Hockey isn't a sport for the light-hearted, and Thursday night’s game between the Pittsburgh Penguins (36-13-7) and the Winnipeg Jets (26-29-4) sure proved that. While the first half of the game was fairly well controlled by Pittsburgh, which put up a 2-0 lead, the Jets stormed back, scoring one goal in the second and two in the third. But even though the Penguins lost the lead halfway through the third, Winnipeg couldn't hold off one of the league’s best offenses. With just over five minutes ... Read More
Flames snap Penguins’ three-game win streak in shootout
Riding a three-game win streak, expectations were high for the Pittsburgh Penguins (33-13-6) heading into their game against the Calgary Flames (28-25-3). But the Penguins didn't have the explosive start they were hoping for — Pittsburgh was down 2-0 after the second period — and it hurt the team's chances in the long run. In the end, the Penguins fell to Calgary 3-2 in a shootout loss. “We didn’t have very many shots in the first half of the game,” said winger Chris Kunitz, who scored ... Read More
Penguins stifle Blues, Fleury dominates in team’s third-straight win
A strong defensive performance Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues (25-22-5) gave the Pittsburgh Penguins (33-13-5) their third-straight win, beating the Blues 4-1. The win came not only from a disciplined defense but also a great showing by veteran goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. After not starting in eight games, Fleury finally got the nod to start in net. In his two previous starts, he gave up a combined 10 goals. But Saturday night, Fleury faced 23 shots and saved all but one of them. ... Read More
Penguins haven’t missed a step in first game of 2017
After a long week since their last game, the Pittsburgh Penguins (26-8-5) won their fifth straight game after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning (19-19-4) 6-2 on Sunday evening at PPG Paints arena. Following a scoreless first period, the Lightning got on the board first when Jonathan Drouin scored. However, his goal was answered by Conor Sheary and Eric Fehr in the same period to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead heading into the final period of play. Two quick goals in the third period — one by ... Read More
Penguins win third straight game, lose Murray to injury
For the third straight game, the Pittsburgh Penguins (24-8-5) have picked up a win, this time against the Carolina Hurricanes (15-12-7). Wednesday night’s game was led mostly by the Hurricanes until the final period of play, when both Chris Kunitz and Carl Hagelin scored to tie and eventually win the game, 3-2. Elias Lindholm and Lee Stempniak each scored a goal for Carolina, but the team's lack of offense in the third period prevented the Canes from being able to hang on to their ... Read More
Murray stays hot, Rust helps lead Penguins past Toronto
Coming off a loss, the Pittsburgh Penguins (10-3-2) put together a solid performance Saturday night and pulled off a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs (6-5-3). Matt Murray got the nod in net this evening from head coach Mike Sullivan, and the goaltender made 34 saves on 35 shots. Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby had a goal apiece, and defenseman Kris Letang finished the game with two assists. Saturday's game was dominated by the Penguins' offense, which set the game's ... Read More
Murray shuts out Sharks in Stanley Cup rematch
For the second time this season, the Pittsburgh Penguins (8-2-2) and the San Jose Sharks (6-6-0) met, and the result was no different. The Penguins won, 5-0. And with Matt Murray starting in net for the Penguins this game, the game was a true rematch. In his second start this season after being out with a hand injury, Murray looked as though he's been playing all season, recording his first shutout in the 5-0 win. And it wasn't just Murray, either. Captain Sidney Crosby, who ... Read More
Penguins edge out Lightning to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals
The stage is now set for what should be one of the best Stanley Cup Finals in recent memory. Following last night's win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be tasked with playing the San Jose Sharks, a team that has features of each opponent Pittsburgh has played in these playoffs. Matt Murray and Bryan Rust were the Penguins two biggest contributors last night. This isn't to say that the work of Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin or Sidney Crosby went unnoticed, but the ... Read More
Penguins lose in overtime to Lightning, Tampa Bay up 3-2 in series
The Pittsburgh Penguins fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3, in overtime Sunday night at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. The Penguins lost despite having been undefeated this season while leading after the second period. The game started out with both teams playing stellar defense — the shot count was low for both teams, and there weren’t many phenomenal chances. However, with .07 seconds left in the period, Pittsburgh defenseman Brian Dumoulin scored his first NHL playoff goal, and ... Read More
Three up, three down: Positive and negative takeaways from Game 1
Both experts and fans are split on how the second-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs will unfold between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals. Game 1 didn’t help much in determining the eventual winner — the game went into overtime where the Capitals were able to just squeak by. Let’s take a look at what went right and what went wrong for the Penguins in Game 1. Three Up: Competitiveness Going into the game, there was a lot of uncertainty regarding whether the ... Read More