Recent Posts

Will Bemstrom Be the One to Give Penguins an Offensive Boost?

CRANBERRY — Mike Sullivan’s assessment Saturday of how newly acquired winger Emil Bemstrom could be able to help the Pittsburgh Penguins’ offense might sound familiar. It certainly should. It was, after all, a lot like what Sullivan said a week earlier about Phillips, who had just been claimed off waivers from Washington then. When asked […]

Molinari: Penguins’ Return for Guentzel is Awful … Unless it Isn’t (+)

The trade that sent Jake Guentzel to Carolina Thursday night just might be the worst in Pittsburgh Penguins history. OK, there’s actually no chance that it will outdo, say, sending Markus Naslund to Vancouver for Stojanov, but you get the idea. The Penguins parted with a proven 40-goal scorer in exchange for a package that […]

Kingerski: Guess What, There is Hope for These Penguins

SEATTLE — Months, if not a few years, of nattering negativity and obstinate “I told you so’s” with each shortcoming that befalls the aging Pittsburgh Penguins have grown to a cacophony of cheers with each loss and begrudging credit for wins. In a sense, it’s entirely understandable. The Penguins’ core and fans have endured the […]

Penguins Flip the Script, But Lose to Islanders, 5-4, in Overtime

The Pittsburgh Penguins know all about late-game comebacks, because they’ve seen lots of them this season. Usually by the other team. But Tuesday night, it was the Penguins, not their opponents, who rallied late in the third period to force overtime. The extra period lasted just 57 seconds, though, before New York defenseman Adam Pelech […]

Bunting Never Saw Trade to Penguins Coming, But Seems Glad it Did

CRANBERRY — No one, especially Jake Guentzel, should have been surprised when the Pittsburgh Penguins moved him as the NHL trade deadline approached. When Guentzel didn’t re-sign with the Penguins and seemed to be intent on testing the free-agent market this summer, they had little reason to keep him once their playoff hopes became a […]

Dan’s Daily: TSN Debates Penguins Sell-Off; Jagr Speaks Wisdom

The Pittsburgh Penguins again won a 54-minute game but lost the 60-minute version, the latest in a series of hard-knuckled blows to their playoff hopes as they dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to the LA Kings on Jaromir Jagr day. For his part, Jagr dropped a little F-bomb on TV, captivated everyone with his speech, and […]

Reilly Smith Fires Back on Rumors, ‘Totally Baseless’

CALGARY, Alberta — The rumors have grown so loud and so widely accepted as to become common knowledge, if not fact. You’ve heard the chatter that has been widespread for a couple of months: Pittsburgh Penguins winger Reilly Smith is unhappy in Pittsburgh. Perhaps the only person who hasn’t heard that talk is the player […]

Friedman Names Teams Interested in Jake Guentzel; Penguins Goalies, Too

It might be more of a confirmation of common sense. During the Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet and HNIC reporter Elliotte Friedman rattled off a handful of teams interested in Penguins winger Jake Guentzel. He also confirmed that teams believe a Penguins’ goalie will be available on the NHL trade block, too. […]

Penguins Postgame: Backstory to Loss; Now the Trade Deadline (+)

EDMONTON, Alberta — The Pittsburgh Penguins were no match for themselves or the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night. Edmonton steamrolled the Penguins 6-1 at Rogers Place, marking both the beginning and end of multiple Penguins storylines. The Penguins locker room must continue to believe they are in the playoff chase. President of hockey operations/GM Dubas is […]

Penguins Metro Foe Fires GM Before Trade Deadline

The Columbus Blue Jackets, the only team below the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Metropolitan Division standings, on Thursday fired long-time general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. The firing comes nearly 11 years to the day after Kekalainen was hired in by Blue Jackets president of hockey operations John Davidson, who will step in now as GM during […]

Dan’s Daily: Squashing Trade Rumors; Penguins Path Forward

SEATTLE — The Pittsburgh Penguins path forward will require a lot more of the intensity they brought to the fight against the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday. There is also one guy, who colleague Dave Molinari circled that could pile up the points for the Penguins, who have reasons for optimism. Elsewhere in the Daily, multiple players […]

(UPDATE) Penguins’ Guentzel Trade by Tomorrow, 3-Way Deal? Report

According to TSN reporter Darren Dreger, the big deal of the NHL trade season is about to go down. According to Dreger’s sources, the Pittsburgh Penguins hope to have a deal in place for Jake Guentzel by Wednesday evening. The Penguins’ recent slide, losing three straight, has forced president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas to […]

Penguins Room: Players in Awe, Jagr ‘Inspiration’ Changes Dynamic (+)

The Pittsburgh Penguins practiced Saturday. They’ve lost three of four games and slipped perilously behind others in the playoff chase. Still, none of that was the news that gripped a couple of thousand fans who packed into the UPMC Lemieux Complex to watch practice or the fans in absentia who were glued to social media. […]

Penguins Put Matthew Phillips on Waivers

Well, that didn’t take very long. The Penguins have placed winger Phillips, who they claimed off waivers from Washington on Feb. 16, on waivers. If he is unclaimed by 2 p.m. Tuesday, the Penguins will be able to assign him to their farm team in Wilkes-Barre, although they would not compelled to do so. Phillips […]

Rivalry Renewed; Penguins Game 61 vs. Capitals: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ game Thursday against the visiting Washington Capitals won’t lack for drama. There’ s the usual matchup between future Hall of Famers Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin when these longtime rivals meet. There’s also the tension surrounding both teams heading into Friday’s NHL trade deadline. Perhaps at the top of the list, though, […]

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 […]