’t good. Listing their blown leads and losses to rotten teams would take too long, and it adds up to a simple description: horse manure. Tuesday’s 5-2 home defeat to Chicago was one of the worst losses in franchise history, given what was at stake and the...

Before Tuesday night’s regular season home finale, the Pittsburgh Penguins gave away floppy bucket hats to the fans. Perfect for the beach. Hopefully the Penguins promotional staff saved some of those for the players because it looks like some early vacations are on the way. After suffering an utterly inexcusable...

On Feb. 20, Evgeni Malkin tried to rally the Pittsburgh Penguins and everyone with a rooting interest in his scuttling group. “We have a great team here,” the superstar center implored. “I believe (in) everyone. If we play the same, we’ll be in the playoffs for sure.” A mere 50...

Alex Nylander has gotten a pretty good view of the bucolic scenes Pennsylvania can offer in the spring. After all, he has driven across the Keystone State plenty of times over the past month and change. “It’s beautiful,” Nylander said. “I don’t need the GPS anymore.” On Tuesday, the skilled...

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is expected to return to the team’s lineup for its regular season home finale against the Chicago Blackhawks at PPG Paints Arena Tuesday. Activated from long-term injured reserve on Tuesday afternoon, Kulikov has been sidelined for the past 14 games due to a suspected left...