Recent Posts

Jagr’s Proving That You Can Go Home Again

Jaromir Jagr is not the same guy who made his first trip to Pittsburgh in 1990. The mullet that became something of a trademark for him when he was a teenager is long gone, replaced by a more businesslike hairstyle. And there are more than a few strands of gray on his head these days. […]

Now or Never, Penguins Game 54 vs. Canadiens: Lines, Notes, & How to Watch

It might be a contest of which team can muster more desperation Thursday when the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Montreal Canadiens. If the Penguins (24-21-8) are in a bad way trying to climb into a playoff spot, then the Canadiens (22-25-8) are hanging on by a fingernail at best. The Penguins are coming off a […]

Penguins Six-Pack: Rust’s Pointed Observation; Another Power Failure

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2-1 loss to Los Angeles Sunday at PPG Paints Arena was their fourth defeat in five games, as well as the latest in a series of setbacks during which they were unable to protect a lead — or a tie — in the third period. Consequently, despite persistent statements that they believe […]

Penguins Wrap: Lose Key Game, Top Winger & Maybe Some Hope

The Pittsburgh Penguins were surging toward serious contention for a playoff berth as the final days of February ticked off. Things changed, at least temporarily, when the calendar did. Early in the morning of March 1 — in the East, anyway — their three-game winning streak was snapped by a 2-0 defeat in Seattle, as […]

UPDATED Penguins Practice: Bunting Arrives, Rust Full Go, Harkins Out

Injured Pittsburgh Penguins winger Rust joined his teammates for practice Friday at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. So did newly acquired forward Bunting. Rust, who switched from a white jersey to a black one just as practice was starting, was full contact, according to Penguins coach Mike Sullivan. Rust is on IR because of an […]

LeBrun Says Teams Interested in Reilly Smith; Penguins Listening on Many

The March 8th NHL trade deadline is just over two weeks away, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have not improved their position in the standings. Several new players have not integrated well into the Penguins lineup, wins have become scarce, and things are not looking rosy for the Penguins to make a playoff push. Tuesday evening, […]

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 […]

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 Wrap: Malkin’s Big Admission; Honoring Jagr’s Greatness

The Pittsburgh Penguins are celebrating their past this weekend, honoring Jaromir Jagr for his many achievements during 11 seasons with the franchise. Good idea, because there’s not much to celebrate about their present. They snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory in Chicago Thursday, but remain well behind the Eastern Conference playoff field […]

Penguins Grades: New Sad Reality on Display vs. Bruins

BOSTON — It was kind of sad, really. After some pathetic performances over the past week, which we now know was aided by the inside knowledge that Jake Guentzel was being traded and the team felt the gnawing disappointment of their GM waiving the white flag (which he wisely did), the Pittsburgh Penguins put forth […]

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 Thoughts: Prepare for Karlsson; Pens’ Trade Chips

ln an increasingly rare dateline, this comes from the home rink, and the Pittsburgh Penguins battle not only against the quality teams they are battling for a playoff spot but, like an old Polaroid of happier times, to finally recapture the best version of themselves. With each passing day and each gut-punch loss, the Penguins […]

Molinari: Here’s What Matters Most in Penguins’ Deadline Trades

The Pittsburgh Penguins will play Edmonton this coming Sunday for the second time in eight days. The Oilers should expect to face an opponent that is quite different — though, almost certainly, not better — than they one they shredded, 6-1, at Rogers Place Sunday. That’s because losing their final three games on a four-game […]

Penguins Trade Grade: 2nd-Tier Hurricanes, Pens’ Loss Deeper than Guentzel

The Pittsburgh Penguins did not get the top prospects, nor a top-six NHL player from the Carolina Hurricanes as Penguins president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas zipped Sidney Crosby’s longtime sidecar Jake Guentzel to Carolina for three prospects, a conditional second-rounder that could become a first, and Dubas-acquainted winger Michael Bunting. Bunting will plug a […]

Penguins Players React to Losing and the NHL Trade Deadline

Not since Sidney Crosby was a rookie, Mario Lemieux was forced to retire with a heart ailment, and a string of big-name free agents flopped spectacularly have the Pittsburgh Penguins been this far out of a playoff position this early in the season with the NHL trade deadline the increasingly spoken elephant in the room. […]

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 […]