Recent Posts
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 […]
Kingerski: Now We’ll Find Out if this Penguins Team Worth Saving
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Is the Pittsburgh Penguins’ heart worth saving? Their march toward a playoff berth has more often resembled the legs of a staggered boxer. All season, it has been less of a march forward and more like two steps forward, a couple sideways, and a couple back. losses have come at key […]
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 Reclaim Matthew Phillips from Penguins
Forward Phillips, who was put on waivers Monday by the Pittsburgh Penguins, was claimed on Tuesday by the Washington Capitals. Or, he was reclaimed. The Penguins claimed Phillips, 25, on Feb. 16 after Washington put him on waivers. He had no real impact, however, getting no points in three games before he became a regular […]
Jake Guentzel Still Around, Participates in Penguins Skate
The NHL trade deadline hasn’t changed, and the reports about possible trades involving Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel haven’t died down, but that didn’t stop Guentzel from participating in the team’s morning skate Thursday at PPG Paints Arena. Guentzel, who is on LTIR because of an upper-body injury and not eligible to be activated until […]
Penguins’ Dubas Will Get Lots of Calls, But How Many Matter?
There will be innumerable breathless reports across North America between now and the NHL trade deadline next Friday at 3 p.m. about general managers, including Kyle Dubas of the Pittsburgh Penguins, fielding calls inquiring about particular players, and which scouts have requested a press-box seat at which games. Many, if not all, of those reports […]
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 […]
Penguins: We’re Looking for Points, Not Scapegoats
CRANBERRY — There are numerous reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins are having such a disappointing season. Their power play has produced more punch lines than goals. Some key veterans — guys like Evgeni Malkin and Karlsson, Rickard Rakell and Ryan Graves — have not performed at the level the Penguins expected. And need. Most of their […]
Penguins Claim Matthew Phillips off Waivers from Capitals
The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed forward Phillips off waivers from Washington. He is undersized — 5-foot-8, 160 pounds — but fast and fearless, and can play center or wing. Phillips, 25, has one goal and four assists in 27 games with the Capitals this season. His contract, which expires after this season, carries a salary-cap […]
Predicting Penguins Trade Deadline; Devils Could Jump Pens
CALGARY, Alberta — The NHL trade deadline is just one week away, and perhaps it’s fitting the Pittsburgh Penguins are in Calgary because this is the city that could flip the balance of power in the Metro Division and the Eastern Conference wild-card race. The Flames traded sandpaper defenseman Chris Tanev to Dallas, keeping him […]
Penguins Six-Pack: Losing Mind Games; Cool Moment for Ludvig
There are times when the Pittsburgh Penguins seem fragile, like a team that fully expects something bad to happen. Perhaps because it so often does. Witness their 5-2 loss to Florida Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena, when the Penguins appeared to take a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal by Rickard Rakell at 2:32 […]
Dan’s Daily: TSN Sticks Up for Crosby; NHL Trade Deadline Chatter
PITTSBURGH (I think) — We’ve got a lot of Pittsburgh Penguins ground to cover, but first, a post-mortem on what went wrong and why it went wrong. Geno Reda of TSN came loaded for bear, vigorously sticking up for Sidney Crosby, accusing the Penguins management of abandoning him by not adding help. It was a […]
Penguins Game 57 vs. Kraken: Lines, Notes & How to Watch
It’s Leap Day, and while the Pittsburgh Penguins will need more than one win to jump ahead of some of the teams ahead of them, they will get a chance Thursday to continue an important road trip on a positive note when they meet the Kraken in Seattle. The Penguins (27-21-8) play the second of […]
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: Toxic Power Play, Inexplicable Mistakes Crushing Season
Like peanut butter and jelly, Sidney Crosby and backhand goals, and Jaromir Jagr and a mullet, the Pittsburgh Penguins and self-inflicted losses with a sabotaging power play have become synonymous. Unlike the former examples, the latter is suffocating what was supposed to be a promising season. Nevermore was a greater microcosm of the Penguins’ season […]
Dan’s Daily: Fleury Squashes Trade Talk; Penguins Down 2 Wingers
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Pittsburgh Penguins will be down two wingers on this four-game road trip that will likely determine their position for the NHL trade deadline and, by indirect extension, their fate this season. Bryan Rust left Sunday’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers in the third period, did not make the trip, and […]