Recent Posts

Penguins Report Card: Malkin Rises, but Pens’ Ship is Sinking Fast

A power play terrified to shoot and gives up a breakaway goal at its conclusion. A team that can’t muster the fear or urgency to win games on home ice with their season on the line. Last season, it took until Game 81 for the Pittsburgh Penguins to be eliminated from playoff contention. The impatient […]

Guentzel Out 3-4 Weeks; Penguins Recall Three from Wilkes-Barre

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ longshot playoff prospects have taken a major hit, as left winger Jark Guentzel is expected to be sidelined for 3-4 weeks because of an unspecified upper-body injury. He apparently was hurt during the third period of the Penguins’ 5-2 loss to Florida at PPG Paints Arena Wednesday night and has been placed […]

Kingerski: Penguins Sending Message, They’re Done.

Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas said the All-Star Break was a soft deadline, and his team would tell him which direction they were going. The answer has been submitted. A late second-period burst of desperation and fear was not nearly enough. The Panthers dismantled the Penguins, or perhaps the Penguins allowed themselves […]

Happy Penguins Room: Smiling Players, Proud Coach After OT Win

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Pittsburgh Penguins locker room had more than a few smiles and relieved faces. The Penguins fought back from 2-0 in the second period and 3-2 in the third to become just the fifth team to erase a third-period deficit against the Vancouver Canucks in a 4-3 overtime win. Sidney Crosby […]

Eastern Conference Power Rankings; Playoff Race & Penguins X-Factor

The top of the Eastern Conference is a battle in the Atlantic Divison. The bottom of the playoff race is a battle in the Metro Division. Both races are jumbled and could greatly affect the eventual Wales Trophy winner, and the X-factor in the conference is none other than the Pittsburgh Penguins. Are they a […]

Penguins Grades: Mistakes, Chaos, Survival and Playoff Hope

Perhaps it was the pressure or intensity of having their backs to the wall, but the Pittsburgh Penguins played the type of game they’ve needed to play all season. And they also made just as many maddening, pull-your-hair-out-by-the-roots mistakes as they’ve made all season. They scored a power-play goal, and they allowed a brutal shorthanded […]

How Penguins Survive without Guentzel; Kids ‘Drag (Malkin) Into Fight’ (+)

SEATTLE — The Pittsburgh Penguins are 4-1-1 since Jake Guentzel was placed on long-term injured reserve. Guentzel has another 10 days of his mandated 24-day LTIR absence and now has company because Bryan Rust is also out week-to-week, also with that most mysterious of hockey terms, an upper-body injury. Because of injuries somewhere between the […]

Dan’s Daily: Crosby Hero, Kessel Struggles, Updated Trade Board

CHICAGO — The Pittsburgh Penguins needed a tub of ice cream to feel better a day after a season-shaking loss and Jake Guentzel injury. The rebuilding and hapless Chicago Blackhawks were Rocky Road with an extra big spoon, and Sidney Crosby willed his team to a win. Phil Kessel struggled in his first practice with […]

Dan’s Daily: Insider Trade Chatter; Penguins Get Some Help

A Pittsburgh Penguins trade went down during the first period of their 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens. It won’t send shockwaves around the league, but it might help. The team got some help in their playoff race as New Jersey and the Islanders lost. The Penguins were sort of good on Thursday night, but […]

Penguins Wrap: Jagr’s No. 68 Goes Up; Playoff Hopes Go Down

The Pittsburgh Penguins added a chapter to their history last Sunday by retiring Jaromir Jagr’s number, making him the third player in franchise history to be so honored. A few hours later, they put another hurdle in their path to a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs by failing to protect a lead late in […]

WPXI Final Word: What Can Penguins Do Before Deadline?

The question was simple. What can the Pittsburgh Penguins do before the NHL trade deadline? The answer from our Dan Kingerski on WPXI’s Final Word was simple, too. We won’t give away all of the fun, but the Final Word panel, also including Adam Crowley and Paul Zeise of 93-7 the Fan, took reasonable and […]

Penguins Six-Pack: Losing Mind Games; Cool Moment for Ludvig

There are times when the Pittsburgh Penguins seem fragile, like a team that fully expects something bad to happen. Perhaps because it so often does. Witness their 5-2 loss to Florida Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena, when the Penguins appeared to take a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal by Rickard Rakell at 2:32 […]

Jake Shake(up): Penguins Trade Guentzel to Carolina

The Pittsburgh Penguins have traded left winger Jake Guentzel to Carolina. The Hurricanes gave them a package that includes a conditional 2024 first-round draft choice and left winger Bunting to secure Guentzel, who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and defenseman Ty Smith. The Penguins retained 25 percent of Guentzel’s $6 […]

(UPDATED) Penguins, Hurricanes Close to Guentzel Trade; Bunting Scouting Report

Buckle up. The NHL trade rumors should get thick tonight. The Carolina Hurricanes, thought to be part of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Jake Guentzel trade sweepstakes, make a curious lineup choice Thursday night. The Hurricanes announced overachieving winger Michael Bunting was scratched for “trade releated” reasons. Sportsnet Elliotte Friedman went further on X, confirming that Bunting […]

Penguins Six-Pack: Rust’s Pointed Observation; Another Power Failure

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2-1 loss to Los Angeles Sunday at PPG Paints Arena was their fourth defeat in five games, as well as the latest in a series of setbacks during which they were unable to protect a lead — or a tie — in the third period. Consequently, despite persistent statements that they believe […]

LeBrun Says Teams Interested in Reilly Smith; Penguins Listening on Many

The March 8th NHL trade deadline is just over two weeks away, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have not improved their position in the standings. Several new players have not integrated well into the Penguins lineup, wins have become scarce, and things are not looking rosy for the Penguins to make a playoff push. Tuesday evening, […]