Recent Posts

Dan’s Daily: Trade Deadline Matches; Penguins Falling Fast

Freefall out into nothing. The Pittsburgh Penguins lost their third regulation game in a row with their third disappointing effort in a row and are poised to miss the playoffs for the second season in a row. Penguins love became a funeral pyre Wednesday. Sidney Crosby pushed back, but coach Mike Sullivan was admittedly at […]

Penguins Grades: ‘Resilient’ Win, 3 Players Who Rose to Challenge

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The handmade cardboard sign was taped above the Pittsburgh Penguins locker room door. It said only two words, “All In.” The Penguins earned a hard-fought win and one that shines a bright, positive light on the team, who beat the NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in overtime at Rogers Arena. If there’s […]

LIVE NHL Trade Deadline Blog: Late VGK Blockbuster; Penguins Quiet

BOSTON — The Pittsburgh Penguins kicked over the first big domino of the NHL trade deadline when they traded Jake Guentzel to the Carolina Hurricanes late Thursday night. Reliable sources tell Pittsburgh Hockey Now that the Penguins have received interest in more players, who could have new addresses by the deadline at 3 p.m. Lars […]

Penguins Players Feel the Heat; Sullivan Unhappy and Blunt

CRANBERRY — The mulligans are spent. All of the leeway used up. And in a recent analogy used often around the Pittsburgh Penguins room, the runway is getting short. In fact, the Penguins are out of runway. With 30 games to go and the playoff chase slipping away at an alarming speed, it’s time for […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 Grades: Time’s Up. Another Bad Pens Loss Likely Seals Fate

EDMONTON, Alberta — Time is up for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Because of a pair of embarrassing losses this weekend, you may not see winger Jake Guentzel and several others in a Penguins sweater again. With everything at stake on a four-game road trip, the Penguins followed a hard-fought overtime win over the NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks […]

Dan’s Daily: What the Flames Want for Big Pieces; Penguins Teetering

If you think you had a bad weekend, compare it to the Pittsburgh Penguins, who largely beat themselves in a pair of very asymmetrical games, shoving their season and future to the edge of failure and uncertainty. The NHL trade deadline is less than four weeks away, and one Penguins rival is ready to begin […]

Penguins Recall Joona Koppanen from Wilkes-Barre

The Pittsburgh Penguins made a personnel move a few hours before their game against Columbus Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena, but it wasn’t one of the franchise-altering deals people have expecting since the Penguins dropped to the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff race. They have recalled winger Koppanen from their farm team in […]

How Can Penguins Get Into Playoffs? Here’s One Surefire Way

The challenge for the Pittsburgh Penguins is pretty simple: Win their final 27 games, and they’ll be in the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring. Of course, the NHL record for consecutive victories is 17, set by the 1992-93 Penguins, so it’s unlikely that they’ll finish the season with a 29-game winning streak. (They already have […]

Penguins Postgame: Another Sad Microcosm of Pens’ Season

It was a storybook weekend. It was the return of the prodigal son Jaromir Jagr, whose jersey was retired in a moving and joyous celebration before the game. Former owner Mario Lemieux and a cast of former Penguins, including Ron Francis and Kevin Stevens, were part of the celebration. The Pittsburgh Penguins led the LA […]

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) […]

Devils Fire Ruff; Travis Green Interim Coach

The New Jersey Devils made a major move as the NHL trade deadline approached, but the Devils didn’t add — or trade — a player. Instead, they have fired coach Lindy Ruff and replaced him, on an interim basis, with associate coach Green. The move was announced by New Jersey’s president/GM Tom Fitzgerald, who broke […]