Recent Posts

Penguins Game 51 vs. Blackhawks: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

Whew boy. The Pittsburgh Penguins have dug a deep hole as they head into a road game Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Penguins (23-20-7) have a quick turnaround following a 5-2 loss Wednesday at home against the Florida Panthers that had fans booing at times. It was their third straight loss. The Blackhawks (14-36-3) […]

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 […]

Dan’s Daily: Oilers Won’t Include Prospect; Penguins Get Big Surprise

Sometimes, this job is just the best. I have covered Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby and seen them make routine that which other humans just cannot do. Saturday was one of those crazy days everyone will remember as 52-year-old Jaromir Jagr suited up for Penguins practice, one day before his iconic No. 68 is retired. […]

Last Chance? Penguins Game 53 vs. Islanders: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

Blowing up their personnel combinations could be the next step in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ seemingly endless quest to right the ship and make a desperate push to get into a playoff spot. The changes could be in play Tuesday when the New York Islanders visit for a Metropolitan Division clash. The Penguins (24-21-7) sit three […]

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 […]

Penguins Practice: Sullivan Overhauls Lines, Defense Pairings

CRANBERRY — Mike Sullivan made some significant personnel changes during the Pittsburgh Penguins’ practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex Monday. The top line, with Sidney Crosby between Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust, remained intact, but most of the other lines and defense pairings were scrambled. Here are the the lines and pairings from the workout: […]

Penguins Six-Pack: Graves Gains Ground; Scenario for Guentzel Return

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a lot of things. In denial is not one of them. They are all too aware of where they sit in the Eastern Conference and Metropolitan Division standings. Of how remote their chances of getting into the Stanley Cup playoffs are. Of how very different their roster might look after the […]

Penguins Have Another Late-Game Letdown in 2-1 Loss to Kings

Some of the most venerated figures in Pittsburgh Penguins history were at PPG Paints Arena Sunday to celebrate one of their own. They came, of course, to honor Jaromir Jagr, who joined Mario Lemieux and Briere as the only players in franchise history to have their numbers retired. And most, if not all, stuck around […]

Penguins Grades: Letang Meltdown, Late Collapse Rocks Team

CALGARY, Alberta — The Pittsburgh Penguins got a pair of bottom-six goals. They scored a power-play goal in the second period and led 3-1 with 10 minutes remaining. Yet the Penguins remain the most self-destructive team in the NHL. Calgary scored two goals 32 seconds apart in the middle of the third period and another […]

Silent Penguins Room: Players Devastated, Reality Setting In (+)

CALGARY, Alberta — This one hurt badly. Not just because the Pittsburgh Penguins needed a win to keep pace with their playoff rivals but because they had it firmly within their grasp. They led 3-1 with 10 minutes remaining but were tied 3-3 with nine minutes left. And they lost 4-3 in regulation to the […]

Flames’ Late-Game Comeback Torches Penguins, 4-3

The Pittsburgh Penguins just might have made Kyle Dubas’ mind up for him Saturday night in Calgary. They had a 3-1 lead over the Flames midway through the third period, but gave up three unanswered goals to absorb a 4-3 defeat that might be their most devastating loss in a season that’s been full of […]

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 […]

Blackhawks Down: Penguins Pull Out of Nosedive, 4-1

Maybe it’s all Jake Guentzel’s fault that the Pittsburgh Penguins’ playoff hopes have been fading, after all. Perhaps the guy who was tied for the team scoring lead and was on pace to get more than 30 goals again was the culprit behind their struggles of late. OK, probably not. Nonetheless, the Penguins made it […]

PHN Postgame Q&A: So Many Mistakes; Move Malkin to Wing?

Try as they might Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins could not overcome themselves or the New York Islanders, losing in overtime 5-4 at PPG Paints Arena. The Penguins’ second and third lines with Malkin and Lars Eller, respectively, were especially good. However, the mistakes on defense were too much. The power play was 0-for-3 and yielded […]

Go West; Penguins Game 56 vs. Canucks: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

It’s go big or go home for the Pittsburgh Penguins – except they won’t be going home – as they kick off their trip out west with a game Tuesday against the Canucks in Vancouver. The Penguins (26-21-8) need to win at a furious pace the rest of the season to get into the playoffs, […]

Dan’s Daily: Trade Winners, Canucks Hold, Penguins Changes Coming

After weeks, if not months of buildup, the NHL trade deadline was a bit of a fizzle. Not quite a new Stars Wars letdown, but the day had a methodical pace, and the lack of return for Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel took the air out of everyone’s sails. Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle […]