Recent Posts

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 […]

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. […]

Better Effort, Same Result for Penguins in 5-1 Loss to Bruins

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ season was threatening to morph from a major disappointment into a flat-out dumpster fire. They had lost four of the previous five games and had usually looked pretty bad in the process. Like the 60-minute self-immolation that was their 6-0 loss to Washington at PPG Paints Arena Thursday. Well, the good news […]

Penguins Postgame: This Can’t Continue

In one of the great cheesy late 1990s movies, Bruce Willis and his band of misfits who rocketed to space on a top-secret space shuttle to save the planet from an asteroid must radio to NASA that their mission has failed. Armageddon has a happy ending as the crew saves the day but the Pittsburgh […]

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’ 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 […]

Dan’s Daily: Kessel Gets NHL Workout; Malkin Makes Big Admission

Evgeni Malkin admitted he’s not the player he once was for the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was a startling day at Penguins practice, and Pittsburgh Hockey Now has full coverage. Phil Kessel is getting an NHL workout with old friends. The NHL trade rumors surrounding Chris Tanev and Vladimir Tarasenko are going in different directions, and […]

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 […]

Penguins Grades: Team Battles Heartbreak and Distraction

The Pittsburgh Penguins were energetic and aggressive in the first period. They were utterly terrible in the second period. They got by later in the third period when they finally buckled down for a 5-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at PPG Paints Arena. With the NHL trade rumors swirling around Penguins winger Guentzel […]

Rematch; Penguins Game 63 vs. Oilers: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

It’s never guaranteed that things will get easier. Case in point is the Pittsburgh Penguins, who on Sunday have a rematch with the Edmonton Oilers. The Penguins (28-26-8) return home from Saturday’s 5-1 loss at Boston to face the Oilers (38-21-3), the team that spanked them 6-1 one week earlier at the end of a […]

Penguins Six-Pack: Nedeljkovic’s Mess; Power-Play Positives?

Give the Pittsburgh Penguins this: They didn’t quit. Of course, they didn’t win, either. They did, however, manage to score twice in a 56-second span with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation to take the New York Islanders to overtime at PPG Paints Arena Tuesday night. That was enough to earn them one point […]

Capitals Waive Kuznetsov; Dirty Bird Done in D.C.

Evgeny Kuznetsov has long been a staple of the revived Washington Capitals, including their 2018 Stanley Cup championship. The supremely talented player has also dealt with personal demons and has been on the outs with the organization for several years. Saturday, Kuznetsov’s tenure with the seemingly came to an end when the Capitals put him […]

Kingerski: Penguins’ Inaction Was the Problem; What Exactly Was the Plan?

The Pittsburgh Penguins this season have been a flawed team from the beginning. Since November, they’ve been figuratively crying out for help, but none was forthcoming. The team’s flaws have been exposed. They lack enough emotional leaders. The third pairing has been a problem child all season. With respect to Chad Ruhwedel, his place in […]

Penguins Trade Analysis: Dubas Gambles; Bemstrom Scouting Report (+)

As the Pittsburgh Penguins eeked and creaked their way to a 1-1 first period against the Montreal Canadiens, president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas pulled a small Penguins trade that could be a steal, or it could be quite costly. Dubas rolled the dice on a conditional draft pick that might further deplete the draft […]

Penguins’ Free Fall Continues With 4-0 Loss to Edmonton

The Pittsburgh Penguins have grown accustomed to playing high-stakes hockey at this time of year. Whether they were competing for a division championship, a good seed in the playoffs or something as modest as a berth in the postseason, every result during the stretch drive has mattered. Not this season. The Penguins are wading through… […]

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 […]