Monday night’s game against the Washington Capitals proved to be interesting for both the Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins with Brooks Orpik suspended for three games and Olli Maatta out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. The Penguins filled their empty defensive spot with Derrick Pouliot, who was recalled from Wilkes Barre/Scranton earlier this season. There was a chance, however, for the Penguins to play defenseman Justin Schultz instead of Pouliot. Was Pouliot the right decision? ... Read More
Capitals’ Orpik suspended for hit on Pens’ Maatta
Brooks Orpik of the Washington Capitals is suspended for three games after hitting Pittsburgh Penguins Olli Maatta in Saturday night’s game. Maatta was hit in the head by Orpik, causing him to become disoriented and leave for the rest of the game. After the hit, it was expected to be a major penalty, however the defenseman only received a penalty for interference. Maatta’s injury has been named an upper-body injury. Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan stated that he is “not optimistic” about ... Read More
Caps take Game 1 from Pens with overtime win
The Pittsburgh Penguins battled the Washington Capitals in Game 1 of the series on Thursday at the Verizon Center in Washington. The Capitals took the series lead after a 4-3 overtime win. The first period proved to be a difficult one for the Penguins. The first goal of the game went to the Capitals’ Andre Burakovsky who scored after 10 minutes of play. The first period ending with a score of 1-0 Capitals. During the second period, the Penguins regained their confidence, scoring two goals ... Read More
Old rivals square off in second round
Pittsburgh Penguins (0-0) So far this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have played the Washington Capitals five times, winning three games and losing two. Going into Game 1, the Penguins continue to rely on goaltender Matt Murray, who came back after an upper-body injury to win the final three games in the series against the New York Rangers. Marc-Andre Fleury is still suffering from a concussion, and it is unknown at this time when he will be returning. In general, after a much-needed ... Read More
Pens send Rangers home to advance to second round
The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the New York Rangers, 6-3, at Consol Energy Center, and won the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, four games to one. Period One The first period proved to be slow for the Penguins, especially after the Rangers took a 1-0 lead when Rick Nash scored. After that, it was back and forth. Carl Hagelin scored the first goal for the Penguins, to tie the game. Dominic Moore quickly put the Rangers back in the lead, but the Penguins soon tied it up with a goal ... Read More
Matt Murray named NHL’s Third Star of the Week
It was announced on Monday that Matt Murray is the NHL’s Third Star of the Week after earning the Penguins a 3-0 record just last week. Murray is currently filling in for Marc-Andre Fleury who is out due to a concussion suffered during a game against the Nashville Predators. This season, Murray has a 1.88 goal-against average, a .933 save percentage, is 7-2-1 and has one shutout in 10 NHL starts. During this short time filling in for Fleury, Murray has managed to stop 52 of 54 shots, as ... Read More
Penguins sign Teddy Blueger to entry-level contract
On Tuesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford announced that they signed forward Teddy Blueger to a two-year, entry-level contract. The contract begins in the 2016-17 season and runs through the 2017-18 season. Blueger was chosen by the Penguins during the 2012 NHL Draft in the second round, 52nd overall. During the first round, Penguins players Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot were also selected, along with Matt Murray and Oskar Sundqvist in the third round. For ... Read More
Penguins sign Olli Maatta to six-year contract extension
General manager Jim Rutherford announced Friday that the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defenseman Olli Maatta to a six-year contract extension. Beginning in the 2016-17 season and running through the 2021-22 season, the contract has an average annual value of $4.083 million. Drafted in the 2013-14 season, the Finland native was the No. 22 pick overall. Maatta was drafted alongside Derek Pouliot. His first season Maatta earned the Rookie of the Year award with the Penguins, making him the ... Read More
Penguins recall Matt Murray
It was announced this morning that goaltender Matt Murray has been recalled from American Hockey League’s (AHL) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team. Current rookie of the year, Murray has the best save percentage in the AHL as well as the third-best goals-against average. Currently this season Murray has played in 30 AHL games, winning 19 of those games played. In the beginning of this month the goaltender was leading the AHL league with a .938 save percentage, as well as maintaining four shutouts so ... Read More
Penguins fall to Panthers in a shootout
This evening, the Florida Panthers (32-18-6) hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins (28-19-7) at the BB&T Center. Coming off of a five-game losing streak, the Panthers came into tonight’s game hoping to end the streak that began with the Penguins earlier this month. The first period gave way to something Penguins fans have seen far too often, turnover after turnover, and a team that acts like they do not want to be on the ice. Halfway through the period, Panthers center Nick Bjugstad scored the ... Read More