Recent Posts

ESPN Reports Penguins ‘Sky High’ Asking Price on Guentzel

The Pittsburgh Penguins control their playoff fate with games in hand and being close enough to the teams they’re chasing that if those games in hand are converted to wins, the Penguins would be in a playoff spot. Yet the NHL trade rumors continue to swirl around injured left winger Jake Guentzel. Tuesday, ESPN’s Emily […]

Fasten Your Seatbelts, Penguins Game 55 vs. Flyers: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

Pick your reason that the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game Sunday against the Philadelphia Flyers is a huge one. It’s the latest in the long, snarly rivalry between the cross-state teams. It’s a Metropolitan Division showdown. It’s on national TV. Oh, and it’s the latest must-win for the Penguins as they face an uphill challenge to try […]

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 […]

Trade Deadline Report: Teams Have Called About Jarry, Blomqvist

On Saturday night, Hockey Night in Canada panelist Elliotte Friedman reported that other teams believed the Pittsburgh Penguins could deal a goalie before the March 8 NHL trade deadline. The natural assumption was the potentially available goalie was pending unrestricted free agent Nedeljkovic. However, on his Monday edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman expounded […]

Capitals Punishment: Washington Embarrasses Penguins, 6-0

The Pittsburgh Penguins didn’t hold any players out of their game against Washington Thursday night at PPG Paints Arena for “trade-related reasons,” as a number of clubs have done lately. That doesn’t mean that everyone in their lineup actually was involved in the game, though. Truth be told, there have been cruise ships with fewer […]

Sad Penguins Room: ‘Bond Hard to Put Into Words,’ Crosby, Sullivan Talk Guentzel

The NHL trade rumors became a reality not long before the opening puck drop. The game was a forgone conclusion for most of the 60 minutes. The Washington Capitals played well, the Pittsburgh Penguins did not, and the result was a 6-0 beatdown of not only the Penguins on Thursday night but an unceremonious extinguishment […]

Penguins Practice: Bemstrom Skates on Third Line

CRANBERRY — Forward Emil Bemstrom, acquired in a trade with Columbus Thursday, worked at right wing on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ third line during practice Saturday at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. It was his first session with the Penguins, since they had a scheduled day off Friday. His linemates were Lars Eller and Smith. Bemstrom also […]

Dan’s Daily: Penguins Situation Gets Worse; Goalie Trade Market

Is Erik Karlsson ready to be the puck-dominating, lightning-fast player who won the 2023 Norris Trophy? There are signs that Karlsson is ready to go, and coach Mike Sullivan shed some light on the internal discussions with Karlsson. However, the Penguins’ playoff chase took a hit Monday when all three Metro Division teams in action […]

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 […]

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 […]

Penguins Grades: New Sad Reality on Display vs. Bruins

BOSTON — It was kind of sad, really. After some pathetic performances over the past week, which we now know was aided by the inside knowledge that Jake Guentzel was being traded and the team felt the gnawing disappointment of their GM waiving the white flag (which he wisely did), the Pittsburgh Penguins put forth […]

Penguins’ Offensive Numbers Adding Up to Sour Season

When the Pittsburgh Penguins raised a banner emblazoned with Jaromir Jagr’s No. 68 Sunday, it joined a number of others already in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena. There were, for example, the ones commemorating the franchise’s five Stanley Cups, as well as those celebrating the other players who have had their numbers retired, Mario […]

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 […]

Foreshadowing Trades? Penguins Move O’Connor to Center, Suffers Concussion

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan made several changes to his lines Tuesday, in what could have been foreshadowing the Penguins’ lineup following the NHL trade deadline on Friday. After three straight bruising losses on the recent four-game road trip and deflated spirits, Sullivan made a couple of surprising moves, including moving Drew O’Connor to third-line […]

Watch: Penguins Analysis, Examining Mike Sullivan by 3 Criteria

As the Pittsburgh Penguins sink further into the abyss of mediocrity and the playoff trail grows cold with mounting losses, many by their own doing, there is a growing segment of Penguins fans pointing fingers directly at coach Mike Sullivan. Sullivan is in his ninth season as the Penguins bench boss and the second longest-tenured […]

Penguins Game 62 vs. Bruins: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

Another day, another emotionally charged game for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are at the point of trying to make something – anything – out of the stretch run of the season. Saturday, it’s a national TV matinee for the Penguins (28-25-8) on the road against the Boston Bruins (37-13-15). And if that isn’t enough of […]